《2084》


 Unity Department

    Year 2084. The sovereign country of Ameratheist. Two young adults apply for a unification certificate before the Unity Department. Caseworker: "You are members of Millennial Comrades?" "Yes we are" they answered smilingly. "And you are aware of the required procedures for being members of a listed organization?" "We weren''t aware of any requirements." "Well you should be. All who identify as Millennial Comrades and wish to obtain a Unification Certificate must also produce a verifiable sterility certificate. "What! We were not aware of this...why is this! Why?¡± "It is from national outcry and subsequent law established circa 2030. The members of the Millennial Comrades have proven to be recalcitrant towards the States pleadings to change their policies and procedures affecting children. These include insufficient protection of abuse, negligence in obtaining proper medical treatment, exposure to psychologically damaging and disturbing images of graphic violence, and forced indoctrination of superstitious fables. Therefore, with overwhelming public support it has been established by national law that henceforth any couple who identify as members of the "Millennial Comrades" and who seek a Unification Certificate will be prohibited from procreating. It was unanimously supported in Congress and signed into law by President Stewart. Your "Vessels of Knowledge" did not make you aware of this? ¡° ¡°Well, not that we remember" they stammered.¡± With compassion he said, "Why don''t you both take some time and think about it. You know, my great, great, great, great grandmother joined the beginning of your group back in 1935 with Joseph Ratterbag. Things change. The protection of our children has become our first priority. The advancement of our human society requires it. Please call me if I can help you in any way" "Yes, thank you" they whispered with heads bowed. He saw them to the door and as they left the young man turned and asked him "Who is this Joseph Ratterbag?" The caseworker smiled, put his hand on the young man''s shoulder and said, "Come back and see me soon....we''ll talk about it".Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

 Coffee Shop

    The next day the young man met with his uncle at a local coffee shop that looked out over the rail yard. Although the consumption of coffee had been determined by  the "Counsel of the Consecrated Ones" to be a violation of scriptural principles and grounds for "disunion proceedings",  ("you shall separate yourselves from wine and similar strong drink") it would be a quiet place where they both could discuss what had transpired the day before at the Unity Department. Uncle Dimitri was the "Prolocutor of the Vessels of Knowledge". As Boris entered the shop, he saw his Uncle Dimitri smile and wave to him from a small table by a window where the sun shone in. Dimitri was dressed in his typical worn London Fog raincoat, a blue thrift shop suit and scuffed brown Florsheim wingtips, his old Core MC2 tablet on the small table. As he slid into his chair, their waitress, a young polish girl asked what she could get them. Knowing his nephew and he enjoyed the same drink Uncle Dimitri said, "We''ll have two Red Bulls please". The young polish girl replied, "Very good...we having big decline!" ...and walked away. Boris and his Uncle looked at each other and began to chuckle. "I think", said Boris, "that probably her English isn''t so good and she meant to say that our drinks are on special" "Anyway Uncle Dimitri, yesterday Natasha and I went to obtain our "Unification Certificate". The man who interviewed us told us that because we were members of the Millennial Comrades that we would have to provide them with a verified sterility certificate. What is this Uncle Dimitri? Natasha and I just want to be married and have a family...have children. What is going on?" he asked excitedly. Uncle Dimitri took a deep breath and looked out the window. "Yes, its true" he said. Back in the 20''s the Comrades went through some trying times. All around the earth Satan''s governments were making the most absurd accusations against us...that we abused our children, that we denied them medical treatment, that we instilled fear in them. It was all lies. They framed trouble by decree and passed these draconian laws in one country after another. Thousands of our Comrades believed what they were seeing and reading and left the path and then, having the right to bear children taken away from us, our numbers plummeted. Our Shepherd Body humbly did all that they could to... "Wait, wait", said Boris, "What is this Shepherd Body?..I''ve never heard of that before. "Oh", Dimitri stuttered, "They were a group of special men who acted as God''s sole channel of communication to all creation. But that arrangement changed with the passing of the last member, Comrade Sackerson back in 2031. Now we have the Council of the Consecrated Ones who keep us on the path." "What happened to Comrade Sackerson?" asked Boris. ¡°Sadly, he aspirated on a cheese curd" replied Dimitri. "But by the will of God and their litigation bureau, our Comrades received a nice settlement¡± "But Uncle Dimitri, if this law was established in 2030, then why am I here? You have no children Uncle Dimitri...why?" Boris asked in confusion. Old Dimitri slumped forward with his elbows on the table, his hands covering his face, and began to speak in a whisper.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

