Jonas opened his eyes groggily. He saw grey. The color grey. But it was different, it wasn't like his eyes were closed or anything. He appeared to be looking up at a ceiling. He seemed to be lying on a bed. Jonas tried to sit up, but it was far too painful. He turned his head, and saw rows and rows of many beds just like his, flat, and white. He couldn't quite tell if there were other people on them, but it looked like there was a little child sleeping on the last bed. He looked around as much as his limited mobility would allow him to. He noticed cabinets. Lots of them. They were grey as well, but a darker shade. He spotted a few tables scattered throughout the room. So he put these things together, and formed the assumption that he was in a grey room that looked a little like a hospital. Then Jonas thought grey would be improper to use in such a term, because the grey in the room was not depressing, nor shady. It was rather—well, what was the word?—inviting. That's what it was, he decided, the grey was inviting. As dark as the room seemed to be, it was still homey, just like a hospital should feel, he decided through the experiences of his memories. Suddenly, exhaustion washed over his limp body, and caused his eyes shut, allowing him to drift off into a peaceful sleep.
When he woke up this time, he saw a pair of beautiful, round, blue eyes. Jonas jumped, startled. Amazingly, his body didn't hurt as much, and did not feel limp. He sat up, and noticed that the beautiful blue eyes belonged to a girl. A rather pretty one, to be honest, he thought to himself. Her blonde locks fell down onto her shoulder, and her fair skin and smile left him less frightened, and he dared to approach her. Forgetting what was going on, he concentrated on the girl. Jonas recognized her. His foggy mind couldn't determine exactly who she was, but he knew that she was important, that he might have once known her.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know who in the world you are, or what I'm doing here," he said, staring straight into her beautiful eyes. She smiled warmly, and suddenly he felt as if she was his sister, someone he loved.
"I know this is very confusing to you Jonas, but please, lie down and make yourself comfortable. I will explain everything."
He was puzzled. What would seem confusing? Was there something wrong? Everything seemed to be perfect in this cozy little room.
"Um, is there something wrong? I don't understand. And before you start, I would like to know your name—and also, how you know mine," Jonas asked, anxious to find out who this girl was and how she knew him.
She sighed. Her blue eyes lost some of its color as her beautiful smile turned into a frown. "Alright, I'll start with how I know you. You see, I watch you. You don't see me, but at all moments, I see you, and my father. Everything you do and everywhere you go, I'll be watching you."
This came as a complete shock to Jonas. He froze. She watched him? He didn't understand. Did she know what went through his mind? If she did, would she knew what he was thinking right now? Was she real? Or was Jonas dreaming all of this? What was going on? He needed to know, to know everything. He needed to know everything right now.
"What's going on? Where am I? What did you do to me? What are you doing to me now? Tell me right now!! I need to know! I need to know!" he screamed at her. His messed up hair made him look even more of a freak than he felt. He was crazy—crazy for answers.
"Jonas, please don't yell at me. I haven't done anything wrong. I am trying to tell you!" The girl frowned and yet Jonas still did not pity her at all.
"Where am I? Tell me what's going on!! Tell me, tell me!!"
"Jonas," the girl said softly staring him in the face. "You're dead."
"WHAT??!?!?!?!?" What was she talking about? He was alive! Right here! Right in this grey room, breathing. No wait, he thought. He looked down at his chest, and did not see the usually lifting up and down. He tried to breath, but realized he wasn't.
"YOU KILLED ME!!! YOU EVIL WITCH YOU KILLED ME!!!!" he bellowed at her. "IS THIS YOUR TRAP?!?!?! FOOL EVERYONE WITH YOUR GOOD LOOKS AND THEN KILL THEM IN THEIR SLEEP??!?!!? HUH?!?!? ANSWER ME!!!"
A tear leaked out of the beautiful girl's eyes, and fell down her so perfect cheek. "Jonas, I did not kill you," she responded very softly, compared to his yelling. "You were dead. I just came to the Receiving Room to explain everything that has happened. But I guess we got to the point a little sooner than I expected." She stopped crying, but her eyes still showed how hurt she was. "I will tell you everything, but please try as hard as you can not to interrupt. I know it's difficult, I was just like this when I first came here."
"So you're dead too???" Jonas inquired, absolutely blown away by this statement.
"Yes, I am dead, and I've been dead for a long time. But I chose to die. I chose to escape the pain and suffering the only way I knew. My name is Rosemary."
His jaw dropped. Jonas stood there like an idiot, gaping at her. Rosemary—he knew her. The Giver's daughter!! So he really was dead!! He felt as if he were about to faint at any moment. He felt numb, and utterly shocked. He didn't know what to say, or do. He was simply shocked.
At the point, all of the memories flooded back to him. His own, and those of others', given to him by The Giver. He felt the pain. He felt the horror. All over again. He gasped for air, as he remembered an excruciating memory of drowning, and clutched his pillow so tightly, he ripped it. He screamed in agony, probably louder than he had screamed in his whole entire life.
"Help me, Rosemary, help me," he gasped in agony. Now he was experiencing betrayal. Then shootings. Then fires, terrible fires. Then anger, leading to harsh actions and extreme guilt. He couldn't bear it.
"Rosemary, please. Kill me. Take this pain away," Jonas choked.
