By Ben Greenman
from forthcoming collection, as yet untitled
In addition to the Rivera Run at Holland-Decker, Kilian’s Invitational and Ward & Parton’s Open will also be held next Sunday. At Kilian’s there will be more than a dozen events, including ten formal races. A new event is the “Roundbelt” triple, a re-creation of the original competition from more than a century ago. There is also a Tabletop Reckoning for children under twelve who summer in the outer campgrounds, with the exception of those in the Red Quadrant and the upper quartile of the Blue Quadrant. Those children, the Reds and Quarter-Blues, have, in accordance with the Accountability Act—which passed last year by a narrow margin in the legislature, helped along by the surprising death of Senator Coltrane, whose fall from a high balcony at her home was ruled accidental—been ear-tagged with microchips that let them run as far as they want without ever truly escaping detection, thus rendering them ineligible for the game, in which hiding is a central skill and independence more than a fanatical notion. Winners of the Tabletop Reckoning will receive the equivalent of Emerald benefits, including the freedoms to eat whatever foods they prefer, wear whichever clothes they wish (within reason), and, years from now, marry who they like. Prizes will be given for the best casseroles, and a musical entertainment will fill the evening.
No comments:
Post a Comment