“Mr. Kowalski, wait!” Flynn rummaged through his sack and produced a dark green bottle. “Here’s something to go with your dinner, then.”
“Aha!” Mr. Kowalski’s face lit up, taking the bottle. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had one of those! Looks like wine to me…” He was examining the bottle, turning it in his hands.
“Flynn!” Alan Perry cried, his face turning red again. “Have you been scavenging in the restricted zones again?”
But before Flynn could say anything, they all heard a bell ring outside and the rush of footsteps along the walkway.
Mr. Kowalski slipped the bottle quickly in his satchel. “The water’s here! I’d better hurry!”
“No worries, Mr. Kowalski,” said Flynn, grabbing the four empty plastic jugs under the table. “I’ll get your rations for you tonight.”
“Don’t forget to let the ladies and kids go first, Flynn,” Alan Perry said.
“I won’t!” cried Flynn. And with those words, he ran quickly out the door, glad at the opportunity to escape from his father’s reproachful stare.
FIVE
The Water Rations had arrived! This was fresh, drinking water, delivered down through the pipeline from the Upper Side reservoirs, tapped and distributed around by the Government rafts and barges. The Government owned the water… Or to be more precise, a company called Van Zandt Water Solutions owned the water and, therefore, owned the people. It was that simple. Everyone was held hostage by a small group of men who had the good fortune to be in possession of the desalination formula… It was the group that had made it possible to sustain life on the Archipelago after the Flood… and to rule over the whole place. The Government could not control rain water, of course, but that hardly mattered… Rain was such a rare thing… and it never snowed…
Flynn stood in the long line of people, moving slowly down the walkway, everyone waiting patiently for their turn to come. It was a well-practiced routine, repeated at the same time each evening. At exactly 8:00 pm, the valves at the Upper Side end of the pipeline were opened. Heavily guarded rafts waited at the Lower Side station to fill up their barrels. All other traffic was shut down. From that point on, the street canals and all waterways were to be used only by the rafts ferrying the Water Rations. Those who had not made it home on time didn’t get any water, until the next day. It worked perfectly for the Government, imposing a kind of voluntary curfew over the Lower Side.
Flynn stepped toward the elevator. It was the same one he had used earlier, except now its platform was lined with large plastic barrels full of water. Thanks to Dino’s man-power, the platform would make its way up, stop at each floor and wait for the residents to fill up their containers. Each person was allowed a daily ration of two gallons and not a drop more.
After having let several women and their children go ahead of him, it was Flynn’s turn now. He glanced quickly at the Water Warden standing at the corner of their floor’s walkway, watching everybody with great intensity. The man was one of their neighbors, a volunteer in the self-policing practices which the Government encouraged… Water Wardens would report those who dared to be careless with the water supply. Anyone who spilled or stole extra rations was punished on the spot. Wasteful usage was a crime!
“For the Greater Good!” Flynn mumbled as he filed past the Warden. Flynn hated the man, but he knew it was wise to hide his feelings… When the Trials were over, Flynn thought, he would never have to worry about these Wardens again… He would be living on the Upper Side, where nobody had to ration water…
One by one, Flynn dipped his jugs in the nearest barrel, careful not to spill a single drop.
Alan Perry was waiting for Flynn. Lying on the table was an open plastic bag with two fat, juicy fish fillets in it. “Sit down Flynn,” his father said, then pointed at the fish. “Where did you get these?”
“I traded for them,” Flynn shrugged and poured himself a cup of water.
“Was it a legal trade, then?”
“No.”
“Well…. at least you’re honest.” The harshness in Alan Perry’s voice was still there, but his eyes had taken on a gentler look as he spoke. “I’m worried, Flynn! All this illegal stuff you keep bringing home… all this diving, scavving…”
“C’mon, Dad! It’s not the first time I’ve done that!”
“I know it’s not! I pretend I don’t see… I don’t ask. But… every time you bring something like this home… my heart skips a beat! My son got lucky again, is what I think!”
“You sound just like Tony.”
“Well, he’s got more common sense than you do! You think this is some kind of a game you’re playing?”
“Dad! I know what I’m doing!” Flynn cried.
“Really?”
Their eyes met and stayed locked for a long, awkward moment. There was a lot of sadness and reproach in Alan Perry’s eyes. Flynn knew that look very well. His father didn’t approve of the scavenging and the kind of future Flynn had in mind for himself. He had seen that look many times in the last year… It was the look of disappointment, because Flynn was going against tradition. He had refused to do what was expected of him, and what every good kid in town did when they came of age… They chose to take on their fathers’ jobs, no matter what… and Flynn had no such plans. He wasn’t going to be a Watchman, even though he had grown up in his father’s Watch Tower and knew everything there was to know about the job.
Flynn’s mother had died shortly after he was born, so with no one else to take care of the baby, Alan Perry had strapped his infant son to his back and returned to his job… And the little boy had loved the Watch Tower in the beginning… Perched high above all the other buildings, Flynn felt like he was on top of the world. Back then, it seemed like there was no job more important than that of a Watchman… His father was his hero, always on the lookout for danger, ready to raise the alarm and keep the Archipelago safe…
Until one day, Flynn had spotted the Scavenger Crews and watched the divers go to work! Going down to the ocean bed and coming back with their amazing finds… He also noticed the respect they had among the people of the Archipelago, especially those who held the title of Free Scavengers. The golden badges they all wore were the mark of great success… Those badges were known as Duncan’s Gold, named after Duncan Roth, the man who was in charge of all official scavenging operations. And then, Flynn had learnt of the privileges that came with their job and couldn’t believe his ears… These guys had things that the Lower Siders could only dream of… housing on the Upper Side, good food, running water, no Wardens spying on them… The list of perks was long.
By then, Flynn had been old enough to figure out who the real heroes were… His visits to the Watch Tower became less and less frequent, until he completely stopped going up there… He had met Tony Romero hanging round the Scavenger Crews, and they had built their first raft. They had also made a vow… They were going to become Free Scavengers, earn their Duncan Gold, even if it killed them… And so, for the past six years, the boys had spent their days diving and getting ready for the Trials. They were going to win and change their lives forever. Flynn had made up his mind about what he wanted… Even if it meant breaking his father’s heart. Looking at Alan Perry’s sad eyes now, Flynn felt a prick of guilt… But there was no going back, and he didn’t care what his father was going to say to him.