STIRRING : chapter two
a new serial fiction
note: i’m moving releases to 4pm on wednesdays. we’re still early in the story. if you know someone who would enjoy following along, please send it to them, starting with the prologue.
previous
chapter two
Josef could barely concentrate on his work. all he could think about was the miniature creature in his pocket. mostly he wanted to show his child. he tried to envision this in his mind over and over, wondering what his young boy would think of the trinket. would he smile like the children in the photos? would he care?
he was also nervous. this was surely deemed contraband, and it was possible the robots would sense it and descend upon him. these robots. they controlled his whole life. all day long he repaired and built them, only to go out into a world where everyone feared them and hated them, Josef included. a deep sense of betrayal filled him, and he decided it was worth the risk.
besides, he knew some about how the robots’ internal components worked. not enough to program them or build them himself, but he knew where they were located in the body of the machine, and what they did. he knew the same basic things as most people, at what distance they could sense what type of thing.
he stared at the open robot in front of him, looking at the antennae inside. they were small. the power required for these machines was low, so they couldn’t be that strong. this one allowed it to communicate with other nearby robots. that one connected it to the main network that flew through the air. the robots were one of the few things on the network not connected by wires. it was some kind of radio, which was always receiving interference, causing the robots to go haywire — run under moving government vehicles, fall from high places. their broken remains would be brought back to the factory and dumped on Josef’s desk, usually while he was trying to eat his lunch.
Josef’s mind and gaze wandered over to today’s half-finished sandwich on his desk, wrapped in thin foil.
foil.
would that be enough to interfere with the contraband sensors? he wasn’t sure how they worked. but he was willing to try. he glanced around to see if his manager was near by. seeing him down the hall in the next workspace, Josef rose to retrieve some parts from the shelves behind him. as he did, he turned to block the camera’s view and slipped the sandwich into the same coat pocket as the little creature. perhaps the foil would shield the trinket from being seen.
anxious, Josef got a few screws from a bin on the shelf and returned to his seat. he took one last survey of his patient’s antennae, then replaced the plate on the bottom of the robot.
❊ ❊ ❊
the blue, low light of the winter afternoon flooded the hall which led to the main doors of the factory. an overnight shift of workers came in one set of doors and Josef and his colleagues exited another set. Josef looked at this late shift — sullen and ashen, forbidden by duty of being warmed or colored by sun.
Josef stepped through the doorway. sun? what sun? it was always ever only this gray, cold, overcast sky. on rare days in summer, clouds may open a little, and giant pillars of gold would search the ground. if one was lucky enough to find you, you could feel warmth deep within, deeper than the skin’s warming by a fire. it was more than just radiant heat. it did something inside you — not inside your body, inside you.
he stepped forward through the entryway guards, who were as bored with their jobs as Josef was with his. he filed down the steps behind his workspace comrades. a few more feet, and he’d be on his way home.
a chirp. Josef didn’t move his head, but his eyes darted to the source of the sound. a sentry robot, lit red, was headed his way. the bored guards were now greatly interested, and headed toward him also.
panic rose in Josef’s belly. as the robot neared him, he had a thought, which might save him.
he began patting himself down. feeling the sandwich, he flashed a surprised gasp at a guard and pulled the sandwich from his pocket. seeing Josef’s hand, the guard reached for his sidearm, but grunted when he saw the sandwich and pointed toward the robot with something in his hand. the robot stopped advancing, and sat waiting, it’s red light flickering intermittently. the guard, Pyriev, was huge and towered over Josef.
“i forgot--” Josef stammered as Pyriev ripped the sandwich from his hand, shoving him to the ground. Josef landed on his backside in the snow and cowered under the brute. Pyriev inspected the sandwich, poking his finger through its layers. “it’s my lunch, i forgot it was in my pocket--”
“this is not your lunch!” Pyriev bellowed. “factory lunch belongs to the people.”
Josef panted on the ground, fearing the worst.
Pyriev took a bite out of the sandwich. a couple of other guards laughed. Pyriev kicked Josef in the thigh. “get up!”
