Excerpt from “Anna Karenina Comes to America” by Leia Tolstaya*, Millerskaya Ltd., New York, 2009. For earlier installments please click on the keyword phrase “Of Children and Peasants”.
Together, they walked into the dark backyard, straight through the acre-long property until they reached its edge, where there was a large wood. Levin guided them to its center, where he had hidden the time machine.
It was the technological version of a small, antiquated house that had been transformed through the generations by dormers, extensions, and modern conveniences. The time machine had begun as a horse-and-buggy, with a train steam engine added to the front, as well as multiple automobile parts, then a jet rocket added to the back. It had dials ranging from simple to futuristic.
Rather than rebuild, Levin had simply added pieces on from many times and places, borrowing the best of each era. The cab was now encased in the most advanced fire-proof, bullet-proof, bomb-proof clear protective glass. It could run on multiple types of fuel, so that he would never get stuck in a place with no energy to get anywhere. In addition, it had solar panels built in that could harness interplanetary energy while traveling; so that the more traveling he did, the more energy it had stored up.
The buggy have been originally intended to carry his own family, it was able to carry Levina’s entire brood.
“I’m setting it to take us to my farm,” Levin explained as he worked the controls. “That’s the safest place to meet. Kitty is expecting us.”
To be continued…
*Leia Tolstaya is a pen name for Elizabeth K. Miller, and as such her works fall under the same copyright.
Showing posts with label satire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label satire. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Of Children and Peasants – Part X
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William, Levina, and the children sat in the living room, wearing costumes appropriate to the last quarter of the nineteenth century in Russia.
“I feel ridiculous,” said William, squirming in his tight pants. His attire was borrowed from Levin. Although both men were similar in height and build, and William was proud of his regular workouts, Levin’s body had been tightly honed from the long days of hard labor on his farm. Pants that were meant to be tight-fitting were stifling on William.
“I don’t think you were meant for the ballet,” joked Levina. She wore one of Kitty’s modest dresses. It was lemon-yellow with white lace around the bodice, which was cut a little on the high side at Kitty’s request. Because Kitty loved to go for long walks in the country, it was hemmed at the ankles rather than floor-length. Katrina helped her to button up the small, dainty buttons, which ran all the way up her back. Although this was meant to be an every-day dress for Kitty, Levina felt like she was ready to go to a formal dinner. Her look was completed by a French twist up-do.
The children all wore white peasant blouses, with brown skirts or trousers, black leggings, and brown shoes. These had all been borrowed from Levin’s own children.
“We should take one of those pictures, that people take in studios to make themselves look old-fashioned,” suggested Levina.
In breezed Levin, through the front door this time. He had been busy preparing Anna’s house, which he had purchased while it was under foreclosure.
He never changed outfits when he went time-traveling. In their house, he passed as an eccentric, youngish grandfather, to those who dropped in unexpectedly while he was visiting. Although Levina’s great-great-great-grandfather still looked too young to be her grandfather, the kids would still have to call him grandfather, and so that is how he was introduced to outsiders.
Always straight to the point, he nodded approvingly at their attire and announced, “Everything’s ready for Anna Tolstaya. You’ll have to show her the ropes of the modern household, computer skills included, Levina, like a good sister-in-law.”
“Sister-in-law?” This was a real far fetch for an unrelated woman they were going to rescue from the 1880’s in Russia.
“Your being related would explain to the neighbors why you are being so, well – neighborly. And we couldn’t very well let her keep the name Karenina. Even though her story will change, we don’t know how shocking it will be to her world when she suddenly disappears. She could become infamous for other reasons yet unknown to us.”
To be continued…
*Leia Tolstaya is a pen name for Elizabeth K. Miller, and as such her works fall under the same copyright.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Of Children and Peasants – Part IX
Excerpt from “Anna Karenina Comes to America” by Leia Tolstaya*, Millerskaya Ltd., New York, 2009. For earlier installments please click on the keyword phrase “Of Children and Peasants”.“Are you crazy?” William whisper-yelled, late that night after the children had gone to bed and Levin had left.
“You have no imagination,” Levina said, sulking. She hated it when she got all excited about something, only to have him void out the opportunity.
“You think I’m going to allow you to leave our kids to go into another place and time, to save some woman who couldn’t save herself?”
“It’s not like it’s going to take anything away from our family. I’ll be there and back before you can say boo.”
William was silent for a moment.
“I can see you’re determined to do this thing, although I don’t know why. It’s kind of like how I don’t want to put you alone on an airplane. If one of us is going down, we’re all going down together.”
