February 1999: Ylla Summary

Mr. and Mrs. K, Martians in the year 1999, live in a ten-century-old house of crystal pillars, next to a dead sea, which, during certain seasons, fills with wine from the nearby tress. Their home, fruit growing from within the walls, is irrigated with water from streams that flow from ceiling to floor, creating creeks beneath their feet to cool them during the searing afternoon heat. As were many housewives on Earth in the late 1940's, when the book was written, Ylla K is unhappy in her marriage. Her husband Yll, a short-tempered and non-attentive partner, spends much of his time reading, a process done by moving his hand over raised letters, which then sing out. The books are filled with the history of Mars, singing melodically of seas of steam and ancient battles. Ylla wishes she and her husband were as...