Josef scrambled to his feet, and Pyriev grabbed his collar and shoved him onward... toward home. as Josef stumbled forward, a sore knot forming in his leg, he could hear the other guards laughing, Pyriev with his mouth full.
amazingly, that had worked. Josef slipped his hand into his pocket. the trinket was still there. he glanced back at the robot. Pyriev pointed at the robot again, and the light turned blue as the robot returned to its post.
adrenaline poured through his system. he’d never taken such a risk, not one so public. and now soon he’d be home with this contraband. a home filled with cameras. and then what? how could he show Zechariah without the elites seeing? and what would Katya think? she was suspicious of his late arrivals after work. she knew nothing of his business with Symon or any plans they had, but she knew something was happening, something that could cause trouble for the family. she would not like this. not in the least.
and what was that? in Pyriev’s hand? Josef thought perhaps he could build something to confuse the robots.
interference.
he’d have to think about that some more.
Josef arrived home just as the hidden sun had set. Katya was already preparing their paltry supper, her leather flats tapping the stone floor as she moved about. he took his coat off, admiring his little boy, his little face tarnished with soot from whatever work they’d had him doing that day. about to hang up his coat, he remembered the secret in its pocket. he instead draped its shoulders over the back of his chair at the table, to keep it close. Katya spooned potatoes from a small bowl onto each plate as he sat down.
“put your coat away.”
“it’s a bit chilly in here. i may want it later.”
“then you can get it from the door,” she said, annoyed. she spooned the last of the potatoes onto her plate — the smallest portion — and grabbed Josef’s coat.
Josef stood to protest, and grabbed the coat, but, remembering the cameras, said nothing.
she stared at him. “what’s gotten into you?”
he slowly released his grip from the coat. “i’m cold.”
Katya huffed and hung the coat on a peg by the door. she tapped over to the fireplace and put on an extra log.
❊ ❊ ❊
Josef eyed the camera over their table. it was the only one in this room, but there were no blind spots, except that you turn your back to it. he looked around the room for any place he might be able to retrieve the trinket, show it to the boy. the boy didn’t quite understand the seriousness of the cameras yet. he wouldn’t know how to behave. and there’s Katya, who wouldn’t stand for it.
two loud clanks startled Josef. he looked to Katya, who had her fork pressed onto the edge of her plate.
“Josef.” she pointed her tines at his plate. “eat your food.” she watched his face. she knew something was going on.
he’d been lost in thought. not eating. thinking about his boy. the boy who was sitting right next to him. staring up at him, also startled, confused.
Josef banged his fork on his plate. “Zechariah!”
Zechariah’s eyes widened.
“eat your food.” after a beat, he gave the boy a wink, which sent him giggling. Josef couldn’t help but be amused as well, until he noticed Katya, still watching him, not appreciative of the mocking.
Josef’s smile disappeared, and he returned to eating.
❊ ❊ ❊
Katya begin rinsing the dishes as Josef herded Zechariah toward the bath. the boy finally relented and made his way into the water closet, and Josef fetched a towel from the linen basket by the fireplace.
Katya looked at him. he looked back. he smiled weakly, apologetically. she wiped down a dish and moved toward the door.
there was a time when Josef and Katya had warmth between them. but this life full of dreary winters had dispelled it. there were not enough logs for the fire to rekindle it.
she pulled his coat from the peg near the door and brought it near the washing area.
“what are you doing?”
she shot him a sharp look. “you have mustard on your pocket.” she took a wet rag and began scrubbing the stain. “for reasons i cannot imagine.”
he took the coat from her. “i’ll wash it.”
“you‽” she almost laughed.
“while i bathe the boy.”
her eyes narrowed, trying to squeeze in between his words, in search of his true intents.
“i know how to clean a stain.” he didn’t.
“you don’t.”
he pulled the coat closer, and she came with it. “you’ve worked hard enough for today.”
she had, but that wasn’t the reason. “and what have you been doing all day?”
Josef sighed. he wouldn’t patronize her any more, but he didn’t want to let on what he was doing just yet. “i’ll clean the coat.”
she let go of the coat and her gaze. she grabbed a wet plate and wiped it down, her back to Josef. he would figure this out. she was often irritated with him lately. so this can wait. one thing at a time.
Josef, the coat, and the towel headed toward the WC.
❊ ❊ ❊
Zechariah stood waiting next to the tub in his underwear. Josef flopped the towel down upon the closed toilet. he draped his coat across the sink. he didn’t look up, but he could feel the camera in the center of the ceiling.
Josef sat on the edge of the tub and turned on the faucet, waiting for the water to get warm. he smiled at the boy as he tickled the water, the icy wet barbs eventually subsiding.
