Forager (Forager - A Dystopian Trilogy)

by Peter R Stone

  My head burned red hot from the pressure of the fix I had gotten myself into, for I knew the correct thing to do was to obey him, but when I glanced at Nanako studiously preparing our dinner, I realised I would have to defy father for the first time. "Father, I am otherwise detained and it’s not something I can get out of."

  "What are you talking about, Son? Are you suddenly bereft of your senses? You knew the King's were coming tonight to finalize the wedding’s details - how can you be otherwise detained?"

  "I'm sorry, Father, but as I said, I am literally unable to come. Please pass my apologies to the King's as well."

  "Wait a moment," Father snapped, and he must have placed his hand over the receiver, for I heard nothing for a couple of minutes, and then, "Son? I have passed on your message to the Kings, and they are most displeased, as they should be. However, after much apologising, they have agreed to return tomorrow night."

  I let out a huge sigh of relief, as I thought he was going to keep insisting that I came over until I caved in. "Right, thank you. I will be there. As I said, I'm sorry."

  My father slammed down the phone before I finished talking, causing me to wince. I was going to get a major dressing down tomorrow night. Something to look forward to.

  My face was boiling hot and my conscience felt as though it had been pierced by a red-hot poker, but I returned to the kitchen and leaned against the fridge to chat with Nanako as she prepared the meal.

  "Is everything okay?" she asked.

  "It's all sorted," I assured her as I watched her pop small balls of fish meat into a saucepan bubbling with boiling oil. “Doesn’t Councillor Okada need you to translate for him tonight?” I asked.

  “I told him I wanted the night off,” she said as she started peeling potatoes.

  “And he let you?”

  “Of course,” she replied, as though the answer should have been obvious.

  “Do you mind if I ask how you can speak English so well but he doesn’t?”

  “I went to primary school in Inverloch,” she replied. “My parents thought it would be good if I could speak both languages.”

  “They were right - imagine the trouble you and I would have trying to communicate if you only spoke Japanese,” I laughed.

  “I don’t know,” she answered with a smile, “You understand Japanese well enough.”

  “Yeah, and that’s kind of weird.”

  "Why's that?"

  "Because I never learnt it," I replied.

  "Really? Then why do you think you understand it?" she asked, studying my face carefully.

  “Can’t say, to be honest,” which was true, I really couldn’t tell her it may be because of my abnormal abilities. I decided to change the subject. “Hey, how do you know where I live?”

  “Councillor Okada asked an official for your address. He said he wanted to drop by and say thank you,” she replied.

  “I see.”

  “That was okay, wasn’t it?” she asked, suddenly concerned.

  “Of course,” I assured her, giving her an encouraging smile. “Hey, do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  “One of each,” she replied. “My brother is ten, and my sister eight.”

  I waited for her to return the question, but when she didn’t, I volunteered the information anyway. “I have two sisters, one twenty and the other twelve.”

  She nodded as she continued cutting vegetables.

  "What are you cooking?" I asked, my interest piqued by the appetising smells filling the flat.

  "Oden," she replied. "It's a Japanese winter dish. I was lucky to find some of the ingredients in North End and most of the others in the markets. I had to make my own fish cakes, though. And although we normally eat rice with the dish, we'll have to make do with bread rolls since Newhome doesn’t grow rice."

  "I see. Hey, you're an amazing cook, you know. The obento you made was the best lunch I've ever had."

  "Oh no, you are too kind - my cooking is nothing special."

  "You're too modest," I laughed. "Where did you learn to cook?"

  "I’ve had a lot of practice," she replied.

  Suddenly, I could contain my curiosity no longer. "Nanako, if you don't mind my asking - how old are you?"

  Her dark brown eyes peered out from beneath her fringe. "I'll be nineteen in a couple of weeks."

  I was dumbfounded – she was years older than she looked and older than me as well. "You sure hide your age well - I figured you were fifteen at the most. In fact, you're a couple of months older than I am. I turn nineteen in the middle of February."