 Ivan

    "Your father Boris, my older brother Ivan, left the path when I was quite young. He was eight years older than me. I was ten years old. That was 2020. I remember things very vaguely. I was just a child. Our father, your grandfather Fyodor and our mother renounced him. I didn''t understand at the time. I was confused. I was just a child. He had been disfellowshipped for speaking out about some supposed issue within the brotherhood. He was accused of causing divisions and slander. He was only eighteen years old. I remember a lot of arguments and crying...and just like that my beloved brother was gone. I was very confused but no one would talk to me. Over time I heard just bits and pieces about Ivan. If I asked about him I was told that he had moved away. I gathered that he had married a girl that he had met in school." "Wait, wait" Boris exclaimed,¡± What is this disfellowshipping you speak about?¡± ¡°Well" Dimitri explained ¡°It¡¯s what we now term disunion. It''s when a comrade violates our protocols and is unrepentant. Our Council of Consecrated Ones directed us that those who leave the path should be thought of as dead to us...that they would be incinerated at Armageddon and their flesh would be consumed by crows and maggots, and not to feel compassion for them. That is how I was to feel about my brother Ivan. He was dead to me. I never saw Ivan again. Over the years I came to know more about him. He became a very talented and respected writer...very successful. His first wife took ill and died unexpectedly...I think it happened around 2035. They never had any children. Your father was devastated but what could we do? To communicate with him or to express our feelings for him or to be of any help whatsoever to him would have been unloving. We trusted the "Council of the Consecrated Ones" even though it troubled us. But after some years, he met your mother Katiya. She was a very well regarded poet. Certainly you''ve read her works?" ¡°No, no I haven''t " replied Boris. I knew nothing about my mother being a poet" "Well" Dimitri sighed, "she seemed to lose interest in her work about the same time that your father died. He was so troubled, such a tortured soul. Maybe if he had only known that Katiya was at that moment carrying his child, a son that would have brought him so much joy, that he would have reconsidered what he was about to do. That son was you Boris" he smiled. "Ivan would have been humored knowing that he fathered a child at 54." "How did my father die Uncle Dimitri? Neither my mother, nor anyone has ever spoken about it. Why such a secret? ¡°He asked perplexed. Dimitri stared out the window that looked over the train yard. Boris could see his eyes mist over.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

 Morgue

    "What happened to my dear brother Boris has haunted me for many years. Even now, when I think of it...." his voice trailed off. ¡°What Uncle Dimitri?...what? Tell me now what happened to my father" Boris pleaded. "How were we to know what was in the mind of your father? How could we know what he was thinking?" Dimitri spoke in a whisper. "We listened to the Council believing that what they told us was from God himself. They told us to be obedient and that we would be blessed." he said shaking his head. "It was I who answered the phone that morning. It was from the village constable. He said that there had been an accident and if I would be able to meet him at the hospital. I told him that I would be right there. When I met him, he told me solemnly that the person involved in the accident had been killed. He said that he suspected that the man was my brother and would I be able to identify him. He led me down a corridor and we entered a small well lit room. There was a sort of stainless steel gurney there. I could see the form of a body covered by a white sheet. He led me over, lifted the sheet and asked me if this was my brother. The man had been horribly injured. I thought that it must have been a terrible auto accident. I stared at his face...it seemed so familiar. I told the constable that I wasn''t sure...that I had not seen my brother in forty odd years. He seemed puzzled by that but didn''t ask why. He told me the reason that he thought it was my brother was because of this and he handed me two worn photographs. "We found this man''s wallet where the accident happened. It contained his identification and a few photographs." he stated. "It was a photo of my brother and me in the backyard of our home. It was a beautiful sunny day and we both were smiling. On his hand was a baseball glove....his other arm embraced me. I had a bat slung over my shoulder. We both loved baseball. I immediately remembered that day like it was just yesterday. I loved my brother so. The other was of my mother and father at Ivan''s graduation. They were so proud of Ivan. He had graduated with honors. It must have been shortly after this that Ivan left us and I never saw my brother again. It was just then that the door burst open. It was a distraught woman being held by an orderly. She was sobbing...¡±Ivan, Ivan" "I was dumbfounded...I did not know who this woman was!"Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

