Beth Lapin

Dear friends and family,

The Gaians who survived the tumultuous years of the early 21st century have established a sustainable and supportive civilization from its wreckage. Are there forces coming that will unbalance the equilibrium that has been established? 

My hopepunk novel/novella is emerging during our current stressful times. I had to look up Hopepunk myself. But yes, indeed apparently that is what I’m writing! Hope because it’s upbeat and positive. Punk perhaps because of gender roles? Maybe one of you will tell me!

In a daring move, I’d like to share this work with you, before I’ve finished a first draft. The title, The Gaians, is a possibility. I’m uncertain how some aspects of the plot will end. I’m still getting to know my characters. It’s an adventure we can take together.

Its first chapter is below. Feel free to critique, review, edit, send ideas, tell me what you loved, what didn’t work.

If you’d like to continue getting chapters as they’re developed, please let me know by sending me an email: Beth@BethLapin.com.

A huge thanks to Maria Johnson for the motivation, inspiration, and support to start writing…again.

Beth

Chapter 1

As Zanth threw hes backpack on the kitchen table, brisk air entered through the open door behind hem. Humming a little tune, sh’he bent down to rummage in the fridge for a snack.

“Hey,” said Taylor, coming into the kitchen from the rear of the house. “How was school?” Glancing at the fridge, sh’he added, “There’s new yoghurt with fresh apples.” Sh’he turned to firmly close the front door and gave a small sigh of resignation. Teenagers will be teenagers, no matter how many times they are told to close the door behind them. Zanth gave hes parent-T a sheepish smile.

Zanth pulled out the yoghurt and diced fruit, grabbed a spoon and bowl, and sat at the wooden kitchen table, hes long legs sticking out the other side and sunlight lightening hes already pale face. “Good. Today was team-building basketball. I hit a bunch of baskets and had a few assists.” The sun streaming through the southern windows gave the room a cozy feel. Small handmade clay containers of potted herbs dotted the window sills, while tendrils of morning glories climbed strings stretching from the top window frame to the bottom. Aromatic oils from warmed sage plants perfumed the air and cleansed their lungs.

“Nice.” Taylor washed a few more apples in the sink and deftly peeled, cored, and sliced them. Zanth’s appetite had a reputation of its own and hes growing spurts never-ending. “How about Academia streaming?”

“Really interesting. We had a session on maintenance of off-shore wind turbines. Did you know there can be 25,000 bolts on one turbine? Each of them has to have the right tension for it to work.” Sh’he took another spoonful of yoghurt. “Over time, the bolts loosen and could make the turbine uneven or even fall apart. If they get tightened too far, the metal gets overstressed and that’s no good either.” Zanth looked at hes parent-T. “I think I might want to go into that field.”

“You’ve always loved tinkering with tools and screws. That’s your gift. I remember when you were small, you would use one of those little wrenches to tighten all our chairs.”

Zanth smiled. “An Allen wrench. Yeah, that’s probably what got me started. I love looking at a pile of parts and figuring out how they all go together. I think I’d be really good with the turbines.” Sh’he pushed some stray hair out of hes eyes.

Taylor nodded. It might mean Zanth would have to leave Forest and move to Plains or Desert. If they were lucky, maybe sh’he could stay nearby in East Coastal. As sh’he started to envision how Zanth might have to climb these turbines to work on the blades, sh’he got dizzy. But no sense in getting ahead of hemself. Back to the present moment, Taylor said, “When you head to the Pantry, we have the gift of eggs and some pants and tennies you’ve outgrown.” Sh’he placed the apples on a plate on the table and added a dash of honey water to keep them from turning brown. Sh’he gave Zanth a little tousle of hes straight golden brown hair.

“Okay.” Zanth, remembering those favorite red sneakers, felt a little sad about sending them off. But they certainly didn’t fit anymore. Sh’he brought hes dish to the sink, wiped hes yoghurt-rimmed mouth with the back of hes hand, grabbed a handful of apple slices, and went off to change clothes.

Hes room, in the back of the house, was tucked into the hillside and lacked windows. Sh’he barely glanced at the brightly painted thick plaster walls, although the large woven wall hanging showed scenes of the forest surrounding them. Sh’he unpacked the school backpack picked up from the kitchen table and put hes still sweaty gym clothes in the laundry basket outside hes door. Sh’he dumped some papers and books on the small desk in the corner to deal with later. A quick brush of hes hair, a different pair of shoes, some cedar infused lip balm, and sh’he was ready to go.

