Juice (eBook)
276 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
978-1-0369-1116-4 (ISBN)
Peter Deadman has had a varied career - co-founding Infinity Foods natural food store, studying Chinese medicine and practising, lecturing and writing extensively on the subject. He is co-author of A Manual of Acupuncture, and sole author of Live Well Live Long: Teachings from the Chinese Nourishment of Life Tradition; Qigong: Cultivating Body, Breath and Mind; and Finding My Way: Memoirs and Short Stories. This is his first novel peterdeadman.com
It is thirty years after devastating environmental breakdown, and the world is thrown back to an age when juice (electricity) is rarely available. Our young hero Will, seventeen, and his girlfriend Leonie (an acrobat in a travelling circus) have to travel for hundreds of miles overland in search of Will's father, using the survival skills Will learnt as a child. Realising that the adults who lived through Devastation cannotdo so, it is their task to create a viable and sustainable future. Juice is an exciting tale, a love story and a hymn to the beauty of the natural world.
3
It was warm in the school hut. A pan of soup bubbled on the potbellied stove and the big clock ticked drowsily. The walls were covered with posters of the planets, star maps, and hand-drawn pictures of plants with labels saying things like, ‘for sprains’, or ‘can be plaited into rope’, or ‘berries poisonous’. There were just three other kids there when Will arrived. Like him, most of them only made it to school when they could be spared from household or Common Work.
They were talking about life before Devastation.
“People used to travel all over the place,” Mrs. Wilkins said. “For work, or pleasure, or simply out of boredom. They flew off on aeroplanes to lie on beaches or ski in the mountains or just to look at things. They’d even fly halfway across the world for a weekend,” and she showed them different countries on the globe.
“Is it the same everywhere as here?” asked Seren-Elisabeth.
“We don’t really know but we think so - cities abandoned and survivors like us trying to make a life where there’s land to farm.”
“The most important thing,” she always said, “is to read and study everything we did so that we don’t forget and don’t repeat the same mistakes.”
But what they liked most was hearing about what everyday life was like before Devastation.
“I was just a child, but I still remember,” Mrs. Wilkins said. “Most of us had nice clothes, cars, all kinds of gadgets, and as much juice as we wanted - we called it electricity then. And we were never cold. We never thought that we might lose it all.”
“My mum always talks about hot baths and showers,” Seren Elisabeth said. “She says people smelled nice. Sweet - not sweaty and reeking of wood smoke all the time.”
“What about teenagers?” Mrs. Wilkins asked them. “How do you think their lives were different to yours?”
“They didn’t have to work all the time,” Will said. “They had it easy.”
“They had their own rooms, and whatever they wanted to eat,” said Seren-Elisabeth.
“They had juice whenever they wanted it,” said Will. “It came out of holes in the walls - out of those wires. And their mothers didn’t make them sit in the dark all the time. Their parents looked after them. Everything was better then.”
“It may seem like everything was better, but look what happened next. And you children should realise how lucky you are to live here where it’s safe.”
Mrs. Wilkins drew Will aside after class. “I’ve told you before Will. You want to be careful what you say, for your own sake. You never know who might be listening.”
He got home earlier than usual. Olivia was at the stove and looked up in surprise. Then Will saw Khan come through the back door with an armful of wood. Apart from Jerome and the lone traveller, Khan was the first man he’d seen in the house since his dad left.
“I didn’t expect you Will,” his mother said. “Mr. Khan came by with some meat for us. That’s kind, isn’t it?” and she flushed a little with nervousness, or was it embarrassment?
Mr. Khan was also looking uncomfortable, standing there with the wood resting on his fat belly, not thinking to put it down, smiling and nodding at Will like an idiot.
“I only came to pick something up,” lied Will, feeling as embarrassed as his mother and Khan. He fetched out a book on mechanics that he kept under his bed, hidden from Olivia, and went out again.
The row came out of the blue on a Saturday morning. Olivia had hardly spoken for the last couple of days, but when Jerome finally crept in after one of his nights out and asked if there was anything to eat she turned on him.
“You’re a waste of space, Jerome. You’re either chasing women or drinking yourself sick. You don’t come back till the middle of the night and then you can barely speak or stand up. You’re a useless drunk. You only use this place to eat and sleep and you’re not doing any work.”
“That’s not fair. He…”
“Be quiet Will. I’ve been looking after him all his life, but things are changing now and I don’t have to put up with it any more. That goes for you too Will.”
Jerome didn’t say anything. He just winked at Will, stuffed some things in a bag and walked out.
