The Capitalist Plan

The Month

I woke later than usual. The house computer system that normally woke me up an hour after dawn didn't turn on at all. None of the power did. The only electronics that worked were the government-issued ones, namely our tablets.

Papa didn't go to work today. The servants outside were baking on a fire, instead of the normal stove indoors.

"Let's go shopping today!" Mama said with false enthusiasm. I knew we wouldn't get much.

We headed to the carriage, but it wouldn't move. Mama looked at me, then called a servant over to hook up a pair of horses to the front and take us to town.

She didn't need to say why. I knew.

Every month before the Plan, things stopped. The electric companies would stop working, to stop charging a bill. Charities would refuse money donations, counting on being chosen for the Donation. That is, if you were rich enough. The last few years, we weren't important enough to have to worry. Apparently, the will was more than I thought.

We took five times longer to reach town, and the team of horses was weary and tired, along with our driver. We couldn't tip him, having all money handled electronically through the banks, and every wage set at the beginning the year. There wasn't much paper money in circulation any more, and what was, was mostly novelty and show.

"We'll be spending the night in town," Mama told him. I just looked straight ahead as I had been taught, though the news rocked me. Papa had stayed overnight on business trips before, but we had never needed to. The driver nodded before unhitching the horses.

It was the first time I had noticed we were in a barn, and our beautiful carriage, the pride of Mama's, was sitting in straw and dust.

It took a while for the driver to realize we were still standing in the stall.
"Never been in a barn, have ya?" He said gruffly. I shook my head, though Mama didn't answer.

He stepped out from behind the horses and started walking down the main aisle. Now that I was looking, there were two sides of huge stalls, enough to fit four horses, and about half of them have animals in them. We weren't the only carriage either, though most weren't as nice as ours. The whole barn, with it's dirty orderliness, awed me slightly, but Mama just turned away from it all, preferring to look straight at the man's back with her nose up.

When we reached the giant white doors, we stopped for him to undo some of the latches. I turned and took another look at the giant place, it was my first, and probably last, time at a barn, and I wanted to soak it in. The man caught me looking.

"Come back early tomorrow 'noon and I can show ya to clean the pair. They're a nice couple of fellows."

I smiled slightly, not even turning to Mama to ask. I knew she would say no. It was nice for the man to ask. I would have to recommend to Papa that he get a raise next year. That is, if we weren't the next ones for the Plan.

"Are you sure you're ready, ma'am?" He asked Mama. She nodded quickly.

When he opened the doors, what I saw rocked me beyond what I could say.