Back in the kitchen, Zanth found the eggs hes parent-J had gathered that morning. Taking two dozen, sh’he placed them in a woven basket and tucked them in with a tightly knit scarf.

“We could use some green veggies if there are any at the Pantry.” Taylor waved in the direction of the garden. “We have plenty of winter squash and I have a small crop of lettuce and greens started. But nothing ready.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, and could you get some mushrooms now? I need them for dinner.”

“Sure.” Zanth grabbed a basket, went outside, and climbed the wooden ladder to their roof. From the shadow of their angled solar panel, sh’he noted the brooder logs that hes parent-T had placed to the side. Zanth gave thanks to the mycelium that produced this gift, and gathered enough from the other mushroom logs to fill the basket. Filling hes nostrils with the heady smell of humus, sh’he added a little water to each log before heading back down the ladder.

Returning inside, Zanth put the mushroom basket on the kitchen counter. After stuffing some cloth bags, the outgrown clothes, and shoes in a courier bag, sh’he headed out the door and remembered to close it behind hem. Juggling things around, sh’he hopped on hes bike and placed the protected eggs carefully in the bike basket to head to the Pantry. The sun was still fairly high in the sky, which warmed the chill from the northerly breeze. It would help hem down the hill to the Pantry, but might be a hindrance on the way home later.

“Don’t forget we have guests coming for dinner tonight at 18 hours,” Taylor yelled out the slightly opened door.

“Yes, Parent-T. See ya.” Sh’he gave a quick push with hes foot and started pedaling. Buzzy, a small black retriever, came running from behind the barn. “No, Buzzy, stay home!”

“Buzzy, come here,” yelled Taylor, as sh’he opened the front door a crack. The dog looked at Zanth and then at the front door. Taylor made a kissing noise and Buzzy made the choice that included the prospects of a nice treat in a warm house.

Zanth pushed off and, with a quick wave goodbye, headed down the driveway to the Pantry.

Inside the Pantry, other teens had already gathered. Zanth lay the clothes out on the appropriate shelf and put the egg basket into the fridge.  A quick glance at the bulletin board indicated someone needed dried mullein and sh’he was pretty sure hes parent-T had some extra.

Zanth turned to see Yank’s familiar solid frame backlit in the doorway, as sh’he entered the Pantry, carrying boxes brimming with veggies. After putting them down, Yank pump-fisted with Zanth and they had a one-breath hug. “Hey, Zee.” Yank’s smile filled hes ebony face framed by black corkscrew hair.

“Looks as though things are going well at the vertical farm,” said Zee, as Yank pulled out cloth-filled bags of kale, sprouts, and cucumbers. Zee even spotted what sh’he thought were a few radishes.

“Yeah, we are just starting tons of seeds for the winter months. Thanks to your [arent-T’s family, we have some heirloom varieties, too. Putting these racks in the old mall in town was brilliant.” Yank cleaned some dirt from hes finger nails, while the rest of it faded into hes dark skin. “The strawberries are doing great, too. It’s really fun climbing up the scaffold to check everything out. I can’t wait for them to ripen. Having them during the winter will be a real treat.” Yank’s grin was infectious. “I hear dinner is at your place tonight.”

“Yup.” Sh’he paused. “I dropped the bomb with my parent-T that I might want to work on off-shore turbines. I figured I’d start there. Sh’he’s more open than my parent-J to my exploring what I love instead of just sticking around here.”

A shadow crossed Yank’s face. It lightened slightly, as sh’he said, “I’ve thought about expanding our seed library by working in other places. I’d love to see other vertical gardens. I hear they have some really amazing ones in West Coastal.”

Zanth nodded. Leaving their parents would be challenging. Their communities were small and depended on keeping skills passed down through the generations. “Well, we have another year to figure that out. By the way, nice game today.”

Yank nodded. “I love the way we all work together. Trying to score as many points in twenty minutes as possible each week is great! We beat our last week’s game by a few this time. Your being so tall is a real help.”

“Sure, but your setups make it so everyone can take shots and score.”

The buzz of nearby conversation led them to join their other friends gathered in the Pantry.

“I hate that it’s getting colder and the day’s shorter,” pouted Myrth. “And it makes the sun catchers less efficient.”

Voices gathered steam.

“True. In Desert, they save extra solar energy in their battery bank all year, but we can’t do that as much in the winter.”

“But it’s too hot and dry for most people to live there.”

“I wonder what it would be like to have the same weather all year.”

“Ugh, I like that ours changes.”

“But then there’s the solar issue.”

