Chapter 24- The Box

The Giver stood on the stage overlooking the audience and began. This would be last time they would ever say Jonas's name again. He looked up at the audience, with eyes full of tears, but no eyes matched his. "Jonas" The Giver whispered and town repeated the word back to him, empty of emotion. An uncomfortable silence filled the auditorium for a brief moment.

The Giver hesitantly started to speak, "My job is to hold the memories of the past, and keep them safe and controlled. But these memories have told me something else, that at first I did not hear. The memories have told me that they must not be kept with one person, but everyone should have the privilege to have them to cling to and to consult at anytime. That is not only what they have whispered in my ear. I have learned that release, yes release, is not the way death should happen!"

But before the Giver could continue the speakers in the auditorium blared with the message: Please exit the public auditorium and evacuate to your homes at once. Thank you.

The speaker of the message had said it so calm, that there was no disorder as the citizens exited the multipurpose area.

The Giver watched everyone leave with mixed emotions. How wrong this was! How happy he was to have Jonas gone from this horrible Sameness! But he was also worried too. Where was he? Were Gabriel, his very young companion, and he safe? Or even alive?By the time the Giver reached his shelter, his worries had subsided, though his thoughts about Jonas never ceased.

As the Giver entered his hut he found Chief Elder standing in the center of the room.

"Abraham," Chief Elder said as cool as ice," Excellent job at the Ceremony of Loss today. But I think we could have done without your closing statement." Her voice was calm as she continued to speak, "The punishment for not following the rules of your job as the Holder of Memories is very-" she pause to think of the right way to put it, "unfortunate towards the community. Tomorrow the other Elders and I shall come to get you. You will be brought to the place of release. What to do with the memories shall be decided then."

While she was speaking, Abraham hadn't shown any emotion even though, he could have. The Chief Elder turned and walked out of the door. That was it. Tomorrow he was going to be put to death. The Giver wasn't going to give in, not to something so wrong.

Later that evening after the lights had gone out, the curfew had come, and everyone in the community was sound asleep; the Giver set out to put his plan in to action: Put the memories into a box.

Lily was still awake. She was supposed to be sleeping and she knew that for a fact. But she kept wondering where Jonas was at. Was he safe? Where was Gabe? With Jonas or released? What was that, which the Giver, now Abraham, had said today? So many questions filled her mind; sleep wasn't even a thought them.

Lily dozed off, then woke up again, wondered some more, and fell back asleep. By morning she had only half her needed sleep. And this morning had come with a surprise.

Across the village another girl laid wide wake waiting for dawn. She could not sleep, either. And Fiona too, just like Lily was in for an interesting day.

The Chief Elder woke up, stretched, and was on her way to go put on a fresh tunic, when she found a box on the floor, labeled with the words: Lily's Box. The Chief Elder looked at the box one more time grabbed it, and hastened outside, totally forgetting to break her fast and take her pill.

Outside Abraham's shelter, a group of people gathered knocking loudly on the exterior door, and eventually the whole exterior of the house. The group kept on doing this, until finally they decided to enter on their own.

The Elders, the only ones awake at this hour in the mourning, were entering Abraham's hut to fetch him for release. But what they found inside was an old man who death had taken him peacefully, with a smile of happiness spread across his face. No one in the room spoke a single word because everyone was in a state of complete shock.

It was still fairly early in the morning; darkness had not left too long ago. Early enough that when the Community was called to the auditorium immediately, everyone who wasn't an Elder was still in their sleeping clothes, hungry and had forgotten to take their pills.

This time around, the successor of the Chief Elder spoke, "Abraham has gone, he is no longer alive. A Ceremony of Loss will not be performed, no questions asked."

The Community was secretly alarmed, but everyone thought that the Elders knew best, so there was no need to start even thinking about asking questions. Now the official head Elder spoke up, "I have been given a box by someone, who will remain anonymous. This box has the words Lily's Box inscribed on it. The Committee and I have decided that it should be open, but Lily, herself, is too young to open it, because of the dangers it might contain. Tomorrow the Committee will announce their decision regarding the box. Now you may return to a normal day."

During this whole speech Lily was shocked; it had her name on it! Her's! Maybe it was from Jonas, who would know? She wanted to see what was inside of it! Fiona, too, wanted to know what was in the box! It could be anything! A letter, clothes, a note, something for the old… Someone had to open it the box and it would be her!

Fiona eyed the box as everyone one exited. Now was her chance to open the box! She turned in a causal manner and walked over to the box and opened it…

The waves came fast. Memories of pain spread throughout, memories of disease, of hate, war, violence, loss, envy…

Though the flood horrible memories, came a young girl's voice that yell, "Close the box!" Fiona did just that. The waves of pain and so much more stopped. All eyes looked at Fiona with a look of disgust on their faces.

Before much blaming, and hate could began, Lily walked right over to Fiona picked up the box, and put it to her ear. "There is something left, but it's not a bad thing… it's called… music. Music is full of happiness, and, joy, and love, and hope… Music is all that's left."

So Lily turned to the people and opened the box to release the last bit that was left. And at that moment the people received music and rejoiced. There was something left that would help them survive though hard times. So the people stood outside and sang. From far away anyone could hear the echoes of the people clinging to hope.