  "Then we are virtually the same age," she said, rewarding me with another of her winning smiles.

  “Yeah, amazing hey?" I laughed, before asking, "What do you do in Hamamachi, are you, you know, the town’s translator or something?”

  She shook her head, “Oh no, there are quite a few of us that speak English. Actually, I’m a forager like you.”

  “Really? What a small world. Where do you do your foraging?” I quizzed. Maybe they came to Melbourne sometimes, and if so, perhaps we could bump into each other from time to time.

  “Mostly abandoned country towns, but I’ve been to Melbourne’s eastern suburbs too, looking for anything old tech - mobile phones, computers, tablets, and books, of course.”

  “Books from outside Newhome are banned here,” I said sadly.

  “Why?”

  “Something about their having the ability to put subversive ideas in our minds. All the same, it doesn’t stop me reading them when I’m out foraging,” I admitted slyly.

  “How long have you been foraging, Ethan?”

  “Two years.”

  “What did you do before that?” she queried as she began to add a number of ingredients into the larger saucepan - boiled eggs, potatoes, carrots, white noodles, her hand-made fishcakes, and a vegetable I hadn’t seen before, kind of like a large white radish. She must have bought it in North End for I hadn’t seen it in our markets.

  “It’s a long story,” I answered.

  “I don’t mind long stories.”

  I didn’t want to go there, but as she wouldn’t let the matter drop, I didn’t have much choice. “Honestly, I don’t remember. After I left school at fifteen I started foraging, but a few months afterwards, I suffered a head injury that caused me to have amnesia and very bad epileptic seizures. All I recall is waking up in hospital after having the operation that stopped the seizures. My memory of that year never returned, sadly.”

  “When was the operation?”

  “December 2120.”

  “And you don’t remember anything about that year? About what you did before the accident or the time in hospital?” she quizzed.

  “Not a thing.”

  “Have you tried triggering the missing memories, like going back to the hospital?”

  “I’ve been back a few times for check-ups,” I answered, “but it didn't trigger any memories. I don't think there's anything left to trigger, the accident did too much damage.”

  We kept making idle chatter until the meal was ready. As she cooked, my gaze kept straying to the tantalizing glimpse of her slightly exposed thighs. I tried to fight the impulse, but try as I might, failed miserably. I was afraid she might catch me ogling her legs and cause me to die of embarrassment. Fortunately, if she noticed, she said nothing but acted as though my behaviour was nothing out of the ordinary.

  I must admit I was rather confused when she set two places at my small dining table instead of one - two bowls, two cups, and two plates stacked with bread rolls. She indicated that I should sit and after sitting opposite me, served the oden into both of our bowls. This was a most pleasant surprise – she was going to eat with me instead of waiting on me and eating later, as did Newhome’s women. She handed me two wooden sticks.

  "You want me to eat with chopsticks?" I asked.

  "Yes please," she replied mischievously.

  “But I’ve never used them before,” I complained.


  “You’ll do just fine.”

  I picked up the chopsticks and dug into the oden, while she did the same. To my astonishment, I could use the chopsticks quite proficiently. The oden’s ingredients had been cooked in a soy-flavoured soup, giving them a wonderful flavour, including the potatoes and boiled eggs.

  As I watched Nanako noisily slurping down noodles, I suddenly gave her a heartfelt smile, which she immediately returned, her eyes sparkling merrily. I was immediately struck by the growing attraction I felt for her, which both confused and surprised me, since we’d known each other for such a short time. If someone had told me a week ago that this was going to happen, I wouldn’t have believed it.

  Another thought popped unbidden to my mind: I imagined I married Nanako instead of Sienna, and that we ate together like this every day. And that I had a future of joy rather than of endless frustration.

