This is a continuation of a story started earlier. Lydia has always lived in the Establishment, where each action, word, and moment are exactly identical. Now she has an idea about leaving or changing the Establishment. She thinks it’s worth the risk of her life. Read part one of the story here: The Way of Life
The alarm went off. Visiting Period. Simultaneously, exactly half of the great circle of Person Cages lining the edge of the Establishment came alive. Everybody, Lydia included, walked out the door and to the Person Cage directly across from their own Person Cage by way of the great network of walkways intended for this purpose.
The people with less than forty Sun Rotations lived on this side of the Establishment and would do the walking. The people across from them, whom they would be visiting, would either be over forty Sun Rotations and more comfortable having guests come to them than walking all that long way, or less than thirteen Sun Rotations, in which case the Person would be not permitted to leave their Person Cage, as they were still under training from the Growing Facilities. They would still be trained, but not have to be confined to the Facilities. This confinement was abandoned by ten Sun Rotations, when the Young were considered independent enough to live in their own Person Cage, as long as they reported back to the Growing Facilities every day to have their training.
Lydia reached the Person Cage where she was to meet her Visiting Partner. She waved her hand over the sensor on his door to activate it. Then a camera recorded her standing there and projected the image on the wall inside her Partner’s Person Cage. Her Partner would press a button inside his Cage which activated a machine which swung open the door. She stepped in, and the door swung shut along with all the other doors along this side of the Establishment.
Her Partner’s name was Charlie. That was the name he was assigned at his Beginning. In that same Cage a generation ago, there was another Person named Charlie and another before him, since the beginning of time. The same situation was for Lydia. The Person who used to live in her Cage was also called Lydia. So was the person before the last Lydia and the person before her. Always female. Always called Lydia.
“Greetings, Visiting Partner Lydia,” said Charlie, rehearsing the speech taught him at the Growing Facilities which was to be said at the arrival of a Visiting Partner.
“Greetings, Visiting Partner Charlie,” answered Lydia. Then, following directions given her, she continued the speech which was to be said to a Visiting Partner who was still in Growing Facilities. “What did you learn at the Facilities today?”
“I learned,” began Charlie. He was instructed to say, “I learned.” “I learned to work the Food Platform,” he said.
Lydia continued her part of the Visiting. “Good. That is very important. The Growing Facilities never fails.”
“Such is the Way of Life,” concluded Charlie.
They bowed. She began to take her leave though the door. She remembered the uneasiness she felt earlier that day. How she felt when she had to get out, when she knew this to be true. She wondered, would there be anything beyond the Establishment worth risking her life for?
Charlie waited uncomfortably for Lydia to leave. She did nothing because suddenly she knew what to do.
Lydia closed the door. She grabbed Charlie and pulled him away from it. “I gotta talk to you about something,” she said breathlessly.
“Lydia!” exclaimed Charlie, “What would they say if—if they saw you breaking the rules about speaking out of turn? I don’t want to be a part of that!”
“Yeah. Yeah, I know. But hear me out, Charlie. Please. You’ve all I’ve got to talk to.” Her voice trembled in desperation.
Charlie glanced furtively around him. “Okay, but be fast.”
“Have you ever thought about what could be outside of the Establishment?” she inquired.
“Sure. They teach you in the Facilities. It’s full of crime and trouble and corruption. You surely remember!”
“Yeah, I remember,” she admitted. “But, what if it’s all that, sure, and something more? Wouldn’t it be good to find out?”
“Visiting Period is long over,” he reminded her coldly.
“Charlie!” she snapped. “I just have this funny feeling. Like I’m missing something. Like, say, a new kind of soap came in for the Toiletries Kit and they forgot to deliver yours? And then everybody gets excited about what a great kind of soap it is? You’d feel like you were missing something, right?”
“I don’t know,” mused Charlie. He was not the cleanest person. Besides, people talking about soap wasn’t going to happen. Nothing outside of the rules of the Establishment was going to happen. Lydia felt strange herself just speaking to Charlie about things other than routine Visiting communication.
“Oh! Forget it. What I’m trying to say, is, we need change. This Establishment may have seemed like a good idea at first, but it must stop. The Establishment is ruining the earth and all of our lives. I’m going to talk it over with you tomorrow during Visiting Period!”
“How dare you talk like that!” yelled Charlie. He stabbed at the button and the door swung open again. The alarm went off again, marking the beginning of Night Preparation Time, and Lydia was the first and the last person to illegally run across the Establishment in the entire history of its being.
Read part three of this exciting tale at:
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