MaddAddam

The narrative moves back into the present tense as Toby enjoys a cheerful morning and tries to remember the date based on Gardener feast days. She considers journaling to help keep her memories and the knowledge of the Gardeners alive, but she wonders if there will be a future with anyone to read it. She thinks, “Maybe acting as if she believes there is such a future will help to create it” (136), so she plans to ask Zeb to look for paper and pencils on the next supply trip. With no calendar or clock to follow, she feels untethered like she did while waiting for the plague to burn out because she’s so focused on Zeb. She also has no other pressing goals or a sense of passing time, and she senses that others feel this way too. She puts on a floral sheet instead of the usual plain one, momentarily worried about seeming vain or not dressing her age. Blackbeard accompanies Toby as she tends to Jimmy, and the other Crakers inform her that Jimmy is traveling again and will wake up today or tomorrow.