Foundation Cream 1. Light foundation cream.
Foundation Cream 2. Medium-colored foundation cream.
Foundation Cream 3. Dark foundation cream.
Covering Cream Red. Covering cream to hide blue areas, such as bruising or dark circles under the eyes.
Covering Cream Yellow. Hides red areas, for example eczema, scars, and acne.
All-cover. Thick covering cream for hiding sores, superficial veins, etc.
Acne Soap. Specialty soap for greasy skin and acne.
Acne Stick. Stick for individual pustules.
Shaving Soap Rich. Shaving soap for dry skin.
Shaving Knife Extra Light. Slender shaving knife that weighs less than the commune’s own. Sold with whetstone.
I have attached an assortment of local products along with a copy of the requisition. Also attached is the pharmacy’s self-care recommendation pamphlet. As you can see, the instructions differ from Essre’s on several points, especially with regards to frequency of washing and cold weather advice.
Washing
Hands, feet, and armpits should be washed with soap and water every morning. Crotch and face should be washed every morning with water only. Hands should also be washed after every toilet visit and before each meal. Baths should be taken once a week. Excess bathing should be avoided, as it may damage the skin’s protective layer of natural oils. This is especially important for individuals prone to eczema.
Shaving and Trimming
Men with beards should trim it once a week. Men who shave should do so once a day. Men with dark beard growth may if needed consider one additional shave in the afternoon. The pharmacy discourages all citizens from shaving other body parts.
Intimate Hygiene (for Men)
Genitals should never be washed with soap, but with water only. When washing, gently pull the foreskin back to make sure the area underneath is cleaned. Air-drying is encouraged to lessen the risk of itching.
Intimate Hygiene (for Women)
Genitals should never be washed with soap, but with water only. When menstruating, pads and holders manufactured for this purpose should be used. Pad should be changed every fourth to sixth hour. A used pad is soaked in cold water and then washed in the same way as underclothes.
Dental Hygiene
Teeth should be brushed with brushing powder morning and evening to prevent cavities.
Miscellaneous
Talcum powder may be used to prevent extreme sweating and odor. Rub extra-rich cream onto face and hands in cold weather to avoid eczema and cracked skin.
THIRDAY
Vanja was once again woken by thunder and unable to go back to sleep. She pulled a sweater and trousers over her sleep clothes and went down into the kitchen. According to the schedule on the refrigerator, both Nina and Ivar had morning shifts at work and would need breakfast. Vanja took a pot from the bottom cupboard and checked the pantry. Two bags of porridge flakes sat on the middle shelf: the everyday black bolete and the slightly milder pale polypore. She scooped bolete flakes into the pot and filled it up with two parts water. While the porridge simmered, she made new coffee from yesterday’s leftover grounds.
“Hi.” Nina had wrapped a large green shawl over her overalls.
She went to the fridge and took out a plate. “Here, we can fry up the leftovers.”
They stood side by side in silence, stirring the pot and frying pan. Nina’s sleeve brushed gently against Vanja’s arm as she poked at the leftovers in the pan.
Ivar came down in time to eat and set the table for three.
“It’s not as strong as yours, Ivar,” Nina said, sipping the coffee. “I might even avoid a stomachache for once.”
“Coffee can never be too strong,” Ivar retorted.
“Amatka’s coffee consumption is five times higher than the other colonies’,” Vanja said.
“How do you know?” Nina asked.
“I proofread a report on coffee consumption once. I tend to… pick up facts.”
“Ha,” said Nina. “Five times, eh? And Ivar makes up half of it.”
“I’m self-medicating. I couldn’t face the mushroom farm without it.” Ivar downed the rest of his coffee and poured himself another cup.
“Ivar doesn’t do so well with darkness,” Nina said.
Vanja pushed her porridge around with her spoon. “Can’t you change jobs? Don’t you have rotations?”
Ivar shrugged. “Officially we do. But no one’s been allowed to change jobs for years now.” He rubbed some yellow gunk from the corner of his eye. “The committee says there aren’t enough citizens for rotation to be feasible.”
“I’m sure they’re doing their best,” Nina said.
Ivar rose. “Thanks for breakfast.”
Nina poured herself more coffee. Vanja tried to eat some more porridge. It had gone cold and stuck to the roof of her mouth.
“I get so angry with Ivar,” Nina said eventually. “I know I shouldn’t, but I do. He’s down there in the dark, day after day, and gets worse and worse. He could probably get something else to do if he just spoke to the committee. If he just tried a little harder.” Nina jabbed her thumb at the door. “It’s like he’s given up.”
Vanja shifted in her seat. “Well, that’s none of my business.” She scraped the remains of her porridge back into the pot. “I thought I heard thunder this morning,” she said. “Outside.”
Nina blinked. “What? Oh, that. It’s the ice melting.”
Vanja slowly set the plate back down on the table. “Ice?”
Nina explained that the lake, which lay just beyond Amatka’s eastern border, froze over at night and thawed in the morning. Things had been that way for the last five years. When the sky grew dark, ice formed on the water. After an hour or so, the ice would be thick enough to walk on. The air didn’t get colder than usual; whatever it was only affected the water in the lake. And at dawn, the ice broke up again. It was the noise of thawing that Vanja had heard. Nina nodded when Vanja asked if she’d seen it with her own eyes.
“Of course, going there to look was forbidden at first,” Nina said. “But when it had been going on unchanged for six months, the committee decided that we should call it a ‘normal variation.’ So that’s what it is now. A normal variation.”
“You must have wondered if someone had, well, done something.”
“Of course. And maybe someone had. But I don’t know anything more about it. And nothing else has happened since.”
“Just the lake?”
“Just the lake.” Nina got up. “Time to go to my shift.”
Vanja had another cup of coffee and washed the breakfast dishes. Then she put on her new undergarments, tied her hat on, and went outside. She walked without an actual goal in mind, slowly ambling in a northeasterly direction, toward the colony’s outskirts. The air was damp. Breathing in so much moisture felt unfamiliar. The buildings and people walking between them were all covered in a wet sheen.