The Book – Vanessa Hardy

Another brilliant piece from a GUNNAS WRITING MASTERCLASS writer.

The object she most remembered from her childhood was a large silver ball. It was where they kept the pills that the whole family house unit (FaHU for short) would be given each day. The pills were transported there twice a day via the dispatch system. Once to be there for the wake up time and once for before bed.

Bryony’s FaHU was made up of her, (she had been existed for around 16 years now), Miles who had been existed for about 14 years, and the adultunits Jane and John who were in charge of food distribution, keeping the place clean and monitoring the silver ball. Jane or less frequently John would stand by the ball at the appointed hour and Bryony would often watch. She always marvelled at how the little door would seem to appear from nowhere and Jane, or less frequently John, would open it to find the allotted doses inside. Some days Bryony ‘s dose cup would have several pills that she would chew with delight and other days only one. But she never understood why the door never seemed visible except when the doses came through.

She remembered the ball clearly. It had always been there and she thought of her life as punctuated by the regular visits to it and the relief of each serve of pills. She had a much vaguer memory of Jane and John. Had they always been there in this form? or did she remember a different Jane and John? Bryony was not sure. How could she be sure now?

The unit itself was purpose built and contained a bedpod for each member. Bryony’s bedpod contained a window that overlooked an image of green rolling hills. She often wondered where this picture had been taken and how long ago. She knew, of course that green rolling hills were no longer accessible to individuals of her level. You had to be a wealthy to be able to access the areas of any natural. It had been explained to her that she was much better off this way and she used to believe it. She knew that soil and grass and natural water contained bacteria and things that could be dangerous. She had always been grateful for the well cleaned environment and toxin free life they could lead. She had learnt to be grateful and couldn’t imagine what it must be like to be less fortunate. She understood that their FaHU was of a much better standard than many. The cleanpod where any inadvertent dust or microparticles could be washed away before entering the main wing of the FaHU was large and warm. She had heard from others at her education level acquisition facility (ELAF) that some cleanpods were cold and the smell of the cleaning products was so strong your nose would itch for maybe an hour afterwards. She had always felt fortunate and smug in her own space until yesterday.

Yesterday she had seen the book.

She knew nothing could be the same now.

Bryony had been sitting after ELAF, unusually she had not much to do and was chatting to Miles. One of them, she couldn’t even remember who, had been laughing about how when they were little they used to try to feel the silver ball all over, looking for a way to get in, in between doses. Bryony stood up and acted out what they were laughing about; running her hands all around the ball and pretending to be looking for a way in. But as her hand reached to the back of the alcove the ball was set into she felt a click and something give behind it in the wall. Before she could think Bryony’s hand was pushing through a softening gap in the wall and her hand felt something unfamiliar. She grabbed it and pulled but had to negotiate several angles before she could pull it into the bright artificial light of the room. It fell open in her hands. It was a book.

Bryony had heard of books and seen them in the online museums, she and Miles both knew what it was but couldn’t believe such an item could suddenly be in their foodpod behind the ball. Miles was so stunned he asked
‘What is it?’ even though he obviously could see it. Bryony didn’t answer but instead gingerly tried to lift one page from another in the way she had seen pages turned on the museum videos. When she looked at Miles he was close to tears. The complete surprise of it all had overwhelmed him and Bryony realised she was shaking. She quickly closed the book and its colourful cover stared at her with the words.

Children’s Atlas of the World.

This changed everything. By blind instinct they knew not to tell Jane and John and managed with supreme effort to negotiate a ‘normal’ evening. That night, long after they were supposed to be asleep, Miles and Bryony poured over the book they had discovered. It seemed the places they had been told were stories actually existed. They looked at pictures from space of familiar shapes of land and instead of the regular pattern of citylands they had learnt at ELAF there was a messy, dirty, colourful world of strange ‘countries’. Bryony could only remember once before that she and Miles had gone against their normal routine and that was when they were very small. Back then she hadn’t felt the billowing fear that was surrounding her now. Sometime between now and then she had absorbed the consequences of transgression. But now that she had transgressed she felt she may as well pursue it more. She would need to find out what was being kept from her. What was truth and what was a lie.

She knew nothing could be the same now.

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