Zee added, “Which is why the large wind turbines are so helpful.” Sh’he unconsciously looked upward, where the Pantry’s small roof turbine, combined with a photovoltaic roof, produced enough power to keep the place heated and lit, plus the fridge running, throughout the year.

“Yeah, but the huge ones don’t work everywhere.”

Zee sighed. That was an issue, and the crux of the problem with where sh’he would settle. “But at least East Coastal can store the extra from the off-shore turbines in battery banks and send it out to us if we really get low.”

“Hey, this is too much like school!” one of them laughed.

“Speaking of school, did you see what Mx. Staph assigned us for reading?” asked Myrth. “A whole book of ancient literature.”

“I started it,” added another teen. “The words are so archaic. Weird pronouns, for one thing. Like ‘him’ and ‘her’. I keep having to stop and translate it into our words.”

“Yeah, it’s so much easier just using ‘hem’.”

“I only read the first chapter. People were so cruel to each other.”

“And treated Gaia our Mother Earth so badly. Back then, people threw their junk in the ocean and it never disappeared.”

“Right, so many things weren’t organic.”

“Did you know some people wore their clothes only one time?”

“And then gifted them?

“No, they threw them away!”

“That’s outlandish.” Myrth shook hes head. “I can’t even imagine what my parent would say if I tried that.” After a pause, sh’he continued. “I wouldn’t even want to do that. There’s so many ways we can share them, or repurpose cloth.”

“I guess it’s good to read about those old days,” said Zee. Others murmured in agreement. “It’s just so hard to understand why people thought that way. But I do like some of the expressions they used.”

“You mean like ‘hey, man’ and ‘rad’?” someone snickered.

Zee turned a little red. Sh’he was known for using some of those old words when excited. ‘Holy Moly’ was one of hes favorites.

“Just teasing you, Zee.” The group laughed.

Yank looked at hes wrist wrap and nudged Zee with hes elbow. “It’s almost 18 hours. We gotta get going.”

Zee gathered the pile of returned empty egg baskets to bring back home. Right behind Yank, sh’he was almost out the door when sh’he remembered about the veggies hes parent-T had requested. Looking at the options, Zee grabbed two wrapped bundles of everything except the radishes because there weren’t many of those, and skipped the sprouts. Sh’he left their empty cloth bags next to the veggie bin.

Finally, Zee headed out the door, with the fleeting thought that sh’he would try to remember to tell hes parent-T about the person needing morning glory. Glancing back at the bulletin board, sh’he saw it was mullein, not morning glory. Sh’he could never keep them straight. Definitely not hes gift.

Taylor had just finished putting dinner’s apple cobbler in the oven when Jamie came home. The barn odor of sheep, hay, and chickens followed hem inside.

“Dinner smells good.” Jamie put down a basket of fresh eggs, a jug of milk, and a slab of butter before reaching for hes spouse. The two held each other in a three-breath hug. Jamie brushed a strand of golden-brown hair from Taylor’s forehead.

“Where’s Zanth?”

“Down at the Pantry. I hope sh’he remembers to bring back some veggies.”

Jamie laughed. “That kid’s got too much going on in hes head to pay attention to those details.”

“That’s for sure. How’s everything at the barn?”

“Good. Everyone is laying and the sheep are starting to get bushy. Just like me!”

Taylor glanced at hes outgrown head of hair. “You need a haircut now!” Sh’he added, “We still have all the wool from the spring shave.”

Jamie smiled. “It will keep us busy for the winter. When are Yank and hes parents coming for dinner?”

“Eighteen.”

“Let me take a quick shower and then I’ll help.”

Ten minutes later, Jamie was back in the kitchen. Sh’he and Taylor worked seamlessly together to set the table and put the final touches on dinner. Twenty-five years together and they had it down to a system.

Jamie glanced out the kitchen window at the sound of Buzzy’s barking. “Here come Pat and Morgan.” Taylor placed a vase of freshly cut flowers from their garden on the table.

The couple knocked on the door, entered, and each gave Jamie and then Taylor a one-breath hug. Pat and Taylor held on to each other a little longer.

Morgan handed Jamie a large wooden bowl. “Gifts from the garden. Hey, your hair’s just about as wild as mine,” Morgan said, patting hes locks.

Jamie laughed and gave hes brown curls a shake. “I’m ready to be shorn like my sheep.”

Letting go of each other, Pat gave Taylor a ceramic casserole dish, encased in cloth potholders, sh’he had been holding to the side.