 Katiya

    "Everything that happened, Boris, over the next few moments of that morning I''ve lost memory of. The constable rushed forward to assist the woman into one of the chairs along the wall. She was inconsolable. I dreaded that she would have to look at what lay under the sheet. The orderly brought her a cup of water and after taking a few sips, it seemed to calm her. She said that her name was Katiya Strelnikov and that her husband had been missing that morning when she awoke. She thought that he may have been in the garden or went for a short walk but as more time went by she became more concerned. Her elderly neighbor, a lady, had seen her distress. They spoke briefly over the fence. At that moment a police car had pulled into the drive. The officer got out of the car and walked towards them, a sober look on his face. She knew then something terrible had happened. He told her that there had been an accident and that he would drive her to the hospital. That''s how she came to be in that same awful room with me. After a while she had composed herself. The Constable asked her if she felt strong enough to help him. He asked if she could only look at the hand of the man who lay before us. He said the man wore a wedding ring and would she be able to identify it. She nodded...yes. With his hand upon her shoulder he pulled the sheet back a bit to expose my brother''s hand. He wore a very distinctive ring. I was later told it was a rustic Celtic style ring of gold and silver. When Katiya saw it her head dropped, her eyes closed, tears ran down her cheeks. "Yes" she whispered, "that is Ivan". The Constable dropped the sheet and expressed how sorry he was. He gently told her that they would be writing up a report and that he would visit her tomorrow to ask a few questions. She silently nodded in agreement. He said "I trust that your brother in-law can see you safely home". She lifted her head and our eyes met. I saw that she was confused. I stepped forward and said "Katiya, I am Dimitri. I am Ivan''s brother." "Oh Dimitri" she said softly. She looked at me with such sorrow in her eyes. I was cut through. It was as though I were Peter who had denied the Christ three times. In that moment I became so ashamed of what I had done. The realization of just how callous myself, my mother, my father, all of us, had been all these year towards Ivan. I wanted the earth to split open and swallow me. Here this beautiful woman before me, and how do we first meet? Was it at their joyous wedding with song and laughter, or at our father''s table enjoying a fine meal and warm thoughts? No...We first meet in a hospital morgue next to the bloody, lacerated corpse of my brother. It was though, Boris, that I had an awakening. From that day forward, I would see things differently. "Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    .......to be continued.

 Beremki

    "I followed the constable out into the hallway giving Katiya a few last private moments alone with Ivan. I asked him if he was able to tell me anything more about what had happened. He moved closer and spoke to me in a subdued voice. He told me that my brother''s body had been found alongside a train crossing just a short way out of town. I knew the crossing well. There was a trestle there that spanned the river. A dirt road crossed the tracks immediately at the end of the bridge. We had walked that road many times as children to fish in a bend in the river a short distance downstream. He said that it appeared that Ivan had been struck by a train but would keep me informed of what they discovered. I thanked him and shook his hand." "By the time that we left the hospital that morning, it had turned grey" muttered Dimitri. I had to ask Katiya where she lived. She sat there in the front seat of my car and without turning towards me she said, "Beremki". ¡°She said that they had lived there for almost six years. I thought ruefully to myself, my brother, living in a neighboring village only a few kilometers away, and me, unaware, for all this time. She told me that it was Ivan''s idea to move there. He had become aware that his parents were not well and held out hope that they could reconcile but, all his overtures had been rebuffed. She told me how difficult it was for Ivan when he learned that both of his parents were gone, and with that, any possibility of a healing. It was true Boris. Our mother and father had been admitted to a local care facility for the impoverished. They had become....how should I say....mentally enfeebled. Every week I would visit them but at some point they didn''t even recognize who I was. They appeared happy when I would visit...to the very end quoting scripture and prophetic events with a faraway look in their eyes...taking my hand and babbling on about the "last days" and "paradise". Unknown to us, they had signed documents giving everything they possessed to the "Council". One day, two members of their "Acquisition Department" arrived and liquidated everything. The house, their vehicle, the furniture, everything. When my mother and father passed, I was left to care for the expenses. When we arrived at Katiya''s home, I was struck with how beautiful it was. Ivan had made a wonderful home. I struggled to conceal a wry smile when I thought how we had been conditioned to believe that those who left the "path" would become like senseless animals. I walked her to the door and as we stood there on the stoop, in the rain, I fumbled with what to say. I tried to express how sorry I was but I just felt so culpable. I asked Katiya if my wife and I would be welcomed to visit. I''ll never forget how she reacted Boris. She took both of my hands in hers and said, "Of course Dimitri...we are family". I embraced her, turned and walked back down the drive. It''s difficult for me to tell you Boris, what my feelings were as I drove home. Everything came crashing in on me at that moment. I had to pull the car over to compose myself. By the time that I pulled into our drive, the wipers could barely keep up with the rain that was falling. A cold rain falling from a darkened sky. I thought how appropriate for what had transpired that morning."This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ........to be continued