“You mean…?”
“If you’re going, we’re all going with you.”
To be continued…
*Leia Tolstaya is a pen name for Elizabeth K. Miller, and as such her works fall under the same copyright.
Picture from the 1997 film "Anna Karenina".
Monday, January 19, 2009
Of Children and Peasants – Part VIII
Excerpt from “Anna Karenina Comes to America” by Leia Tolstaya*, Millerskaya Ltd., New York, 2009. For earlier installments please click on the keyword phrase “Of Children and Peasants”.Levin, William, and Levina had moved into the living room with their tea.
The front door burst open again. In burst the three older children: Katrina, age 12; Becca, age 10; and Zachary, age 8.
“Great-Grandpapa!” exclaimed Zachary. They dropped their backpacks, ran into the living room, and smothered him with hugs and kisses.
Great-Great-Great-Grandpapa sized them up and quizzed them on their scholastic knowledge.
“When can we meet your kids?” asked Katrina.
“That’s a very good question.”
“Do you tell them about us?” asked Becca.
“Hmmm….”
“Do you eat cats or dogs?” asked Zachary.
“That one’s easy. No.”
“Will you be staying for dinner?” asked Levina.
“Why not? I have nowhere else to be right now,” jested Levin.
“That’s part of the problem,” grumbled William under his breath. Levina threw eye-darts his way.
Over the baby monitor, they could hear Leia waking up. “I’ll get her,” offered William.
“We’ll continue our conversation after the kids have gone to bed,” Levina said quietly to Grandpapa.
To be continued…
*Leia Tolstaya is a pen name for Elizabeth K. Miller, and as such her works fall under the same copyright.
Above, a scene from the 1997 film "Anna Karenina".
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Of Children and Peasants – Part VII
Excerpt from “Anna Karenina Comes to America” by Leia Tolstaya*, Millerskaya Ltd., New York, 2009. For earlier installments please click on the keyword phrase “Of Children and Peasants”.
“Let’s just say that I decide to come to your time and help you bring Anna Karenina here to avert the tragedy she brought on herself,” Levina mused.
“Yes?” prodded Great-great-great-grandfather Levin.
“What’s to say she won’t do the same thing here?”
“That is a very good question. And that is one of the reasons I am going to put her assets in trust to you.”
“Assets?”
“Well, she will need a place to stay, right?”
“And not here, to be sure.”
“There is a nice starter house in foreclosure down the block from you. I can purchase that and set her up with a nice bank account.”
“And where would that money come from, and how would you set up owndership without the proper papers?”
“I go talk to Karenin and Vronsky, separately. They both feels terribly responsible about what happened. They can give me money to put in trust for her. Let it grow a century or so and she will be independent and comfortable.”
“As she is used to.”
“Yes. And as for the papers, remember there is no limit to where and when I can go. I can procure the necessary papers for her identity and citizenship, and set up her accounts so it will look like she has been a long and established citizen here.”
“It looks like you’ve got things worked out. Of course, William will have to approve of the plan.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t have you going against your husband’s wishes – even though you are free to do so in your time, it is never the right thing for either husband or wife to do.”
Just then she heard the key turn in the front door. William was home for a late lunch.
“Hey, looks like the house down the block finally got a buyer,” he said, cheerfully kissing her on the cheek. Levina gave her grandfather a suspicious look.
“Hi Grandpa, good to see you,” said William, giving him a friendly hug.
To be continued…
*Leia Tolstaya is a pen name for Elizabeth K. Miller, and as such her works fall under the same copyright.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Of Children and Peasants – Part VI
Excerpt from “Anna Karenina Comes to America” by Leia Tolstaya*, Millerskaya Ltd., New York, 2009. For earlier installments please click on the keyword phrase “Of Children and Peasants”.“I’m sure you’ve heard about the tragedy of Anna Karenina,” began great-great-great-Grandpapa Levin.
“Yes, Grandpapa, I have heard about it in great detail. I know it weighed heavily on the whole family.”
“I have never stopped thinking about it, Levina. You know she wasn’t Kitty’s favorite person, but when she heard about it she cried for days.”
“I can only imagine.”
“And while I can’t say she was a good woman, I did feel an affinity for her during our brief introduction. And I couldn’t help feeling that she was a woman born in the wrong time.”
“I think I see where you’re going with this.”
“Now I know I’ve said a lot about faith guiding us in the right direction, in God’s way, so that we can be happy, but what if there are so many obstacles to your faith that you can’t even get that tiny mustard seed to take hold?”
