The Mating Game

Who Will it Be?

The nonviables guided us through the thick green vegetation on the barely visible path laid out before us. It was darker outside the fence, with only moments of sunlight that burst through holes in the tree-lined rooftop of the forest. Each step I took was a step somewhere I had never been before. It was new and thrilling, but intimidating. When I would walk through the containment camp, I never felt scared, not once, not even at night but here in the middle of the day, I wondered what was lurking behind each tree or stone. Each step I took was a hesitant and cautious one. We walked on for what seemed like hours, at least I think it was for hours based off the position of the sun, but then again I was never very good at telling time from the sun’s position when living at camp so being out here in the forest was even more troublesome.

Soon our small group reached a clearing in the forest with the biggest and most beautiful waterfall I’ve ever seen emptying into a clear pond of water. A giant rock jetted out from the land over the water like a stage, and strange groups of women surrounded the pool of water. At least two hundred women if not more sat in a circular formation, surrounding the pond. I began doing the math in my head. I knew that Ubertus held 83 viable males, and each male was given three women, with maybe one or two mating groups having four women instead of three. Not only did females highly outnumbered the males on Ubertus, but all the other containment islands too. So this meant sitting around the pool of water had to be at least 250 women. Glory nodded towards an open spot on the ground signaling for us to sit. Then without hesitation or words, the nonviables turned on their heals and walked away in the direction we had just come from, their job is done, we were on our own now. Watching them leave I held my breath. Glory hesitated and knelt in front of me. She placed her hands on my shoulders, and her brown eyes stared into mine.

“You’re a strong girl. I’ve been through what you face ahead of you, and it will be difficult, but you can do it. Remember humankind depends on the Purus population, here on Ubertus and on the other five islands to keep reproducing humans. Without the Purus people, there is no mankind. Just remember that when it becomes difficult.”

I felt a warm sensation on my cheek from the kiss Glory placed there, and my brow furrowed in thought as I tried with all my strength to hold back the well of tears forming in my eyes. She gave me a brief smile and hurriedly joined the other nonviables on their long walk back to the containment camp. What was I in for? My mind began racing through the history that I know. In the year 2065, a person with the name terrorist placed some virus or sickness into a mechanical machine called a computer which instantly caused the world’s nuclear weapons to arm themselves and launch worldwide. Nuclear weapons caused large explosions all over the world and killed many people.

However, the nonviables who taught us history in the camp told us it wasn’t the explosions that killed most of the population, it was the global nuclear winter that lasted for many years after that killed most of the world’s population. Many of the survivors from the explosions died from starvation and disease. The precise population currently on Earth today in the year of 2997 is unknown. I have been told that after M.E. Day or Mass Extinction Day, the world’s population became engulfed with sickness and decay and over the years both men and women became highly infertile, which was the reasoning behind the creation of the six islands. Young children were sent to specific islands where no radiation was detected, and the children were to age and reproduce on these islands, allowing humanity to continue to live on. The people on the islands became known as the Purus people because they were pure and untainted from radiation for most, if not all of their lives. The population that remained in the radiation zone became known as the Rancids. The Rancid people still reproduce but are not as common as the Purus population does. The chances of a Rancid individual giving birth is considered a miracle.

Sometimes the Rancids keep their offspring, other times their offspring are stolen and sold to the Purus, or other times Rancid parents themselves sell their offspring to the Purus. To keep the Purus islands like Ubertus from overpopulating the elders order a purging of the older nonviable female population due to their infertility and lack of usefulness on the island. Also, any men who cannot physically perform their duties anymore are also purged. When a purge happens, the older population is sent to the radiation zone to live out the rest of their lives, but a purge hasn’t happened for over five years.

While all of this random history is running through my mind, a movement catches my eye on the west side of the pond. Slowly, a line of people, MEN! Begin filing into the clearing. Some of them are big and hairy. Others are small and lanky. But some of them are very attractive and good-looking. I’m not sure how they smell from way over here, but some of them don’t look so scary. Please let me get one of the prettier men, one who doesn’t smell. A strange feeling stirs in my belly as I look from man to man lined up near the edge of the pond. One of these men is going to be my mate for the next year. I think I’m going to vomit. Trying to maintain some semblance of control I wrap my arms tightly around my body and look to the man who is making his way out onto the stone edifice that jets out towards the middle of the pond. This man is much older than the others with gray hair and wrinkles. He must be an elder. Even elders have mating groups. Men never turn into nonviables, only women after they stop menstruating turn in nonviables. I hope I don’t have an elder as my mate. I imagine having to touch his wrinkly body. Shaking my head, I try to force the thought from my mind. Well, an elder may be kinder and less smelly. Or they could be smellier. Older people do seem to have a certain pungent smell to them. I am such an asshole. Focus. The elder on the rock is speaking about the ceremony. Men who are known to have reproduced offspring in prior years are given the option to be rejoined with one of their former mates to try to reproduce again, that’s if their mates are back from the succulent year. When a woman is impregnated, she returns back to the containment camp and is treated like royalty until she has her offspring. The mother then nurses the baby for a year, which is referred to as the succulent year. After the year ends, the baby is left in the containment camp to be raised by the nonviables, and the mother is returned to the mating pool. Absentmindedly I wonder what it would be like to be a nonviable woman in the men’s containment camp.

