The Establishment

As I tucked the small package into the basket, I bit my lip to hold back tears and to prevent making any noise. I slipped the basket through the hatch pressed the button marked E and then slipped away into the shadows.

16 years later

Moira was snoring again. Frustrated Neela glanced over Moira’s bed to see Lila was miming smothering Moira, Neela let out an inadvertent giggle.

Moira stopped snoring. “Who is awake?” she snapped.

Neela tried to calm her breathing and feign sleep. So, no one would know she was awake. The lights came on and girls blinking sat up and looked at one another before seeing Matron by the light switch.

“Who spoke?” demanded Matron.

“I did.”

“I expect better of you Moira. Why did you break the rules?” Matron asked far kindlier than she ever would to any of the other girls.

“Someone else was talking. So, I asked who it was, so I could report them at lights on.” Moira replied maintaining her role of tattletale.

“Who else spoke?” Matron asked.

Neela thought of admitting to giggling but that would get Lila in trouble too.

“No one.” Matron asked archly. “Fine then lights out is over, you will begin your chores and additional will be added to the list, so you have no excuse to dilly dally. Get up and dressed.” The girls all started moving as Matron turned to leave but then she paused. “And no morning meal for any of you.”

The girls all knew better then to protest but as soon as Matron was far enough away, they all turned on Moira. Moira looking at the 25 other girls pleaded.

“But someone was speaking.”

“Clearly they weren’t or we’d have all heard them,” Hissed Alana

“Probably your own snoring woke you,” jeered Zia.

“I don’t snore,” whined Moira.

“You do.” Snarled Dita.

Dita was always the angriest when they lost meal privileges. When she’d arrived 7 years ago, she had been quite plump and used to eat anything the other girls didn’t want until Matron stopped her. Dita had come back from the cellar changed thinner, angrier, hungrier but she never ate any other girls’ food again.

Neela felt bad about Moira getting grief from the other girls but this was no where near as bad as what Matron would do to a girl disturbing lights out time. Neela shuddered to think what her punishment would have been. Still, it felt bad watching the other girls pick on Moira they’d all been together at least 3 years and some even longer like her, Tonya and Lila who’d only ever known dormitories at the Establishment.

Neela wasn’t sure but she didn’t think they’d be there much longer; it had been 12 courses since the last top girls went to the selection. According to Zia courses were monthly. And they were 12 in a year and there was a selection every year. Zia also talked about calendars from the outside world but they didn’t have them here. Zia had been the last girl to come to the Establishment, only 3 selections before, which was practically unheard of. Most girls had been here all their lives if not before the age of 10.

The Establishment for unwanted children, where they were bought up to be useful healthy members of society. Boys and girls kept separate by walls, fences, barbed wire, broken glass and other obstacles. Occasionally Neela would spot the boys while cleaning out the chicken coop or on cow milking duty. The boys were being trained for the military according to Zia, but they all had to know how to maintain land and livestock as well. The girls worked the land and cared for animals too, but they had cleaning duties and they also had to care for the younger children. Boys until the age of 5 were kept with the younger girls during the lights on hours. Each day was 2 hours of reading, writing and arithmetic so they could manage households and follow written instructions. The rest of the day was to be spent on chores. They produced so much food and they all saw it going on the train to go to market they were told.

Neela was glad to be on fence maintenance making sure the sheep couldn’t escape. Or that the cows couldn’t roam where they didn’t belong, it was weird doing it in the dark, but her and Zia had head lamps and they were taking it slowly checking every inch. The punishment for allowing an animal to escape or die unless they were due to be slaughtered was unspeakable, she’d seen 2 girls that hadn’t come back from it. At 7am the lights came on and Neela and Zia switched off the head lamps and put them to charge in the light. Zia was chattering away and Neela hadn’t been really listening as it had mostly been about Moira and Matron, until she said that watering was scheduled for an hour after lights on.

“Then we need to put the animals in their sheds, unless someone has been tasked to do it already?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t even know that the watering was scheduled for then.” Neela replied.

“Do you pay attention to any of distribution of tasks?” Zia asked.

“Not really I was trying to see if I could sleep with my eyes open.”

Zia giggled. “Can you.”

“Not really but I think we had less then 3 hours sleep so I thought it was worth a try. Let’s finish this paddock and then start putting the animals inside, if anyone else is doing it we will stop and go back to checking the fence.”