“The salad is so colorful. And thanks for bringing the green bean casserole.” Taylor placed the still-warm dish in the oven, next to the pan holding the lamb, mushrooms, and roasted potatoes.

“That’s the last of the beans until Yank brings home some more.” Morgan’s voice was warm when talking about hes offspring.

“And where are our kids?” Pat rolled hes dark, sparkling eyes.

Just then, the two of them rode up on their bikes. They plugged the batteries into the chargers beside of the door, and clipped their helmets to their handle bars. They were still talking and laughing as they walked through the door.

“Glad you could make it,” joked Jamie.

The teens headed to wash up and then everyone sat in their usual spots at the table. Jamie and Taylor brought out the dishes of food. Everyone closed their eyes and put their hands in their laps. A comfortable silence filled the room for a half minute while friendship and food were appreciated.

Jamie removed the cover from the casserole and put spoons in each dish. Zanth took a generous portion from the salad bowl. “Wow, nasturtiums! I love the way they pop with the greens.”

Yank nodded, as sh’he ladled out a portion of the meat and potatoes. “They don’t travel well, but we can distribute them to our local customers.”

Taylor looked surprised. “I guess it makes sense that not everything can get shipped. I didn’t realize how lucky we are to live near the vertical farm.”

“Yes, we sent most of the produce around the country on the Solar Express. But there are a few specialty items that stay here.” Yank continued, “In fact, I think the Express is going to add another refrigerator car just for our products. There’s a big demand all across UNA, especially in the Northern Provinces.”

“That’s great news,” said Morgan, pride shining in hes eyes.

Pat sighed. “Oh, to be inside the farm with so many sun catchers! It must smell delicious!”

Yank laughed at hes parent’s enthusiasm. “Yup, I always look forward to going to work.”

“How’s the new solar production working?” asked Taylor. Sh’he had been involved in the design of a more efficient sun catcher. “The indoor system is great with water conservation, but sure needs a lot of energy.”

Yank finished chewing. “It’s definitely getting better. We’re figuring out how to maximize the rotation of the trays. Most of the differently-abled staff can only work on the ground floor, so we’re using a mobile system for them. But another group of trays are static. That’s where I get to climb the scaffolding. Oh, did you hear that the strawberries will be coming soon?”

“Now that’s good news,” smiled Jamie. “They will go well with our sheep milk.”

It didn’t take long for everyone to finish eating. Zanth cleared the dinner dishes, scraped the food scraps into the digester bucket, and turned on the electric kettle, as Taylor brought the apple cobbler to the table. Sh’he dished it into small bowls, while Jamie brought some spicebush ice cream from the freezer for the topping. They were all quiet as they enjoyed their dessert and drank some mint tea. The quiet “who-cooks-for-you-all” of the barred owl echoed outside.

“Well, we should get going,” Morgan said, sighing. “Tomorrow will be here soon enough. Some of us have to get up early to start work,” sh’he said, nodding to Jamie. As everyone rose, Morgan put one arm round Yank and the other around Pat as they walked out the door.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Taylor and Jamie headed to their bedroom. “Goodnight, Zanth,” Jamie called towards hes closed door that showed a line of light shining underneath it. “Don’t stay up too late.” A muffled reply came through the door. “Probably studying aerodynamics,” Jamie laughed.

As they curled in bed a short time later, Taylor was thinking about Jamie’s last comment and remembered what Zanth had said about hes interest in big wind turbines. Sh’he shivered slightly.

“Getting chilly this time of year. Much worse to come,” said Jamie, pulling Taylor closer.

“Ah, I was thinking about Zanth. I think we’re going to lose hem.” Sh’he shared the conversation from the afternoon.

Jamie stiffened and then tightened hes hold on Taylor. They lay like that, as if they were hanging on for dear life. Finally, Jamie whispered, “It won’t be the end of the world. We’ll be able to keep in touch with hem, and there’s always the Solar Express. Plus kids change their minds all the time. Maybe sh’he will be the one to figure out how to make the big wind turbine work efficiently here.”

Taylor nodded. “I know it’s silly to worry about it yet. I was just so surprised. I didn’t think Zanth would want to leave hes friends, either. Especially Yank.”

Jamie rubbed the worry lines on Taylor’s face that had deepened between hes eyes. “At least we will still have each other. I’m glad you told me, so I can try to be calm when Zanth tells me about it.”

Taylor smiled slightly. Sh’he guessed that Zanth had intentionally told hem first. Yes, a good idea to give Jamie, who could sometimes be quick tempered, some warning. As the barred owl called again, they drifted off to sleep.