  I picked up a large piece of radish, which had changed during cooking from opaque white to translucent brown, and as I did, another 'spike attack' tore through me ruthlessly. Not wanting to concern Nanako, I tried to hide it by concentrating on eating until it passed. The image that accompanied this attack was of a bathroom mirror and a cluttered basin, including two toothbrushes, soaps, shampoo and conditioner, washing-cloths, and cotton balls. My mind was yet again convinced I had experienced this exact moment before, eating oden with Nanako while seeing this vision, but my rational mind dismissed this as mere nonsense. What was going on in my head, I wondered?

  My next scheduled check-up with the hospital's neurologist was in two days, so I figured I should tell him about these turns, just in case.

  "You okay, Ethan? You've gone quiet all of a sudden."

  "Sorry, we can't have that, eh?" I laughed, hoping she hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary.

  She studied me intently, as though trying to see into my mind. I did not want to mention these strange turns that defied all logic so I asked the second question I had been dying to ask her. “When are you and Councillor Okada returning to Hamamachi?” I was dreading she might answer that she would return tomorrow, for she had brought such light into my gloomy, dark life and I didn’t want her to go.

  “Your town council is preparing a selection of items that Newhome manufactures and wishes to offer in trade with Hamamachi. As soon as they are ready, your Custodians will escort the samples and Councillor Okada back to Hamamachi.”

  “But what about you? Aren’t you going with them?” I asked, thinking she had left her name out by accident.

  “No, I’m not going back."

  "What, why not?"

  "Because there's something here I want,” she said, a smile tugging at the corners of her slightly upturned mouth.

  I wracked my mind, trying to think what she was referring to. “Oh, and what is this thing you want?”

  She giggled. “Oh Ethan, you’re a smart guy, but sometimes you aren’t too bright.”

  I think there was a compliment in there somewhere, and a massive hint to what she wanted, but try as I might, the answer alluded me. “You’re not going to tell me what it is?”

  “Nope, you’ll have to work it out by yourself.”

  “Well, whatever it is, I’m glad it’s keeping you here,” I said.

  “And why’s that?” she asked, leaning forward slightly, her gaze suddenly intense.

  I blushed, turning bright red in the process, no doubt. “So you can keep making me these marvellous meals.” Which of course, was not the reason at all - what I wanted to say was: so I can keep seeing you, and sharing meals with you, and talking to you, and daydreaming about the impossible.

  “Is that right?” she smirked playfully. “In that case, I’ll make you udon tomorrow night - you’ll love it.”

  “Can we make it the day after? I have to go out tomorrow night,” I said as I served myself another potato and fish ball.

  “Really - where are you going?”

  I squirmed in my seat and looked at my hands as I replied. “My father has chosen my bride and our two families are meeting at six tomorrow night to finalise the wedding date.”

  Nanako choked and sprayed a mouthful of water over the table, her eyes wide with horror and dismay. “Who is this girl?”

  I could only glance at her as I replied reluctantly. “Remember Sergeant King, the leader of the Custodians who helped rescue you on Monday? It’s his younger sister. I met her last night for the first time.”

  "Do you…love her?" she asked, her voice quivering as her eyes bored holes through mine.

  "No, of course not," I replied without hesitation. "All she cares about is using the marriage to help her get into North End. My father told her father I am capable of accomplishing anything."

  "Then tell your father you won't marry her," she commanded.

  “I can’t,” I replied sadly. “All marriages in Newhome are arranged by the fathers. The children have no say in the matter.”

  “That's crazy," she said, and then, after a long pause, "When do you think the marriage will take place?"

  "Probably within the next two months."

  At that news, her face paled quite considerably. “Where are you meeting with them tomorrow night?”

  “At my parent’s house.”

  She nodded a couple of times, and then rose and collected the used bowls, plates and chopsticks. She took them to the sink and washed them, making no further attempt at conversation. I put the leftovers in a plastic container and left them on the bench to cool down.

  After that, we adjourned to the sofa and although I tried to draw her into conversation, I soon gave up for if she responded at all; it was never longer than a one-syllable word.