 Funeral

    The little Polish waitress appeared at their table and asked if there was anything else that she could get them. "Would you like tea Uncle Dimitri?"  "Yes...something warm...yes tea sounds wonderful...thank you"...Dimitri said softly. The waitress smiled, took their empty glasses, and went off to get their tea. "I spent the rest of that day Boris, just thinking about the events that I had just experienced. Those thoughts and feelings just kept racing through my mind. Your aunt Larisa and I spoke at great length about what had happened that morning. She was so saddened to hear this terrible story. I think that she too understood just the complete senselessness of how it all came to happen. Over the next few days we were able to help your mother with the many arrangements that required attention. Your father''s funeral was held in a small chapel in the village where you grew up. Lines of people filed past his coffin Boris. The small chapel could not contain them all. They filled the yards outside...they stood there silently in the green grass on that beautiful spring day. Bouquets of flowers like you couldn''t imagine. I could not believe my eyes. It was only over time, as I discovered more about Ivan''s life, that I came to understand how he had affected so many people''s lives. I remembered how my great grandmother had told me a similar story when I was a child. She loved to read and loved poetry. She related to me a story about a writer whose words had touched so many people and how they had paid their respects to him at his passing. I''m convinced that she must have told your father the same story. It was an uncanny feeling for me when I thought about the similarities. I had given up so much Boris...so much time that I would never be able to get back with this remarkable man, and in my heart, I knew what had motivated me to do so. In the months that followed, your aunt and I visited your mother often. We did everything that we could do to help her. Her words that she spoke to me that awful morning kept coming into my mind.... "We are family." When I think about it now, I feel that the lengths that we went to in our willingness to help were somehow motivated by the crushing guilt that we both felt. But we were happy to help in any way that we could. It was actually Katiya that during that time, wanted to know more about our beliefs. By that time our devotion to the council had...how should I say...well...our level of devotion had somewhat diminished. But she was persistent, so Larisa agreed to help her become familiar with the instructions of the "Council." It was just shortly before you were born Boris, that your mother emblematized her devotion and became a "Comrade." Looking back on it now it seems to me that it may have been a reaction to the trauma that she had experienced...Ivan''s sudden death...moving relatively recently to a new village...the birth of her first child. But all these years she has "stuck to the path" so they say. And that, my dear nephew, is how you came to be and what has shaped your life."...Dimiti smiled. Boris sat silently, ruminating all that his uncle had just related to him. They both sipped their tea which surprisingly was still warm. After some moments of silence, Boris questioned in a muted voice..."And what of my father''s death uncle Dimitri...you said that the constable would inform you...what did he say to you?" .........to be continued...Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

