Room 2D

Story from Janus 40 by R.T. Mason, published in 1984… 1984 did not turn out quite as George Orwell predicted, although few perhaps would dispute that there has proved to be a certain timely symbolic truth to his allegorical fantasy. But things can change very rapidly. Perhaps 1994 could be the year? The year when the State and Big Brother take over, especially against undisciplined excesses of youth. Discipline is naturally the keynote: a strict non-nonsense regime reinforced with a liberal use of corporal punishment. Females will undoubtedly be treated as strictly as males. If not infinitely more so… ‘Oh  no! ’ burst out Christine.  ’Look at the time!’ The digital watch on her wrist said quite unequivocally 20:57. And equally unequivocally the Curfew for schoolgirls in term time in 1994 was 21:00 hours. She struggled desperately to her feet and went to grab her bike, propped against a nearby tree. Christine’s companion, her b

Story from Janus 35 by R.T. Mason with lovely illustrations by Paula Meadows ‘I just hope you see one you like,’ said Mrs Greenaway, smiling across the breakfast table at her husband. Henry Greenaway, in his fifties like his wife and like her quite ordinary-looking, put the official letter down with a look of satisfaction. It stated that there was a consignment of maids coming through Southwood on the train on Monday next; that four of them were as yet unassigned to homes, and that Mr Henry Greenaway’s name was now at the top of the Maid Assignment List in the Southwood area. Mrs Miriam Greenaway had a look of satisfaction too, for Henry had been growing noticeably ill-tempered and snappy just lately and it had been getting on Miriam Greenaway’s nerves a little. The trouble was that Henry was used to having a maid and it was now all of three weeks since the last one, Rose, had left. In a way of course it was Henry’s own fault because he did tend to change maids rather frequentl