The Giver-chapter 24

Jonas was walking towards Fiona, he felt the stirrings, he wanted to hug her and hold her in his arms. He moved toward her and looked at the smile playing on her lips. Then she turned around and walked to a door and he saw an Elder smiling happily, Fiona walked to the old man and pulled a needle out of her pocket. Jonas looked surprised at the needle then in horror, it was a release! He cringed as Fiona began to step ominously toward the Elder.

"No, no!" he shouted, Fiona smiled in an evil, jeering way as she plunged the needle into the old man's heart who slumped to the floor dead. Fiona pulled out another needle and advanced toward Jonas, bewildered he ran to the cold black door only to find it locked.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaarghhhhh ", he screamed as the needle stabbed him in the chest, he began to feel colder and colder his vision blurred and he crumpled into a heap. He fell into the vast black chasm of death his soul was sucked away into to the dark gates of hell.

Then he woke into the warmth of day. He saw a woman with light blue eyes and golden flowing hair, and light brown skin, he had often wondered if they could see color ever since his arrival a month ago but had never gotten the courage to ask. The woman's name was Millie a 22 year old seamstress in the town of Kingston.

"Why are you so distraught?" she inquired

"I just had this horrible nightmare about-about the community."

"It's okay you're safe here."

" Yes but……" Jonas trailed off

He was worried about the Giver and his friends, did Fiona actually release Elders? The thought had worried him ever since he had come in during Christmas Eve with Gabe the baby he had taken from the community to save from being released. His month in the town had been full of questions as soon as he had recovered from his ordeal in the hills. The citizens had wanted to know about what was happening in the communities. They had known about their creation but had never been allowed to visit or know about the specifics. Jonas had been that he might be found by some community guard and sent back until he was told that the town had been long forgotten by the communities.

"How is Gabe today?" Jonas inquired in an attempt to change the subject.

"He is fine and sleeping well," Millie answered Jonas's question while flipping on a blue switch that caused a picture of Gabriel sleeping with sound and movement to be projected in the air. Jonas looked at the baby's calm features and closed lids.

Jonas looked at Millie's blue child like eyes, "Millie, can you see color?"

"Color, Color? Of course I can see color. Why do you ask?"

"No one beside me and the Giver could see it. He said that it was because we were genetically engineered,"

"I wonder why it was done like that? Having color is a joy and pleasure, that's what you say whoever created the community wanted to achieve. It shouldn't have been taken away,"

They walked out side into a bright warm sun that hovered over them in a blue sky. Sleek, silent cars navigated through the streets going past shops and beautiful restaurants as the morning rush hour to cities far in the distance ebbed to a stop.

"Come on," said Millie, flagging an we should get some food to eat,"

The driver's name was Earl and chatted to Jonas about the communities. "You are lucky to find a sled that Millie's 4 year old son left out or you would have died. Although it would have been better for your health if it was one of those enclosed and heated models," he said after hearing the boy's account of his arrival.

"I think it is better to use traditional sleds in stead of these new ones. We should keep our traditions alive," Millie retorted

The rest of the day passed without incident while they ate spaghetti at a restaurant that was 'Italian' as Millie said.

That night Jonas dreamed that he was back at the community. He saw the Giver amble past him. Jonas tried to speak him the Giver couldn't hear. Suddenly he saw Asher and Fiona run toward him and then Fiona plunge a knife into his heart.

"Traitor!" said Fiona in a cold rasping voice that seemed to come from some horror of the night. "You thought that you could just get the boy out and release the memories couldn't you?"

"The boy name shall never be used again," growled Asher.

"Good" the Giver said, "it is not worthy of the community."

Their voices seemed to fade back into some dense mist. Jonas felt as if his spirit was being sucked back into a dark tunnel.

He woke, drenched in sweat, gasping for air. Rising he saw Millie look at him and draw a tally mark on a holographic white board. It had 23 tally marks for all his nightmares of the community. Another whiteboard beside it said 56 now 57 as Millie added a tally for the number of people Jonas had seen die in his dreams as he explained the events of the nightmare. Millie ancestors had felt that dreams should be analyzed to see the future; Jonas found it not unlike the dream telling back in the community.

Millie went back to meticulously drawing plans for clothes on a sheet of recycled paper while Jordan, her son ate cheerios.

Jonas walked outside. Is he dead? In my dreams everyone is evil or being killed.

Suddenly a figure appeared beside him it was the Giver!

"Hello Jonas,"

The words appeared in his head!

"If you are wondering I am dead, I cannot express my feelings for you and your bravery in making a new life for your self outside the community. You saved Gabe and I am proud of. Do not be sad for my death, death is but going to another world. Bye Jonas." The specter disappeared. And Jonas felt love and warmth.