Batteryville

Settlers of Catan

"Your sister is so cool." 

Erin was sitting on a table in the library, a bandage over her nose and a phone in her hand.

I was getting the game pieces out of the box on the next table and Marco came into the room and said, "Wow, that's irony."

"What do you mean?"

"Settlers of Catan." He motioned to the game box. "Award Winning Game of Discovery, Settlement and Trade."

"So?"

"So, they're in there talking about what kind of society they're trying to build here." He motioned to the library's big meeting room and then said, "Maybe the cannibal bikers will trade us some wheat for some rocks."

I pulled the game pieces away from him and said, "We're already trading recharging for stuff."

Marco jumped up on the table beside Erin and said, "It's a joke."

But he was right, what we were going through was a lot like Settlers of Catan. I'd heard Ms. Morrison and Gita and some of the other adults talking about balancing security and humanity - how we couldn't just close off Batteryville and let the people outside die if we could help them, but we had to worry about attacks, too.

"They said they're using slaves now."

"Who did?"

"In there," Marco said. "This attack, some of the survivors, they say they're slaves, they didn't want to attack."

I said, "That can't be true."

"Yeah, well, I notice Settlers of Catan leaves the slave trade out of it but according to them that's the way every society got built."

"Who said that?"

Marco shrugged and motioned towards the library and said, "I don't know, one of them."

Erin was showing him pictures on her phone then so I walked across the hall to the meeting room and peeked in.

A man was standing up and saying, "Some decisions are forced on us," and other people were saying, "yes," and "no," and "We can still decide for ourselves."

"Yes," the man said, "but out of the options available to us. Our first priority is to survive." I didn't know the man's name, I'd seen him around, of course, but I don't think he had any kids, or had any kids living with him so I'd never really paid attention.

Ms. Morrison said, "No matter what we become?"

"If what we become is dead, then, yes."

"How far will it go?"

"We have to defend ourselves," the man said.

"You're talking about completely closing the town," Ms. Morrison said, "not letting anyone in."

There was a lot of grumbling and the man said, "I'm talking about a moratorium. Things have changed, we need time to make adjustments." It quieted down and he said, "Look we ran this town as a co-op," and a woman, I think it was Gita, said, "Ran? It's still running."

Another man said, "So, a temporary measure?"

"That's right."

"Like income tax?"

"It's a matter of survival."

And then they were all talking at once again so I walked back into the library.

Erin and Marco didn't want to play but there were a few other kids who did so I finished setting up the game.

"At least you're not playing Traders and Barbarians."