Hey guys! Kind of a departure from the stuff I usually put up here. (I write collabs with GeekForAang) This is the letter I imagined that Jonas wrote to his father when he left. Sorry it's kind of short and for the periods between the paragraphs. I had to do that so it wouldn't run together. Enjoy! -ShyGuy
Father-
For hundreds of years, we have been living in a Community devoid of color, emotion, and memory. Oh, you think you feel emotion and have memories, but those are
shallow, a mere shadow of what could be. As a Receiver, I received memories- experiencing these snippets of life myself- of real emotion, real color, and of how the world
used to be.
.
Now, when I look around, I see color. When I "feel" emotion, I truly feel emotion, emotion with depth. By running away, I'm giving you a chance to experience these
things. I beg you to take this chance, this chance to truly live.
.
Of course, this opportunity comes with a price, and it's a heavy one. Your price is having memories of pain, physical and emotional. Your price is to reject the shallow life
you grew up with, the comforts of routine, no pain, no crime, no hunger, and no knowledge. Some emotions, like real grief or heartbreak, will be unpleasant. Others, like
real happiness or joy, will be pleasant. The price I pay is to have to go Elsewhere. I can never come back. The journey to Elsewhere will be long and unpredictable. I do
not know what lies ahead. And I'm taking Gabe.
.
Gabe, the beautiful newborn who came to live with us. Gabe, with the golden bouncy curls of hair. Gabe, the cheerful baby boy. Gabe, who you would have killed. That's
right, you would've killed Gabe. You call it "Release"- something, while unpleasant, absolutely necessary for the good of the community.
.
I watched you Release the little identical twin. You snuffed his life out with a needle to the forehead, and then wrapped his body up and threw it down the chute like
common trash. This was the same fate that awaited Gabe, which is why I'm taking him with me. I must admit that part of me wants to blame you for this horrifying
treatment of newborns, the Old, and the three-time offenders. But I know I cannot, because you know no other way. You are a killer, yes, but not a murderer. You did not
murder in cold blood. Ignorance- lack of knowledge- is the real villain here. You led a sheltered life, sheltered from the moral implications and feelings that would've
accompanied your job if you knew exactly what you were doing. Fear, too, is to blame. Fear of change, fear of pain, fear for anything out of the ordinary.
.
The hour grows near when I must begin the journey. My journey and your journey. Your journey to a new world, full of color and real feelings. My journey, to Elsewhere,
where they have color and emotions and animals (like hippos and elephants and bears) and hills and weather and pain. And let's not forget Gabe's journey. He had no
choice, for if he stayed, he would have no life, so he will accompany me on mine.
.
Don't let my journey go to waste. I wish you the best of luck. Pass my love on to Lily and Mother. Farewell, Father.
-Jonas