Drawn from my thoughts, I hear the words “Let us begin.” Man after man steps up to the rock; sometimes a woman instantly joins the man on the rock, which we have been told identifies a woman who has shown promise with that particular male. The elders only place one proven woman with each man because there are some men who have not proven to be fertile yet. Just as in the Radiation Zone, the Purus population has been affected by infertility too, and most of our population has not proven to be fertile yet. So, the elders move men and women groupings around trying to encourage the reproduction of offspring through the use of various pairings. However, it is a rule that a man cannot be with the same partner for more than a total of three years. This helps keep the gene pool ever-changing. Last year the island had twenty-seven births, with twenty offspring surviving and four mothers dying during labor. The number of births is down from the previous year and has been dropping each year consistently.

As the men join the elder on the rock, the elder randomly chooses a woman’s name from the straw basket sitting at his feet. No two women have the same name on the island. Slowly the number of remaining men and women begins to dwindle, and I start to wonder if my name was accidentally left out of the lottery. Oh damn, looks like they forgot my name. I’ll just be heading back to the containment camp. I’ll see you next year. You can keep your mating s**t to yourself. I’ll be off fishing and swimming. I was wrong, my boring life wasn’t so bad, and I think I’ll continue doing what I have been doing for the last 20 years.

When the line of men is down to twelve, my heart begins to race; my time is coming soon. Some of the men who have stood on the rock have been very good-looking and seemed gentle, silently I hoped a couple of them would be paired with me, but of course, it was my luck that I wasn’t. However, there is one remaining man in the line that has caught my eye. He is young, maybe in his mid-twenties, tall, muscular, tan, with dark brown wavy hair that falls just above his shoulders, and he has a short maintained beard which covers from what I can see is a handsome face. He has a gentle look to him. Please, please, please let me be paired with him. The other men are old, mean-looking, and less attractive. I am such a b***h. I can’t believe I am basing this all off of looks. But really what else do I have to go off of? If I have to mate I would rather it be with an attractive mate. I’m so vain.

The man I have been watching makes his way to the rock. “Aaron already has one mate from a previous proven match, Laura.” The elder states as the girl who I assume is Laura joins the man whose name I now know is Aaron on the rock. s**t, that only leaves two more spaces with him. Since Laura joined Aaron, this means he has been proven to be fertile, and he has had a child with the woman standing next to him. I feel slightly jealous that Laura has had the opportunity to be with Aaron already. FOCUS. The elder calls another name this time retrieving a name from the basket, but unfortunately, it’s not mine.

Damn, A slender, pale girl with red hair stands and begins moving through the crowd towards the rock. The elder does not mention that the woman has had any offspring, so she has not proven to be fertile yet. She looks older closer to thirty so the chances of her reproducing now after all of these years are low. When the woman joins Aaron and Laura, the elder reaches into his basket once more. A smile appeared on his face, one similar to the smiles that crossed his face each time one of the three girls who came to the ceremony with me had their names called. Please be me. Please be me. I’m the only one from my small group left. The elder seems to get excited when a newling or virgin is called. I guess it is a happy rarity for a male to receive a newling into his mating group. Why I don’t know, but I guess I’ll find out. “This female is a virgin, so my dear Aaron it seems you are a very fortunate man to be receiving our last newling of the day” the elder states cheerfully as he calls my name. Geeze it sounds like I’m some animal up for sale.

Timidly I stand up fixing my dress, sucking in my stomach, and pushing my shoulders back trying to look as perfect and as beautiful as I can. I want to make a good first impression. Making my way around the small number of women still sitting I walk towards the rock. Don’t fall, don’t fall. Smile and try not to make a fool out of yourself. Bringing my eyes to meet Aaron’s, I instantly notice that his muddy brown eyes do not look impressed, nor do they look pleased that I am joining his group. Oh great, I’m ugly. He hates me already. I give him an awkward smile, but he merely turns his head away. FAN-f*****g-TASTIC. The elder motions for us to step off the rock and to make room for the next man in line. Quietly Aaron leads Laura, the redhead girl whose name I missed, and myself down a path into the woods. It is still daylight, but it is now late afternoon.