Nulea Chapter 6 Culture Shock

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Abandonné watches as the rain comes down outside the cottage. She was still shocked at how the women and men dressed. It seemed that all the clothes that women were forced to wear in her time has changed. She was still getting used to the fact that the nightgown she was wearing was made of thin material that was breezy.

She loved how it felt against her skin. She was also surprised that she no longer had to make her clothes. There were several shops in town where she could buy clothes already made. Sure, she had to take in some of the material to make the clothes fit better, but it was worth it.

Her small cottage had a simple kitchen so she could fix herself something to eat. She was told that the stove was a gas stove and was shown how to operate it by Freddie. He said that he could have installed a coal style or wood style for her, but figured she would rather have a gas style.

He showed her how to tell when the tank was empty and to let him or Gary know when it happened. The refrigerator was something new to her as well. She never knew you could keep leftovers or store food in a cold box before. She didn’t have to kill the animal she would like to eat.

There were three butcher shops in town where she could buy fresh meats or fresh seafood that is caught daily. She leaves the door open and walks towards the kitchen to make some breakfast for herself. She had a feeling that it was going to rain all day.

Since it was raining, she wouldn’t have class today. Which was good because it gives her a chance to catch up on some reading she has been doing lately. The library that the town had, was filled with a lot of interesting books. She found that she enjoyed reading.

Everything was new to her and it was still weird that things have changed so much. Abandonné fixes herself a simple meal of eggs and bacon. She loved the maple-infused bacon she bought the other day at Rosa butcher shop in town.

Tabitha was out of town with some of the others from the ship Tabitha’s father was building. Tabitha has been a big help in teaching her about the customs of the town. Tabitha told her that most of the towns around them were all the same in customs and languages.

She did warn her that there were towns where women were treated like second-class citizens and had to be covered up. Also, the women weren’t allowed to travel around unless they were being escorted by a male. The rules are very strict in that town. However, there have been several incidents where several hard-core law enforcement officials got their butts kicked by a mysterious woman.

According to what Tabitha told her about the incident, the woman sent the men to the healer's hut. The people she sent there, were there for a week healing from their injuries. The thing was, no one knew who this woman was or where she came from.

After her breakfast is cooked and she has eaten it. She sits down in her favorite chair and leans back. She loved that the chair reclined. She has never sat in anything like it.

She has also never had this much free time either. She had to work all her life so far and it felt nice to just relax. Tabitha suggested she should take up some sort of hobby, other than reading.

Abandonné picks the book up she started reading and goes to the page she bookmarked last night before going to bed. She kept a pocket-size dictionary by her so she could look up the words she has never heard of before. Which in her case was a lot.

She loved that she was no longer an ignorant illiterate person. She never realized how her lack of education made her seem like a stupid person. Then again, the only people who could afford an education were the rich and high-born people in her town.

Abandonné starts reading the book and listens to the rain coming down outside. She loved that she lived down by the water, instead of the muddy village she uses to. The roads here were covered in some sort of crushed gravel that stuck to itself and you didn’t have to watch out for people dumping human waste on you.

Tabitha told her that the town where they lived had a unique waste system. Also, she didn’t have to pump water anymore. The water tower in the center of town feeds water to everyone’s cottages and homes.

The ceiling fan in the middle of the cottage was circulating air around the place. The special crystal that produced lights in the place also could generate something Tabitha called electricity. She was warned not to touch the exposed wires or connections. If she did, it would shock her.

Abandonné stops every once in a while to look up a word to see what it means. She hated stopping, but she wanted to get the full meaning of what the author had written. It slowed her down as she read, but it helped her understand the story better.

She nearly jumps out of the chair, when she hears and feels a lightning strike nearby. Tabitha warned her that because of the large deposits of energy crystals near their area. Lightning strikes are common. However, the people who worked for her father has found a way to capture and harness the energy in the lightning strikes.

Abandonné goes back to reading and loose herself in the story. A little after noon time, she puts her book down and walk into the kitchen and open the ice box/refrigerator and grab some sliced meat she bought from the butcher shop. She makes herself a nice sandwich with the meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes.

She never had seen lettuce before or tomatoes either. Tabitha introduced her to them and after trying them, she liked them. She learned she could do so much with them.

She walks back over to the recliner she was sitting in to eat and read.

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