Reading Through the Rain in 1976
By @john1208
I was currently sprinting through the mud, clutching my smuggled romance novel, with the commune leader hot on my heels. My crime? Refusing to dig ditches. The Vesnian Republic in 1976 is no place for a cheeky girl whose only ambitions are snacking on honey-cakes and reading fiction. While the ambitious educated youth, Irsa, scrambles to buy into the new state bonds to earn her way back to the capital, I happily marry Gavril - a quiet, towering local who obsessively scrubs the floors and cooks endless meals just to keep me pampered. I absolutely refuse to invest in the bonds because it requires attending weekly patriotic meetings. But behind my shameless laziness lies a heavy secret: a hidden government mandate I discovered reveals this entire valley will be flooded for a dam in exactly twelve months. As Irsa exhausts herself for a merit badge that won't exist, Gavril and I use our saved rations to prepare. But when the rain starts falling and the officials lock down the town, will my cozy little life be enough to keep my little brother and my devoted husband safe from the rising tide?
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