 Train

    Before Dimitri could answer, Boris had excused himself to the lavatory and after a few moments, when he exited, he noticed that his uncle was not at their table. He spotted him at the cash register paying the little Polish waitress for their drinks. As he approached, Dimitri said, "It''s getting late Boris and I can''t drink anymore tea" he chuckled. "Would you mind giving me a lift home?" Boris agreed unhesitatingly and they both walked out into the chill. Boris swung the car around and headed west to the main road that went south out of the village. "It will take a while uncle, to get some heat out of this old can" laughed Boris. "Oh, I''m fine" Dimitri smiled. The light was green at the corner and Boris turned south and headed across the river. The Katyushka was the greatest river in the state. An ice shelf had formed for quite some distance off from both banks but in the center there was still open, flowing water. Off to the east a few hundred meters was an iron and concrete trestle, at that moment carrying a train loaded with coal headed south towards Balakovo. "When we get across the river Boris, just turn left and pull off the road before the crossing." Dimitri directed. Boris turned left and eased the car over to the side of the road a short distance before the crossing. There were no warning lights or barriers at this crossing. It was a little used road and because of its location the trains that crossed here would normally not be traveling fast. They sat there with the engine running, warm air beginning to blow from the vents. The coal cars made a rhythmic th-thump, th-thump, th-thump as they crossed in front of them; there were periodic squealing sounds from the steel as the cars flexed in the cold. Finally the last car passed, trailing a wisp of snow as it swayed down the tracks....cl-clack, cl-clack cl-clack. "Over there is where your father was killed Boris...on the opposite side just a few steps from where the bridge and the bank meet. " murmured Dimitri. "It was early evening of that day when the Constable had called to tell me more about what had happened. He told me that they had interviewed the engineer of the train that struck Ivan. The engineer said that they had been making a run to Etgar that morning. The engine and a few cars that they were pulling had been scheduled for some maintenance at the repair facility there. Without much of a load, he said that as they neared the end of the trestle, their speed was approaching 67 kph. He said, although there wasn''t much light at that hour, he thought that he had glimpsed a figure silhouetted against the snow at the side of the crossing. He said that it gave him concern...that this had happened to him once before, years ago, on a run he had made going west, to Columbass. His premonition proved true. The figure stepped onto the tracks just as they sped over the crossing. He said if he had not seen it, that he never would have realized what had happened. He said the unit he was on that morning weighed roughly 211,000 kg. At that size, if it hadn''t been seen, there wouldn''t have been cause for anyone to suspect that something had been hit. He immediately radioed in what had happened. It was almost a half km before the train came to a complete stop. By the time that they had trudged back through the snow, the emergency vehicles were already there. The paramedics were hovering around Ivan''s body while he and his brakeman answered a few questions that were asked by an officer who had arrived, but it seemed quite obvious to everyone what had happened. Their information was taken down and they were let on their way. " Dimiti opened the door and walked across the tracks and stood near where the bank dropped off precipitously to the river. Boris had followed him and they both stood silently, gazing down at the ice along the shoreline. After some time Dimitri turned towards Boris and said, "This was not a pleasant story to have to tell you Boris. I always knew, since you were a child that this day would come. I hope that you can forgive me, but to answer your original question, I had to tell you what had happened so many years ago. This issue with the "Unity Department"...there is nothing to worry about...absolutely nothing. Let me explain"If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ...to be continued...

 Dima

    Before Dimitri could explain, an old truck came rumbling up from the east and stopped at the crossing. The window rolled down and the person inside yelled out, "Dimitri....is that you?" Dimitri smiled knowingly, leaned in the window and started conversing with the man in the truck. Boris looked back over the river for a few more moments then walked back to his car, idling on the side of the road. After a few minutes, the truck pulled away. Dimitri waved and walked towards the car, a smile on his face. Cold air rushed into the car when he opened the door and got seated. He rubbed his hands together briskly and held them to the heater vent. "Was that a friend of yours Uncle Dimitri?"¡­ Boris asked. "Yes he is.¡±...Dimitri responded. "It was Dima Konovolov. Dima and I have known each other since we were children. Just down the road here is the farm where he grew up. The spot where your father and I used to go fishing at was on that farm. He used to join us quite often. Oh, I could tell you some stories about old Dima. "..Dimitri chuckled. "If you''d like, we could drive by there. The road just follows the river. It''s really not much out of the way." "Sure we can, I''d like to see it.¡±...Boris responded. ¡°Dima and I grew up together. It might have been a meeting where we first met." "Do you mean a "session" Uncle Dimitri?¡±...asked Boris. "Well, that''s what they are called now, but when I was young, they were called meetings. They were quite different back then. Anyway, it could have been at a meeting or at school, I just don''t remember now. What''s interesting about Dima though is that unlike me, he never emblematized his devotion to "the path". I remember the "Vessels of Knowledge" trying to encourage him to take a stand for it, but Dima was just cut from a different cloth. But we''ve still been friends all these years. He married a very nice girl that was in our class, I think around 2029. I was actually in his wedding party. That''s been 55 years ago. He had a good job at the power plant and worked his farm all these years. And what a family! Just now he told me his fourth great grandchild had recently been born...a boy. He was quite happy. He said that they have a family get together at the farm every year and the house is bursting at the seams. He even invited Larisa and me to come to it this summer. ¡°They continued on for a distance and reached a point where the road started to incline.  "There on the right...that is Dima''s farm"...Dimitri pointed. It was a beautiful old frame house, probably built around the turn of the century by Dima''s father. But the barn was much older. It was an old fashion gambrel style barn that was probably built in the 1930''s. Very few of these barns were left remaining, but Dima''s family had always seen to it that theirs was kept in good condition. There was white smoke trailing from the chimney. Boris imagined how warm and comfortable it must be on a day like this. It was a beautiful scene.  "You know Boris, what has happened in Dima''s life and what you are experiencing now are quite similar. As you were growing up Boris, I knew that there would come a time when others would begin to, oh...how should I say...encourage you to emblematize your devotion to the path. I knew what could happen to you if you took that step. As a child Boris, you just don''t know what it can mean. In the past when that subject came up, I was able to dissuade those who urged it. Even though I have been the Prolocutor of the Vessels for many years, there was never a complaint against me. I believe that the Council realizes that if I was removed that they might have a very difficult time getting another to accept the privilege. So this issue with the Unity Department is nothing of concern. I know this law very well from experience. You see Boris, to be subject to this law; both people who seek a Unification Certificate must be members of the Millennial Comrades. Because you never were emblematized, it will not be enforceable against you and Natasha" "Oh, Uncle Dimitri that is wonderful!¡±...Boris exclaimed. "Tomorrow, you and I and Natasha will go to the Unity Department and get this straightened out." ...Dimitri said confidently. "Oh Uncle, I don''t know how to thank you. Natasha and I have talked so much about this. We have been so excited to start a family...a family just like Dima''s. It has been a dream for us! "...Boris cried.¡±Yes, it was once my dream also." ...Dimitri said dryly as he looked out the window at Dima''s farm.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ..to be continued

