George arrived at the State Proper School on a blustery October afternoon. It was a significant date, the 25th, and the banners were flying everywhere, flapping vigorously in the constant wind.
“You are the new arrival?” George was asked by the man in the military uniform as he exited the final car on the long train.
The train was dark and dirty, inside and out; the day was gray and gloomy; George felt the effects of both as he tried to muster a smile. Not necessary, he knew, but still something left to hold on to that was all his and his alone.
George was quickly informed that he would now be addressed simply as “SPSNA777”, indicating of course that he was New Arrival 777 at the State Proper School. He would be re-designated after the successful completion of his First Year Plan. Incomplete completion was not broached as a possibility and was not referred to as failure- failure was not allowable under the current Constitution of Lasting Permanence. That, too, could change but that, too, was also not discussed as George received his arrival instructions.
Later that day 777- the irony of the three sevens was never considered by the boy formally known to most as George- was finally able to rest awhile. As he curled up on the hard cot in the chilly gray room of the arrival center he thought briefly about his stewards.
“They only did what they had to do; I cannot blame them for my behavior” he mused, dutifully. “If they had not called the Central Area Community Administrator to report George’s mal-aligned and malignant behavior and if the Magistrate or Triumvirate or even any of his Plan Instructors had detected just a hint of some of the questions he was asking or thoughts he was having then his stewards would have been properly questioned under the Actively Enacted Guidelines within the present CoLP and, for them, as 777 might somehow imagine, it would have been much less desirable than simply following the Proper Procedural Process of Self-Reportance, also under the present CoLP. This is as it should be and had always been.
Somehow, deep inside, 777 felt an emptiness in knowing that he would likely not have any additional future contact with his stewards. That, as well, was as it should be and had always been. Still, after those almost twelve years under their supervision he felt something he had really never felt before and had never been instructed to experience. He had no way of knowing what it was, really, but he did wonder briefly if his stewards felt anything even remotely similar.
Within a few months, he knew, if his stewards passed their own re-review by the Community Council High Committee they would have the possibility of being entitled to a pre-designated sperm assignment (a new auction after re-assignment of a previous ward was not allowed) or, possibly, re-assignment of a recently vacated ward assignment. The latter was possible only when a set of partnered stewards themselves were deemed ineffective and themselves re-assigned to an Adjustment Facility. The specifics were as outlined in the current CoLP.
Unable to maintain any additional directive of thought 777 began to drift into a needed and necessary sleep. He was conflicted inside, that he knew. This was a new awareness for him but real nonetheless.
He was no longer known as George but that would have happened at some point anyhow after he had progressed to a future designation as YouthWorker or PartyProspect; and still again later when he had progressed still further as SoleUnit, PartneredSteward (usually shortened to just Steward), or PartyProgressor but the latter was unlikely given the origins of his and his stewards beginnings; several other possible designators were possible as he aged or as the present CoLP was properly evolved. For now, he was simply SPSNA777.
He was no longer under the supervision of the stewards he had known for many years- all the years of his still youthful existence. Against instruction and protocol he had come to have special, strange and unusual feelings for his male and female stewards. He did not fully understand these but they somehow made him attain an improved state of proper awareness.
He wondered if other wards and stewards had ever experienced the same. He wondered the same about his own stewards whom he wished deeply, as far as wishing was allowed, were with him now as he moved swiftly toward a sleeping state. Somehow, he reasoned, somehow, he hoped (though he was not aware that it was hope he was feeling), somewhere, he imagined (as far as imagination would take him, having not been allowed within his instructive) they must. They just must, for in many fundamental ways they were the same human creatures as was he.
Before the moment of fully losing consciousness SPSNA777 made a few promises to himself.
He would secretly, in his mind, always refer to himself as George and try to always internally convert any arbitrary designator assigned to him during his life tenure to George before responding; he would not hold his stewards to blame for his actions and his ultimate fate and he would continue to secretly feel these good feelings toward them; he would believe that he was not unique in all of this and believe that, perhaps one day, he would manage to find others like him. This was all he had left to him.
This alone was enough comfort to settle him down sufficiently to finally fall asleep after a long few days of existence-altering activity. Without knowing it a soft but evident smile managed to form as the cold and gray closed all around.