Touching the Past

[vilakins]

For the backstory challenge; about 630 words.

Touching the Past

When Yurgi Sarkoff was thirteen he went on a class trip to the museum.

He was prepared to be as bored as he always was in history class. It would be more of the same: Lindor's history was centuries-long but enervatingly (a word Yurgi had learned recently and liked) bland and uniform.

"And here," said Ms Matterli brightly, "is the famous Lindor packet—"

Of course it is, thought Yurgi. And there it was, displayed in a place of honour behind protective glass.

"—which the original Swiss settlers brought with them. It contained chocolate balls filled with creamed chocolate in various flavours, in this case hazelnut. They named the planet Lindor for the balls."

Which Yurgi had known all his life. "More to the point," he said, "was it a joke, nostalgia, or mere geometry?"

The class laughed. They usually did, even when "Sarky" Sarkoff's questions were perfectly serious.

"As I wasn't there," Ms Matterli said tartly (cue disbelieving sniggers), "I wouldn't know."

Pity. Yurgi trailed behind, uninterested in the old rusting bits of spacecraft and terraforming equipment, clothes worn by past politicians, the early examples of luxury food and wine exports.

Then, last of all, they visited the Earth Room. It wasn't very big because there wasn't very much to display. There was a Greek vase, back from when they'd got the whole idea of democracy. "Although only for land-owning males," said Ms Matterli.

"What's that guy doing to that other guy?" someone asked.

Ms Matterli blushed slightly. "It was known as Graeco-Roman wresting," she said primly, unaware that she had given the class a life-long and beloved euphemism.

Then there was a Roman wine glass. It wasn't at all transparent; more like cracked alabaster. Yurgi leaned in to stare at it, fascinated. Whose fingers had lifted it, who had drunk from it, reclining on a couch in a cool courtyard with marble statues and tinkling fountain, away from the sounds and smells of the city outside?

There was also an American coffee pot from back in the days when it was still a democracy. Yurgi wondered how democracies became dictatorships. And a chipped cup and saucer made of thick white china, dated early 22nd century in the reign of King Brian going by its inscription of BR which, the plaque explained, must have stood for Brianus Rex. Perhaps Brian himself had used it, sprawled in his throne dressed in ermine robes. Or more likely a courtier in the great, echoing rooms of the palace. Why had the British monarchy endured until the Federation? And wow, three bent, smooth, flat pieces of wood painted in intricate designs and the word "Australia" and used by Aborigines, the people of the Dream Time, to hunt prey and designed to return to them if they missed. So many strange and wonderful cultures, all swallowed by the grey conformity of the Federation.

Yurgi was admiring an embroidered dragon robe thought to have been worn by Emperor Mao Tse Tung when Ms Matterli spoke. "Come along, Yurgi. Everyone else has gone."

"Why did they have so many political systems, and what stopped them working?"

"I didn't think you were interested in history."

"I am. In this sort anyway."

Ms Matterli smiled. "There's a saying that people who don't know the past are condemned to repeat its mistakes."

Yurgi considered this. "Or even if they do." Maybe it was like wet paint; you had to give it a go anyway.

"I can lend you some history books about Earth if you like."

"I would, thanks!"

Yurgi took a last look at the room as he left. He enjoyed historical novels, but until today he hadn't imagined that the worlds inside them were really quite real, so tangible and beautiful that he wanted to get hold of them.

Comments

[executrix]

This is lovely! I was going to hit the kudos button except...there isn't one!

[vilakins]

Thank you! I may add it to AO3. I have an Avon one for trope bingo which would have fitted this topic, and I must get round to uploading that one too.

[executrix]

Now, that's one task I'm certainly not going to try to talk you out of.

[natasha68]

So, this is Sarkoff's backstory, on how he became interested in Earth's backstory :) Lots of lovely details! What does BR really stand for?

[vilakins]

British Rail thick and unbreakable crockery. :-D I'm not sure whether they actually had BR on them when there was a British Rail, but I was thinking of this sort of thing.

please publish

[nannasally]

I like this story a lot.
I am fond of Social History
I like backstories
so please post this and Avon's one to Ao3

Re: please publish

[vilakins]

If you mean the PWB about Avon in the Aquitar Project, that's already there - if not, which one did you mean?

I'll add this one though; thanks!