  Her reaction was clearly something to do with my telling her I was getting married, but I could not understand why she was reacting like this, for we barely knew each other. I had figured her interest in me could be to repay the debt she owed me for saving her life, but with the cryptic comments she had made tonight, I suspected that was not the case. And if it wasn’t, then what was her purpose in pursuing me?

  "I had best head back, it is getting late," she said as she pulled from a pocket what appeared to be a working Smartphone.

  I watched in childlike wonder as she activated it. "Councillor? Owatta. Hai hai, ja, mata."

  "Your phone works," I virtually squeaked when I found my voice.

  "Certainly does," she said.

  "But, their batteries are all dead, the digital programming has perished, and there are no satellites to connect them to," I protested.

  "That was the case, but we have learned how to repair them and make our own batteries. We even found a suitable satellite that survived the Apocalypse."

  "I'm impressed," I practically drooled, and it occurred to me that if I had one of those phones I could talk to Nanako at any time. Though I couldn't just come out and say that, it'd be too forward. So I said, "Hey, if I had one too, could I talk to people?"

  She nodded, though without enthusiasm. "Well, the only people you'd know with Smartphones are me and Councillor Okada."

  "Then maybe I'd could ring you?"

  There was a sharp rap at the door before she could answer - Councillor Okada had arrived. I don't know where he had been this evening, but it was obviously close by.

  I hurried to the door, opened it and returned the councillor's polite bow. As Nanako joined him, I studied her downcast face and wished there was something, anything, I could do to lift her spirits again. "Thank you for a wonderful evening and gorgeous meal, Nanako," I said.

  She didn't reply but rose to her toes and pecked a light kiss on my check, and then walked off with the councillor without a backward glance.

  I glanced quickly about to see if any Custodians were around to have seen her leave my apartment, but was relieved that none were in sight.

  After I closed the door, I slid to the floor and just sat there, at a loss. I touched the cheek she had kissed, and my emotions and thoughts swept into a storm of confusion. I hated to see
her so sad, for it tore me up inside, as did the fact that the night ended on such a negative note.

  I hadn't even confirmed if she was still coming over the evening after the next.

  Chapter Twelve

  Morning sunlight was streaming through the windows when I woke on the floor beside the front door. I don't know how many hours I sat against the door last night, but I obviously fell asleep eventually. I was stiff and sore, but not overly so as I often slept on the apartment block's concrete roof.

  Tormented by the troubled, miserable expression on Nanako's face last night, I had zero interest in food. I drank a glass of water and threw a couple of pieces of fruit and a bottle of water into my backpack. I didn't pack food for lunch as I figured I'd be in no mood to eat at lunchtime either.

  That done, I left my flat and headed for work. It normally took fifteen minutes to walk there, but I stretched it out to half an hour so I wouldn't arrive early. I had no interest in talking to anyone today, especially not In-Your-Face-Cooper.

  My walk was plagued with thoughts of last night, of how a perfect evening with a beautiful and mysterious girl turned sour when I told her I was getting married. But why? We had known each other only a few days, so why did this news have such a strong effect on her? I mean, she intrigued me greatly, but there was nowhere our relationship could go from here. Surely she could see that too.

  And what was her reason for not leaving Newhome with Councillor Okada? She said she wouldn’t leave because there was something she here she wanted. What was this mysterious ‘thing?’

  I was still lost in this mental quagmire when I saw Lieutenant King waiting for me at the Recycling-Works gates with a savage scowl on his face. This wasn't going to be a good day.

  "That was some stunt you pulled last night, Jones," he hissed when I reached him.

  Still feeling somewhat distressed, I was in no mood to placate him. "My apologies, Lieutenant, but I was otherwise detained," I replied, the tone of my voice bordering on insolence.

  "My father was most displeased - don’t pull any stupid stunts like that tonight, you hear me?”