“good news, my boy. we have hot water tonight.”
Zechariah smiled big. he did not like baths, but certainly a hot bath was preferably to a cold one. on the many days there was no hot water, they would resort to soaking a towel, letting it warm a bit by the fire, and doing a washing scrub. no one liked it, least of all the boy, but if he were to show up to his training with yesterday’s dirt, there would be consequences for him and the rest of the family. an actual hot bath was very good news.
Josef plugged the tub and let it begin to fill. he rose and turned on the hot water spigot on the sink. a damp, used washcloth lay across the back of the sink. Josef took it and inspected it. it was clean enough for a coat. he ran it beneath the hot water and pressed his finger behind it to scrub at the yellow stain above his pocket. the sandwich had been in this pocket, the pocket which shrouded the little creature.
he looked at his reflection in the sink mirror. an old man was starting to stare back at him. the babbling hiss of tub and sink pushed his consciousness deep down, a tunnel, a trance. how could he proceed with this plan? what was this plan? why was this worth the risk? what would this do to his family? was he being selfish, or selfless? what had he done? what if he were caught? here in the most private of rooms they still watched. where could he go--
“Papa.”
he slingshot back into coherence. “what?”
“it’s too hot, Papa.”
indeed steam wafted from the tub. Josef quickly squat and turned it off and felt the water. it did not scald his calloused hands, but it was too hot for the young boy. he turned on the cold water and let it dribble in. “it will cool,” he assured him.
Zechariah frowned at the bath.
Josef rose again to scrub his coat. he looked again at the aging man in the mirror, a man fading into gray. not just the graying hairs, but the obscuring fog made by the steam from the sink. he watched as the fog sprawled across the glass, completely hiding the old man behind it.
Josef spun to the tub again and tightened the cold water to a stop. he opened the hot water all the way. vapor billowed from the steaming churn, and a smile sprawled across Josef’s lips.
“Papa,” Zechariah said concerned.
“one moment, my son.” Josef watched the wisps of steam rise to the ceiling where they danced around the lens of the all-seeing eye, kissed it, and overtook it. soon, the camera glass was entirely covered in the gray fog.
a loud knock at the door startled them both. “what is taking so long?”
he wished she’d stop doing that. “there is hot water tonight. waiting for it to cool.”
her only response was to tap away back into the common room. he would have to fix that later. he only had a few minutes now.
he checked the camera again, then reached into the pocket and pulled out the small trinket.
“i want to show you something i found. but you mustn’t tell anyone. do you understand?”
Zechariah nodded.
Josef held up the little treasure. the gray animal was just as fascinating here in the dull light of the wash closet as it was in the dramatic sunbeams of the secret cellar. he presented it to the boy.
the boy took it. he turned it in his hand. he traced the long thin nose from where it began between its eyes to where it ended between its toes. he touched each fat leg as it revolved in his tiny grip. back at the face, he studied the big floppy ears curiously. he smiled, bewildered, and handed it back to his papa.
“no, you can hold it,” he whispered. he glanced back to the camera. “just for a short time.” as Zechariah pulled the animal back into his fascination, Josef ran cold water into the tub. when he felt it was cool enough for the boy, he picked him up and stood him in the water.
“let’s have your trousers.” the boy didn’t listen, just turned the squat creature back and forth in his hands. Josef yanked his trousers and helped him step out of them. “into the bath, son.”
he rose and grabbed a clean washcloth and ran it under the hot sink tap. he grabbed a soap bar and lathered it inside the rag, a modest foam forming in the coarse cloth. in the mirror, he looked past his own shoulder to see his son sitting in the tub, making the animal walk and dance along the tub wall, smiling and giggling. this made Josef smile, too.
until he realized the mirror was clear. he looked back at the camera. the fog was thinner. he quickly snatched the toy from Zechariah and traded him the washcloth. panicking, he opened the cabinet beneath the sink and set the little trinket in the back corner, placing a box of floor soap in front of it.
he sat back against the wall of the tub, relieved for the moment. he looked to his son, his face fallen.
“i’m sorry, son. but perhaps, we can look at it again tomorrow.”
Zechariah listened, then smiled weakly. Josef smiled, too, and his son’s smile grew in echo. Josef took the soap rag from him and started scrubbing the soot from his face.
