Here is my essay for The Giver, misspellings and all.
The Giver: Epilogue
The dream was vivid, but not the usual, "vivid". It was not the feeling of the wisps of memories that still lingered in Jonas' mind, or the remembrance of the twin dying at the hands of his supposed "Father". It was a semi-good dream and he could still remember it as he was coming on the border of consciousness. The snow, the sled, the music, he stopped there. The music was a sweet treat to his ears when he first heard it. The tone and rhythm was soft and slow paced. A rich scent that it held, thick with its foreign regal beat. It was intoxicating how the music held you there and had you hypnotized. It made you want to burst out with a voice to add to the lull rhythm.
Jonas felt warmth take over his body as he kept thinking about the music. His mind began to sing the first part of the song.
"Said the night wind to the little lamb," it began with a soft murmur of an instrument called a xylophone, in the background, its humming curling around his empty conscious. "Do you see what I see, way up in the sky little lamb, do you see what I see… a star, a star, dancing in the night," the song began a crescendo in volume with a bass filling a new sound into the emptiness. "With a tail as big as a kite, with a tail as big as a kite," the song had just begun to lift off into a slow, cheery beat. The softness still hid in the background where it held to give an impact to the listener. Soon the song was once again continuing. "Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy, do you hear what I hear," Jonas' mind flashed with dazzling colors of sapphire blue and twinkling stars of silver. The colors began to shift into a scene like any other. The song came to life in his mind as every verse was sung; he was feeding off the beauty. "Ringing through the sky shepherd boy, do you hear what I hear… a song, a song, high above the trees, with a voice as big as the sea, with a voice as big as the sea," soon he saw trees , their tops rising high above the ground and a voice loud and clear echoing through the world of his conscious. "Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king, do you know what I know." Jonas felt tugging on his physical being, and began to panic as the song withdrew from him and disappeared away into the darkness. He longed for it to come back but now he was rising to the surface, flying through light and arriving in an awakening that made his body jump.
Jonas shivered as his skin met the heavy cold air in his room, yet he also was shivering for another reason. He had remembered the song that he had been wishing to hear for so long. The only time he could hear it or even remember it was in a rare dream about it. The song would always end before it actually finished, which frustrated Jonas. He shivered once again and swung his legs off the bed. He felt a cramp in his knees and his hamstrings. His left leg stretched to the green colored wall. He heard a small pop and went to pop the other.
A sharp knock hit his front door in the other room. Sighing he hesitated to lift his aching body from the comfy bed. The cold floor met his feet and he began to trek to his living room. Another sharp knock hit his door. "Coming," his voice croaked. Briskly entering his living room, a series of sharp knocks bombarded his front door. "Coming," he said louder and fiercer. "Hurry it, Jonas!" a voice screamed from the other side of the door. Jonas rolled his eyes at the voice that he knew so well.
He reached the polished oak door and began to unlock the brass lock. It clicked and the door crashed into Jonas knocking him to the hardwood floor. "Hey!" He glared at the girl standing in front of him with her thick curls of light brown hair and her chocolate colored eyes. "Oh, don't give me grief again. You deserved that, you have to admit." Jonas kept his piercing blue eyes on her, reading her. "Why."
"Why what?" she asked her eyes sparked knowing full well what Jonas meant. "Fine, I will tell. So yesterday you said you were going to town hall later in the evening and I planned a surprise for you and you were a no show. So, I got angry and smashed the cake into a window, and got deeply scolded, but not in a felony kind of way. Anyways, it was your birthday and I wanted to surprise you."
Jonas was caught off guard and became aggravated with himself for forgetting his promise to himself, the day he was found with Gabriel lost in the snow. He had promised that he would remember his age and his birthday. He didn't remember his birthday which angered him. Of course, he did remember his age which was eighteen and he was on becoming a nineteen year old. He did this because he didn't want to become what his old community was: cold. They had become simply cold or bitter in remembering things. Deaths, ages, birthdays, holidays, their parents, are never remembered or grieved, it was completely, outright bitter.
"But, my birthday is tomorrow. It wasn't yesterday," he realized. "I know that's why it was a surprise," she retorted in a matter-of-fact way. Jonas nodded slowly and began to stand. "Is that the only reason you came?" He asked in pure curiosity, not intrusive. "No, I also have to deliver your work for today since you want to work from home." Jonas once again nodded and took the thin file from her outstretched hand holding it. "Thank you," he announced after an awkward silence and showed her to the door. "Are you going to the Festival tomorrow?" she asked before leaving. "Of course, I haven't missed one since I got here."
She then skipped outside off his porch and into the fluffy piles of snow that covered every inch of everywhere. Jonas chuckled to himself. Closing the door he walked into his cramped kitchen and threw his file onto the dining table. He sat down and looked into the file.
Urgent conference needed. Wise Elder-in-training please look over the preceding documents and think thoroughly about which action to take, needed after the Festival of Music and Christmas. ~ The Elders of Judah.
Jonas sighed and began to scan through the long documents.
"Jonas!" Jonas turned to see seven year old Gabriel running up to him. "Gabe!" he yelled back to the joyful looking Gabe. "Where are your guardians?" he asked Gabriel as Gabriel skidded to a stop in front of him. "Up around the bend," Gabriel joked jabbing his thumb behind him. "Well I would like to say hello to Anna and Demetrius," Jonas told Gabriel as Gabriel stared up in glee at Jonas. "They said they catch up later. I wanted to ride some rides before the music begins and they said to come find you, so me and you could have some time together." Gabe smiled and awaited Jonas' answer. Jonas cracked a grin and said, "Of course, ole' Gabe, but we have to wait for Esther, she came crashing through my door yesterday yelling at me, so I owe it to her." Gabriel nodded understandingly.