Zia nodded and they finished the last few metres of fence then they grabbed the herders and started gather the different animals. They’d just finished counting the cows when the watering began. They stared at one another in dismay. If they stayed here, they would be in trouble but if they went out in the watering they’d also be in trouble.

“Should we run for it?” Neela asked.

“No, we don’t know what the water ph. is set at. It could burn us.”

“So, we wait?”

“We wait.” Zia confirmed.

“I’ll watch through the gap so we can leave the second it’s done.”

“Ok do you mind if I try and sleep, while we wait.”

Neela shook her head and settled so she could watch through the gap. About 10 minutes after she’d settled, she saw the train pull in, in the distance. It was odd to have a train arrive during the watering, even odder was the people getting off and not getting wet. She whispered to Zia but got no response. The people coming off the train were wearing colours that she’d only heard stories of people wearing before. Everyone at the establishment wore brown apart from Matron and the other adults who wore grey. One person, she thought a lady because it looked like she was wearing some sort of skirt, was pointing at the barn she was in. Neela realised they were probably pointing at the watering. The more she thought about it, only certain areas got watered, not path ways but paddocks and fields did. The building didn’t get watered only splashes. The establishment must have worked out a way to control it. Just like they controlled light and dark. Neela wondered who controlled the other domes, domes that Zia had heard about but not seen. Domes with snow and jungles. Neela didn’t know what snow and jungles were and she knew not to ask the adults. ‘You will be told what you need to know, just follow the rules, don’t ask questions’ was Matron’s mantra. Neela realised that the watering had stopped, she woke Zia and they ran back to the girl’s building.

It was odd, they didn’t get much more then a telling off. After the halfway meal, instead of more chores the top girls were sent to their dormitory and told to change into the outfits on their bed. The girls were puzzled, until someone guessed it must be time for the selection. Each girl had a pale dress in blue, yellow or pink. There was lots of giggling as they were all excited to wear such fine clothes but Neela felt nervous, what happened at the selection, why did they need new clothes. Once they were dressed Matron led them down to a room they’d never used before it had a long table and chairs and they were to sit.

“Girls, today is your selection; you go out into the world to be young ladies and make your new families happy. Before you go, you each have a letter from who birthed you. Sometimes they leave you a trinket or keepsakes.” Matron declared. “We at the establishment give you these now so you can say hello to your new life with a clean slate from your old life.” Matron gestured at the box in the middle of the table. “Each take one and read it, you can keep it so you know that they have done the right thing, for your future.”

Neela frowned, if they were each taking one from the box how did they know it was the one from the ones that birthed them. But Matron had left the room via a different door. The Box went from girl to girl starting with Alana as usual and ending with Zia. Some girls ripped open their letters some girls stared at them before opening them carefully.

I sniffed mine in case it has some scent of the one who’d birthed me. But nothing just mustiness. Moira whose letter was more like a parcel squealed. She was holding a heart shaped locket and not even looking at her letter. She and Lila were both admiring it, before she put it on. I opened my letter, a piece of paper with just a few words scratched it.

I didn’t want you.

Many men have had their way with me,

Don’t look for me.

I swallowed could this be my letter or could it be one of the others. Girls were exchanging letters and cooing over them. Moira was showing off her necklace. On a whim I snatched her letter and read it.

My darling girl

I’m so sorry that I can’t keep you. Just know your father and I love you very much. My parents are marrying me off to another man so no one can ever know you. But my husband is very rich and I will get you back I may have to wait until the selection but I will get you back. Wear the necklace so I can find you. And when I have you back, I will protect you from the horrors of the selection.

I love you darling take care.

Your mother Caroline

I wished this was my letter, while I’d been reading Matron had come back in.

Moira gasped “I didn’t look at my letter.” I patted her arm while hiding the letter I had. “Oh, it’s not important I have a necklace.”

We gathered into the usual line of Alana at the front, Zia at the back. As we were led into a large room and onto separate platforms, I heard a male voice. Welcome to the selection bidding will start soon, but first take the chance to look at the girls. You’ve seen them in the catalogue but now is your chance to look at them in person. See if they suit your purposes. Male and Female candidates have been marked with colours that designate them genetically suitable with, should you wish for a breeding pair.

People that I saw earlier circulated looking at us. I saw a women approach Moira and take her hand as she spotted the necklace.

“I want this one.” She said loudly. To Moira she whispered. “Hello, my darling girl.”