 Annika

    "Be careful Annika...not to tight...she''s just a baby" he said cautiously. The little girl had found a fledgling robin in the grass and now held the chirping baby in her hands. She was chattering excitedly, "Pa Pa look what I found...a baby bird!" The man smiled patiently. "Maybe we should put her in the bushes so her mommy can find her. She''s probably looking for her right now" he urged. They walked over to some nearby lilac bushes and the little girl gently placed the small bird on a low branch. They then quietly backed away. "Will she be alright Pa Pa? Will her mother find her?¡±...she asked with concern. "She''ll be fine" the man reassured... "Her mother will come for her soon". The child skipped off across the grass and began to pick dandelions that had sprung up in the spring sun. The man watched her protectively. She had just turned five years old. She was their oldest with another girl of three and a baby brother of 11 months. So much had happened in these last five years. His Uncle Dimitri had passed away not many months after the birth of Annika. He felt such gratitude for his Uncle. Without his love and guidance, he wondered where his life might be now. The birth of their daughter had brought Dimitri so much joy. He reflected on the story that Dimitri had told him about his dreams and being involved with the "Millennial Comrades" and what it had cost him in his life. He recalled how troubled Dimitri was when he related his experience with the Unity Department. At that time, the "Council of the Consecrated Ones" had not made any allowances for young couples seeking a "Unity Certificate" nor was there any "new light" that made their plight less difficult. He and Larisa were so convinced that a "new order" of world government would soon be established, that they had willingly submitted to the procedures for obtaining a "certificate of sterility".  They saw it as a test of their faith and of loyalty to their beliefs. He reflected on that conversation that he and Dimitri had so many years ago in the diner. Now it was clear to him why his uncle and Larisa had never had children of their own. He saw how pained Dimitri became when he related the stories about their monthly visits to the clinic. The injections of Leuprolide acetate that both he and Larisa were required to submit to. How it made their joints hurt so, the dizziness, the fatigue, the vomiting, and of course being unable to enjoy intimacy as a healthy young couple. But they were convinced that their trial would be short and a beautiful new world would soon be realized, a world where they could have as many children as they dreamed. But that new world never came. Year after year went by until one day they received a notice. The authorities at the "Unity Department" informed them that they would no longer be required to possess a "sterility certificate". They were both in their early fifties by then. Research that the "department" had conducted over time showed that conception was virtually impossible after being in the program for three decades.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Boris looked at his watch and realized it was time to leave.  "Annika, come on, we have to go now".  She skipped towards him, her red curls waving in the breeze. "Look what I picked for you papa", she said excitedly. In her outstretched hand she held a bouquet of bright yellow dandelions. "Those are so beautiful Annika. We can give them to mommy. Would you like that? " "Yes papa" she giggled.


    On their way out of the park they passed an old man sitting in a wheelchair. Boris recognized him as a "Millennial Comrade". On a small table by his side set a holographic projector. The image of an elderly white man in a nice suit and flashy watch was being projected as if he were standing there on the sidewalk. Boris paused briefly as they passed, long enough to hear the image say, "A better life...soon!" The old man sat mutely in his chair, his watery eyes looking off into the distance. Boris held Annika''s hand a little tighter as they walked away.


    ..the end


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