Jonas and Gabriel stood on the cobblestone road and waited for Esther. Jonas said his hellos to many passersby that knew him. Snow was falling and the cold tickled Jonas' nose. The stars were out with their complex constellations, and the moon was full and its light cascaded down on the community of Judah.
The forest that surrounded the community was full of nocturnal activity, as Jonas saw glowing peer of the oblivious darkness, or an owl swooping into the moon's light then back into darkness. Jonas had always wondered what the forest held. It was always lush and bountiful in the summer, full of living colors, but then in the winter the dark side of the forest came out. It was a natural wonder and terror. Jonas had always been fascinated of the forest and it enthralling beauty. Never, though would he travel into such dangerous place. It beheld unknowns that even he, wouldn't face, yet still he admired it from afar, never to go near it.
"Jonas," Gabriel said to him, tugging on his clothing, and pointing out to the end of the road. The end of the road, through the frozen haze, came a silhouette of a person. It trudged through the snow covered street quickly and would be at Jonas' location in mere seconds. "Must be her," Jonas said, remembering that the last person that showed up to Elsewhere was three days ago. It was of course the brown curls and chocolate colored eyes girl who was trotting to their stationary position.
"Jonas!" she seemed to barely get out. "An Arriver! Find Rebecca and Remiel, they need to get to him fast! He's at the place you were found!" Rooted on the spot, Jonas couldn't believe that another Arriver came in such a short amount of time. It wasn't possible unless the rumors were true. "Jonas!" Jonas was awakened from his thinking, and said to Gabriel, "Let's go find the Greeters." Gabriel shot behind Jonas, bolting down the street yelling their names. Jonas ran after him, also calling their names.
Jonas entered the Festival and was surrounded by dazzling red and green lights, which were then backed up with a dark sea blue of illumination. Stalls were on both sides of the street, trading foods for jewelry, or jewelry for food. A huge fir stood in the central plaza decorated with various ornaments of different shapes and colors. Strands of amber colored decorating ribbon laced around the tree in waves that had were very curved up or downward.
Jonas ran past people, shoving them aside disrespectfully, but he apologized quickly or breathed an "excuse me". He called for Rebecca and Remiel, and when people caught on, they too, called for Rebecca and Remiel. Their name became a chorus in the whole community as everyone was calling for them.
Soon Jonas had found them, Gabriel with them. They nodded as they knew what had happened at the rapidly talking Gabriel. Jonas came up to them and they greeted him before asking, "Where is the Arriver." "Where you found me," Jonas replied, thinking of the day he was found. "Alright," said Rebecca, "we will go and retrieve the new one. Who found the Arriver?" "Esther." They nodded and began to run to the place where Jonas told. Everyone was silent until they knew that the Greeters were on their way to greet and retrieve the Arriver. Then, a tremor of voices broke out.
Everyone began to whisper or quietly talk about the rumor that clouded everyone's mind. Even Jonas wanted to gossip about it, but kept his mouth sealed. After a few minutes of everyone staying in one spot, the people began to dissolve out of their groups and back to trading, gossiping, or riding rides.
"Jonas," a voice said behind him. He turned to face Esther and Gabriel. Her expression was sad. "The concert will start in a few minutes." Jonas sighed and asked, "Are you okay?" "Yeah I guess," she said, looking down. "Except the boy looked like he was so, ill, and I fear for him." Jonas agreed internally with her. He would feel scared for the boy too, just like when he feared for Gabriel.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, please quiet down as the Music will begin shortly. If you wish to listen please go to the stage in front of the tree," the Elder Speaker Rosemary announced. Esther began to move to the stage and Gabriel and Jonas began to follow.
The stage was decorated with deep and shining colors of blue, red, green, and gold. A choir stood on stands and the band began to play an introductory on the xylophone. Jonas recognized the beat and had once again warmth took over his body.
The choir began in its slow paced singing. "Said the night wind to the little lamb, do you see what I see, way up in the sky little lamb do you see what I see." Jonas was taken over by the song, swaying with the lyrics. "A star, a star, dancing in the night, with a tail as big as a kite, with a tail as big as a kite… said the little lamb to the shepherd boy, do you hear what I hear? Ringing through the sky shepherd boy, do you hear what I hear, a song, a song, high above the tree, with a voice as big as the sea, with a voice as big as the sea." Jonas mind flashed with the same scene as his dream. " Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king, do you know what I know, in your palace wall mighty king, do you know what I know," Jonas came back from his reality, when people gasped when a boy came carried by Remiel. He was as ill as the oldest person in the crowd. "A child, a child, shivers in the cold, let us bring him silver and gold, let us bring him silver and gold." The voices began to lift off higher than space and took over the whole crowd with a crescendo and the slow paced left and Jonas saw the boy stir as each word was sung. " Said the king to the people everywhere, listen to what I say, pray for peace people everywhere, listen to what I say, the child, the child, sleeping in the night, he will bring us goodness and light, he will bring us goodness and light." The boy began to drop to the ground as the song was finishing with the strong voices singing. "The child, the child, sleeping in the night, he will bring us goodness and light."
Jonas could remember the face of the boy. It was so familiar like he seen it so many times before. The eyes, were what struck him the most, they were like his and Gabriel's. Then it hit him. From a faraway place, from the shadows cam the realization that, that face would be the start of the revolution and Jonas, across emptiness called out to him. The Hearing Beyond, the memories, flooded into Jonas. "Giver!"
The boy turned to look at Jonas, and smiled.