Will was on his way back from the pump when he saw Pastor Briggs coming towards him. He kept his eyes down, hoping he hadn’t been seen, but suddenly Briggs was in front of him.
“Your mother tells me you don’t like it here,” the Pastor said.
“It’s alright,” said Will nervously.
“You know your mother has your best interests at heart, Will. And I do need to remind you that we don’t tolerate malcontents here. They create disorder, and disorder is dangerous. It would be much better for all of us if you kept your thoughts to yourself. Or maybe you need to find somewhere else to live.”
Will didn’t say anything and made to move on, but the Pastor caught his arm. “Remember. Those of us who survived Devastation know best.”
The next day, after school, he walked down to the river with Seren Elisabeth, his only real friend since they were tiny children. They sat in their favourite spot – a fallen log by the river - and watched the grey water swirling past.
“Do you think it’s like this everywhere?” said Will.
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Strict like this. They’re always telling us how bad and dangerous it is out there, but maybe it isn’t. Maybe it’s just a story to keep us quiet. My dad left and it sounds like he’s doing all right, or it did when that traveller came by. Every time I ask a question or make a suggestion, they tell me they know best and act like I’m a criminal.”
“You’re just different Will, you always have been. Most people just accept what others tell them. It makes life easier.”
“My mother spoke to the Pastor about me. Why would she do that? I hate being told what to do all the time. I feel like everyone’s against me.”
Seren Elisabeth took his hand. “I’m not,” she said.
Olivia was better that evening. She was chatty and talked about her plans.
“If we get another chicken run we can double production. Then we’ll be able to get more of the stuff we need. Of course, you’ll have to help me a bit more than you’ve been doing up to now.”
“I help all the time as it is! I do the chickens most days. Now Jerome has gone I have to get all the wood and take care of the fire. I even do most of the cooking! And if I’m not here working I’m doing Common Work or trying to find a bit of time for school. I do much more than you.”
“You don’t have a clue Will,” said Olivia quietly. “What do you think my life was like at your age? I had to keep Jerome and myself alive in the midst of the horror and chaos, with death all around and no food to speak of and no parents. You’ve got it easy, you just don’t know it.
“You’ve no idea what my life is really like or how I feel about it.
You never ask do you? Do you even care?”
“I know you think I don’t love you but I do my best and right now I don’t want to hear another word about how tough your life is. And there’s something I need to tell you. About Salim.”
“Who’s Salim?”
“Mr. Khan. It’s his name.
“What about him?”
“This plan with the chickens,” Olivia said. “It’s not the only thing we’ve been talking about. I can’t go on alone any more. Salim doesn’t have anyone either. We’re both lonely. Anyway, he doesn’t have much of a place - just that tiny room at the back of the shop.” Olivia paused. “Well the fact is I’ve asked him to move in.”
“Move in where?”
“Don’t be stupid Will. Here of course.”
“What do you mean move in? What about me?”
“You can stay here just the same.”
“With you and him? You must be joking!”
“Well if you don’t want to stay here, maybe it’s time you found your own place. You’re nearly seventeen now. Perhaps you can move in with Jerome.”
“When’s all this supposed to happen?”
“Salim’s going to bring his things over after next week’s town meeting.”
“So are you in love with him?”
“It’s not like that,” she said. “When you get to my age you’ve got to be practical. I need a man around. I can’t do it all on my own anymore.”
She looked so sad that Will just managed to bite back his anger.
He couldn’t sleep for a long time that night - he felt too churned up inside. He had no idea where he’d live. Jerome only had a tiny room for himself, and his girlfriend stayed there most of the time.
There was nowhere else.
He woke late, feeling more exhausted than when he’d gone to bed. Olivia was sitting at the table, staring into space, her face thick with sleep. It took her a moment to notice him and then she said, “Do the feed Will, I can’t face it this morning.”
The chickens were clustered around the gate as usual. Will banged the pail against the fence then started driving them away with his feet. He wanted to kick the stupid animals.
Back in the kitchen Olivia hadn’t budged. He lit the fire and put the porridge on to cook. When it was ready he took a bowl and sat to eat.
“Where’s mine?” asked Olivia.
Will carried on eating.
“Where’s mine; my breakfast? Will, I’m talking to you. Look, don’t you start, Jerome was bad enough.”
A pressure was building and building in Will’s chest. He thought he might start crying...
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 28.2.2025 |
|---|---|
| Sprache | englisch |
| Themenwelt | Kinder- / Jugendbuch |
| ISBN-10 | 1-0369-1116-0 / 1036911160 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-0369-1116-4 / 9781036911164 |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
| Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt? |
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