How The Giver Should Have Ended
A/N: There might be a lot of these stories up; I wasn't satisfied with the ending of the book because it's too open-ended. This one-shot is something I wrote in school because my class read the book and the assignment was to write an epilogue and this is what I came up. I also got an A (100%) on this.
The Giver woke to disruption and chaos the morning after Jonas and Gabriel – which he didn't know about – left the community. Putting on his tunic, he stumbled through the door of his dwelling and was astonished at what he saw. Overturned bikes were lying haphazardly in the street and on lawns – some with the wheels still spinning. What amazed The Giver the most was that people were littering the streets, grasping their heads in excruciating pain. They were gasping and moaning in agony. Tears were running down their pinched faces. The Giver immediately knew what was occurring. It occurred as many a year ago back and back and back when his daughter, Rosemary, was selected to be The Receiver. The memories – the good, the bad, and the ugly – have come back and the community was suffering greatly. The communal intercom came on and the strangled voice of an Elder was heard, "GIVER, PLEASE ASSIST US." When Rosemary was selected to be The Receiver, and failed, he was summoned to help the community, also.
The Giver traveled toward the Annex where the Elders were awaiting his presence.
"Please, Giver, you must aid us in guiding the citizens of the community. We cannot handle this level of anguish th-AARRGGHH…these memories cause. Everyone is greatly overwhelmed by these circumstances. Guide us, please, Giver." The eldest Elder struggled through his plea. The Giver could see the helplessness in the Elders' identical dark eyes. He decided to lend a helping hand to them, but there was one stipulation in return for his assistance.
"I will assist you, but only if you give your word that I will get something in return."
"Anything! We will grant anything you desire if you only aid us in this torment!" the Elders relented.
"I will not dispose of the memories as I have done in the past. In the present, I will assist you with controlling the memories and to explain what they are. When my work is finished, I wish to be released." The Giver stated, firm and unrelenting. The Elders were astounded by his request, but nevertheless agreed to his terms for they could not go back on their word. Lying in the community was ultimately frowned upon.
In the center of the community, all of the residents – excluding Jonas and Gabriel of course – were crowded together. Some were still grasping their heads; others were grimacing periodically when particularly cruel memories emerged in their minds. There was a low hum amongst the citizens, periodically broken by cringing gasps, as anxiously waited. The crowd quieted instantly when an Elder – a female – approached the podium. She cleared her throat before speaking.
"Please accept my apology for all of your unnecessary anxiety." She said softly.
"We accept your apology." The crowd of pained citizens respectfully replied.
"You all are gathered here today because there has been an abundance of agony going through the community for reasons unknown to us. The Giver has graced us with his presence this faithful day to aid us in the crucial year." The Elder spoke to the citizens with few cracks in her voice. The Giver approached the podium with a slouched, fatigued gait.
"Dear fellow citizens, I come to you today to aid you with these flashes of images in your minds called memories. These memories have come past from back and back and back that specific people, such as myself and many others, have had to handle for many years. We have had to endure excruciating memories such as ones of war, pain, loneliness, and hunger; memories of happiness, joy, and fulfillment. There were memories of family units that consisted of a mother, a father, children – sometimes more than two – and even elders that called grandmother and grandfather. Citizens were allowed to choose who they wanted to mate and develop family units with. This all changed when the government wanted everything and everyone to be the same. They wanted sameness, equality, and they wanted to govern everything we did in our everyday existences. This is what we've all come to know as normal. I consider this to be abnormal. We citizens should be able to determine our own decisions. We should be able to think on our own and have different opinions. We should be our own person." The Giver preached to the stunned residents of the community.
"To control the memories, all you have to accomplish is to compartmentalize the memories into contrasting sections. Label the sections happiness, sadness, hunger, greed, nefarious, and alternative sections. This will aid you in controlling these memories." He finished his speech to the bewildered stillness of the horde.
A week after The Giver's insightful speech to the population of the community, The Giver – formally known as Carl Nelson – was released on the thirteenth of September.
A/N: Carl Nelson was an old man that Lois Lowry (author of The Giver) met and was the inspiration for The Giver and his picture is on the cover of the book. Hope you guys liked it