There he was taking the farmer’s view of things again. Levina merely nodded and listened.
“Anna was coerced into marriage at an early age, by parents who valued their status over Godly values. Her married brother also never got the right start in life, and wound up straying from his good wife instead of appreciating her and the children as he should have. And her bachelor brother never had the courage to choose the good wife he could have had. All of them unhappy but her most especially; why?”
“Because she was a woman?”
“That’s right. She was trapped in all ways a woman can be. If her mind could be trained at one of your universities, she could have the discipline of thought to really do something with herself.”
“And what of all you’ve said about taking a person out of his or her own proper time?”
“It’s all too late for anything to come of her in her own time. We could give her a second chance. If we could just get her before she left for that train station, convince her to come with us…”
“Us? Why do you need me?”
“You understand, of course, it would be improper for me to spend any kind of time with this woman, for one thing. For another, why would she trust me – men have taken all she has. If you, a modern woman, could speak with her, she would understand what she must do.”
To be continued…
*Leia Tolstaya is a pen name for Elizabeth K. Miller, and as such her works fall under the same copyright.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Of Children and Peasants – Part III
Excerpt from “Anna Karenina Comes to America” by Leia Tolstaya*, Millerskaya Ltd., New York, 2009. For earlier installments please click on the keyword phrase “Of Children and Peasants”.Levina woke up on the late side, dreaming about making a stir-fry, which she rarely did. It was such a deliciously pleasant dream that she had several times half-woken and purposely slipped back into it. Now she could hear the baby stirring, and she woke herself up for good.
There were 100 ways in which she could spend her day. She felt so fortunate. Although she had imposed on herself a schedule of sorts, including meals and naptimes, she could get her work done at her own leisure and still have some time for optional activities that also contributed to the household – reading the newspaper, playing games with the baby, doing a crossword, baking a cake.
Although she loved to read Victorian novels, she was often puzzled about how the nobility passed the time. They seemed to do no real work. Maids cleaned the house and nurses took care of the babies. They went visiting from house to house, to the opera, and hunting. If they were bored in their present location, they would up and leave for a season, sometimes imposing themselves on friends or family without notice. (And it was the host’s obligation to take care of these visitors, wanted or not, for as long as they wished to stay!)
While they would never seek to lower themselves to the position of a peasant, they also occasionally confessed to being jealous of their carefree ways, of the pure love between husband and wife, and the richness of the relationships they had with their children.
Not so in her time. People - rich, poor, and middle-class alike – all had full-time jobs with very little free time. Many people were unable to get a full eight hours sleep, or sit down for three square meals per day. Those who worked outside the house during the day might have others to care for their children part-time, but usually they took that back up upon their return home. Only the very wealthy had nannies caring for their children full-time; and some, although they could hire help, chose not to, because of their intense desire to be with the children as much as possible.
Considerate people would never think of just dropping in unannounced. Of course, there were no telephones back then. Now, the telephone seemed to be a constant intruder in her house. But at least they would give notice or make an appointment.
All except for one special time-traveling relative. At first, his sudden appearances had been a bit disconcerting. But his presence was always welcome, and she soon got used to his random visits. He always came ready to burst with thoughts he just had to share with her.
To be continued…
*Leia Tolstaya is a pen name for Elizabeth K. Miller, and as such her works fall under the same copyright.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Of Children and Peasants
Excerpt from “Anna Karenina Comes to America” by Leia Tolstaya*, Millerskaya Ltd., New York, 2009Levina stared out the kitchen window as her children played in the lightly falling snow. She’d been trying to work out a new system whereby the children would get their chores done quickly and efficiently, at the same time seeing that such a system was for their own betterment.
Her new Kitchenaid whirred, stirring a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough. Levina sighed. She’d been told to invest in new and better technologies to improve the production of her household. But leave this new appliance in the hands of her children and they’d throw rocks in it, then say, “Oh well, you should’ve let us do it the way we’re used to.”
Little Katrina came in, looking at the blue monster in disgust. “Ugggh,” she grunted, “the Kitchenaid is taking over our job. We could’ve mixed that for you.” They reluctantly admitted the appliance was more efficient at mixing, and even did a better job, but would rather do it the old-fashioned way. Levina couldn’t understand why they didn’t appreciate all she had given them, in the hopes of making their own little lives easier, as well as her own.
To be continued…
*Leia Tolstaya is a pen name for Elizabeth K. Miller, and as such her works fall under the same copyright.
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