리틀팍스

 "Jon!" called Mrs. Henhands to her neighbor boy.

 "Yes, ma'am?" the boy, Jon, called back, walking - almost running - around the fences and to the rocking chair in the front porch of his neighbor's. "Can I help?"

 "Oh, its just - its September soon. And I believe you know what it means?" said Mrs. Henhands, fiddling about her pearl necklace.

 Jon gulped softly so that Mrs. Henhands would not hear his magnitude of nervousness. He did not understand what Mrs. Henhands was up to. His in-her-eighties-neighbor sometimes called him when she had trouble with her like when she had lost her house key, or when her old beagle, Buncher, was sick. But now, it seemed like she wanted to talk about Jon himself.

 "Jon? Do you know what September to you means?" repeated Mrs. Henhands.

 "Ermn, no, ma'am. What does it mean?"

 "Oh, Jonathan Seward, you know it. It's the start of the new semester," smiled Mrs. Henhands. Then she explained all the rules Jon had heard for his whole life, twelve years.

 "I'm trying to assighn you and teach you. When the children in your community become twelve, they were to go to special schools - mostly like academies. The schools teached something the children wanted to do for a living. The child wasn't forced to work - but of course, if he or she didn't, they wouldn't be able to earn money. The schools were assighned by every chlid's closest elder. The elders assighned them to the school they wanted to go, and they teached them before they went to the school. The Head Elder, who made decisions in the community, decided parents would be busy handling other children - our rule number 3 is;

EXACTLY THREE CHILDREN IN EACH FAMILY

This rule was made because our community had lost lots of people - both men and women - in a big fight when the community was in half, the Western and the Eastern. So, if the couple gave birth more than three children on purpose, they would be punished, by being Skettched - being Skettched is being in a picture that was kept in a prison in bundles and bundles. Then, the people in the picture, would go through a door, to a room, and would never be seen again. To go back to the rule, if it was't on purpose, by accident or unexpected, like twins, one child would be given to a couple who cannot have babies even if they try."

 Jon, who had been nodding throughout the story, sighed softly. Now, Jon was 12, and it was August sixth. He would assighn to a school soon.

 "So," said Mrs. Henhands, still smiling. "Have you... Have you decided?"

 Jon shook his head. "No," he said sadly. I... I'm sorry."

 "Oh, don't fret. Don't. Take your time, I'll help you find one. Just tell me what you have on mind."

 "I... I don't really have a job on mind. Can you help me?" Jon didn't look up. He just stared at his hands, which were out of Jon's control.

 "Of course I can, now look up at me," said Mrs. Henhands. Jon did. "You're going to be okay."

 Jon nodded, said "thank you", got dismissed by his neighbor, and walked slowly back to his home. He had nodded, but he didn't really mean it. Talking with Mrs. Henhands had said made him more nervous, because... what he said, wasn't true.