not disagree with Florence,” she says with her mouth full.
In that same moment, the red-haired woman sets a plate of the same mass in front of me, and passes me a fork. The food smells delicious. “Here, this is a pancake. Try it and see if you like it. I’m Grace, and this is my daughter Emily.” She points at the girl, about the same age as Iris, with red hair like her mother’s. A mother and child...This would be unimaginable in the safety zone. No one knows their parents. Children are taken from their mothers immediately after birth, and raised in the education department.
Impressed, I stretch my hand towards Grace, which makes her happy. She lays her soft hand in mine.
“I taught her that,” says Paul proudly.
“Well done, darling,” says Florence happily, but she frowns when Finn sits down beside me. “You’ve eaten already.”
“I’m not letting her out of my sight, she can’t be trusted.”
“She has a name, you know. It’s Cleo. What do you think she’ll do here? Suffocate us with pancakes? Go on, get out of the kitchen, or I’ll make you!”
Finn’s eyes shoot daggers at Florence, but she doesn’t care. In fact, she sends back an arsenal of her own.
“Come on, let’s go for a walk,” says Paul to Finn. Before he goes, he kisses Florence full on the lips. She has to stand on her tiptoes, and he has to bend down a bit. Embarrassed, I drop my gaze and use the fork to separate off a piece of the pancake. Quickly I stick it in my mouth. It’s warm, and sweet, and I finally realise how hungry I am.
The first pancake is gone quickly and a second follows it. After four, I give up and lay my hands on my full stomach.
Grace wants to give me another. “Eat, if you’re hungry,” she says with a laugh, but I thank her and say no.
For the rest of the day, Florence shows me around the caves and the surrounding area. People work in the gardens, cultivating their own vegetables to provide for themselves to a large extent. They also go hunting, which I can hardly imagine, because I thought all animals had died out. It’s not true—for me it’s like a miracle, so it’s horrible to think of killing them. I wish I could see a living pig before I have to eat one from my plate.
The caves are well-situated, protected by a mountain, which Florence calls a hill, but it’s the biggest thing I’ve ever seen. The caves border the woods, and there’s a lake so they can water their plants. Except for the woods, from the caves we can see miles of dry, red sandy desert. I wonder where the safety zone is. It can’t be that far away, but there’s nothing to see. But I won’t ask, because it would only strengthen Finn’s opinion about me—even though he’s right.
There is vegetable soup at midday, a strange, warm drink with floating pieces of plants. It is peculiar, but fills the stomach admirably, along with the fresh bread I have grown to love.
Gustav’s wife Marie moves about confidently, preparing food, only rarely in sight through a doorway. Her face has at least as many wrinkles as Gustav’s, maybe even more. But her eyes and mouth have such a kind expression that I know the wrinkles must be from laughing. Her hair is white like snow, falling in soft waves over her tanned skin. I’m deeply touched to see Gustav with her. Whenever he looks at her, there’s a smile on his lips. Anytime she stands up, he gives her his hand and leads her wherever she wants to go. He strokes her cheeks and kisses her forehead.
Unlike with Florence and Paul, it’s not embarrassing. I can hardly tear my eyes away. These two are so old and must have known each other for half of forever, still Gustav’s eyes light up in wonder for his Marie.
Love was always an abstract concept for me until now. Something that shouldn’t exist in our world any more. Something I couldn’t understand, maybe even something I feared. But when I see Gustav and Marie, I long to be happy like that. That evening, I finally meet her
In that same moment, the red-haired woman sets a plate of the same mass in front of me, and passes me a fork. The food smells delicious. “Here, this is a pancake. Try it and see if you like it. I’m Grace, and this is my daughter Emily.” She points at the girl, about the same age as Iris, with red hair like her mother’s. A mother and child...This would be unimaginable in the safety zone. No one knows their parents. Children are taken from their mothers immediately after birth, and raised in the education department.
Impressed, I stretch my hand towards Grace, which makes her happy. She lays her soft hand in mine.
“I taught her that,” says Paul proudly.
“Well done, darling,” says Florence happily, but she frowns when Finn sits down beside me. “You’ve eaten already.”
“I’m not letting her out of my sight, she can’t be trusted.”
“She has a name, you know. It’s Cleo. What do you think she’ll do here? Suffocate us with pancakes? Go on, get out of the kitchen, or I’ll make you!”
Finn’s eyes shoot daggers at Florence, but she doesn’t care. In fact, she sends back an arsenal of her own.
“Come on, let’s go for a walk,” says Paul to Finn. Before he goes, he kisses Florence full on the lips. She has to stand on her tiptoes, and he has to bend down a bit. Embarrassed, I drop my gaze and use the fork to separate off a piece of the pancake. Quickly I stick it in my mouth. It’s warm, and sweet, and I finally realise how hungry I am.
The first pancake is gone quickly and a second follows it. After four, I give up and lay my hands on my full stomach.
Grace wants to give me another. “Eat, if you’re hungry,” she says with a laugh, but I thank her and say no.
For the rest of the day, Florence shows me around the caves and the surrounding area. People work in the gardens, cultivating their own vegetables to provide for themselves to a large extent. They also go hunting, which I can hardly imagine, because I thought all animals had died out. It’s not true—for me it’s like a miracle, so it’s horrible to think of killing them. I wish I could see a living pig before I have to eat one from my plate.
The caves are well-situated, protected by a mountain, which Florence calls a hill, but it’s the biggest thing I’ve ever seen. The caves border the woods, and there’s a lake so they can water their plants. Except for the woods, from the caves we can see miles of dry, red sandy desert. I wonder where the safety zone is. It can’t be that far away, but there’s nothing to see. But I won’t ask, because it would only strengthen Finn’s opinion about me—even though he’s right.
There is vegetable soup at midday, a strange, warm drink with floating pieces of plants. It is peculiar, but fills the stomach admirably, along with the fresh bread I have grown to love.
Gustav’s wife Marie moves about confidently, preparing food, only rarely in sight through a doorway. Her face has at least as many wrinkles as Gustav’s, maybe even more. But her eyes and mouth have such a kind expression that I know the wrinkles must be from laughing. Her hair is white like snow, falling in soft waves over her tanned skin. I’m deeply touched to see Gustav with her. Whenever he looks at her, there’s a smile on his lips. Anytime she stands up, he gives her his hand and leads her wherever she wants to go. He strokes her cheeks and kisses her forehead.
Unlike with Florence and Paul, it’s not embarrassing. I can hardly tear my eyes away. These two are so old and must have known each other for half of forever, still Gustav’s eyes light up in wonder for his Marie.
Love was always an abstract concept for me until now. Something that shouldn’t exist in our world any more. Something I couldn’t understand, maybe even something I feared. But when I see Gustav and Marie, I long to be happy like that. That evening, I finally meet her
Similar Books
