Pennsylvania Omnibus by Michael Bunker

Author:Michael Bunker [Bunker, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Refugio Publishing
Published: 2014-04-29T00:00:00+00:00

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The airbus floated over towering walls of indeterminate origin that circled the entirety of the York Amish Zone. Jed estimated that the walls must have been hundreds of feet high and at least as wide as a cornfield—stretching into the distance like the Great Wall of China he’d seen in a picture book, only far taller and wider. Taller than many of the great buildings he’d seen in photographic art books, and the outer portion that faced the world was a sheer wall that would only be scaled with much difficulty. Jed wondered who had built the walls and why. With airbuses and floating airships, the walls seemed kind of pointless and silly.

At the Immigrant Greeting Center, Jed was taken in by an Amish family who treated him like a king returning from a far country. He took a hot bath, and while he bathed his clothes were washed for him. He was given a loaner set of clothes while his dried on the line, and then he was measured for several more sets of Amish clothing. Jed was told that the women of the community would have his new clothes—made according to the local ordnung—ready for him in a week. In the meantime he’d have his own clothes and the ones he’d borrowed.

In this community, according to the ordnung, the button pattern was a little different on the front of the broadfall pants (there were two extra buttons that he felt were unnecessary, but those were the rules) and the hats had a slightly smaller brim and a narrower band. The work shirts—pullovers—could have pockets, and had three buttons instead of two. Other than that, Jed thought as he looked over the printed ordnung, not much was different than the ordnung he’d lived under his whole life. Buggies were the same color and styles, and the women’s dress was almost identical to what he was used to seeing at home. It looked to Jed like as soon as he had his new clothes, he should fit right in here, and he was happy about that.

The waiting list for land distribution wasn’t long, and he was thankful to learn that he’d be receiving his allotment of two hundred acres in a few weeks’ time. Until then he was slated to stay with his old friend Matthias, another young, single farmer who was just getting started on his own farm. Matthias was supposed to come pick him up sometime the next day, and Jed was looking forward to seeing a friendly face from Old Pennsylvania.

Mr. Zook, the patriarch of the family that ran the Center, a strong man in his early thirties, talked to him and kept shaking his hand and patting him on the back like he was really excited to have him there in the community. Jed noticed that behind his back, or when people thought he wasn’t looking, the local Amish stared at him and sometimes whispered.

The Greeting Center was more than a mile inside the AZ, and it was in a forested area dotted here and there with tobacco and cornfields fenced by split rails.

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