Rosemary was frantic and did not know what to do. "Jonas, please hold on. I'm trying." Her face was wet with tears, and she was trying desperately to get an idea of how to save Jonas. Suddenly she had an idea. She turned Jonas on his back and ripped his shirt off. She placed her warm hands on his back, and began transmitting a soothing memory of two lovers on a beach, holding hands.
Jonas twitched, and then stopped moving. Gently and carefully, Rosemary turned him back around, and saw that his face wasn't twisted in torment as before, but rather soothed, and asleep. Thanks to Rosemary's quick actions, Jonas was saved. Saved at last. But the memory was so torturously brief, his eyes opened at once, as soon as it was over. Then he screamed, "WHERE'S GABE?!?!?"
Rosemary lifted one shaky finger towards the bed all the way down the row. Jonas jumped out of his bed ignoring the pain that felt like stabbing knives all over his body. He snatched Gabe off of the bed, and held the child closely to him. Then he cried into the child's soft, warm body. Jonas cried like he had never cried before. His tears were cold, and he hated this. He wanted to kill himself and die again, and hopefully go to another place.
"Gabe, why us? Why me? Why did this happen? What did we ever do wrong??" he choked.
Rosemary walked over to where Jonas was, and hugged him. "Jonas, I know this is hard. But please, things will get better, I promise." Rosemary's sincere face made it so easy to believe her, but he knew that promises were constantly broken, and he didn't see how this one would differ.
"I'm not ready to die, I'm not ready to die….." he sobbed.
"It's okay Jonas, it will be."
"No it won't. I want to live again, to walk on an Earth with color, feelings—and love." He stared straight at her eyes, and attempted many futile attempts to stop the tears from falling from his eyes like a waterfall. He had never felt so sad, so melancholic. He wanted this to end.
"Jonas, this will all end very soon," Rosemary said. Jonas looked at her with a puzzled expression. End? How would this just end? Wasn't he dead? Wasn't he here forever?
"I don't understand what you're saying," he said.
"I was also going to get to this part, but interruptions made it difficult. You are going to be sent back to Earth again. And this time, you will be alive," Rosemary said.
"What—Why? I don't understand. Please explain, and I promise not to interrupt.
Rosemary sighed. "This is a little complicated to understand, but try. You see, everyone is put on this world for a purpose, let it be great or small. You're purpose was to change the ways of your community and many communities around you. You were placed on this Earth to rid your hometown of the chains holding it down. The reason you're being sent back is to complete this task. Now, sending people back to the realm of the Living from the realm of the Dead is completely unusual and does not happen under any circumstances. But you didn't finish what you were sent out to do. And this job is one the biggest jobs in all of the world's history. Completing this will not only change your community, but the whole world."
After hearing all of the crazy things earlier, this wasn't quite a shock. But it was interesting. So every person in the world, he thought, is important, whether their importance is small of not. As he placed the sleeping Gabe back into his bed, he pondered the words that Rosemary had spoken. Even after all of the thinking, he still had a few questions left.
"Rosemary, I finished my task. Gabe and I ran away from the community, and the memories were left in the community. So wouldn't they learn? And also, if the memories were left there, how could I re-experience them here?"
"Yes, here is where the problem enters. The memories were left in the community, and the people are experiencing them, but now they blame The Giver for it. And although the memories were left in the community because you left the protected zone, (which is the community boundaries) they are engraved in you. They will always be with you no matter where you go." Rosemary spoke with firmness in her voice, and after making contact Jonas's stare, she looked away.
"But Jonas, you must hurry, or they will kill my father. They will kill him gruesomely. I will show the state the community is in now," her voice quivered, and tears fell down from her eyes.
Rosemary walked over to one of the cabinets, and opened it. She pulled out a round-looking object covered in cloth. She then got down to her knees and opened the parcel on her lap. Inside was a round ball made completely out of glass. There were colors floating around inside of the round ball, and lots of blurry images were in place as well.
"Jonas, look into the Orb," she said, gravely.
Jonas obeyed, and looked into the Orb. He saw familiar faces. It was his community, except something was wrong. The faces of his friends and family were yelling in anguish. The community was no longer a place of Sameness and routine, but now a place with the wrong colors on the wrong objects, and people suffering and dying. Then he looked further East in the Orb, and saw The Giver, tied to a wooden pole. One man yelled, "You're killing us! You're killing us all!" and the crowd of people surrounding pole all yelled in agreement. "Let's kill him!!" another said. "Yeah let's kill him!" the crowd yelled in agreement once more. Jonas had to go back now.
"Rosemary, I'm going now. Pass me Gabe and we'll both go together." Jonas was now going to take this extremely serious. If he didn't hurry, The Giver would die.
"Jonas you can't Gabe with you. He has to stay." Jonas would've argued this part out, but he didn't have enough time.
"Ok what do I have to do? Hurry up Rosemary!" he exclaimed.
"Close you eyes, and remember a place in the community where you would wish to be sent back to. I would advise you not to transport yourself smack in the middle of that crowd because it would just scare them. Remember, to them, you're dead. I can't help you from there. And also, when you're done with your task, you will be sent back up here, whether you're ready to die or not." She looked at him with sympathizing eyes, and said, "Jonas, this is probably one of the most difficult things a person has to go through. I'm sorry you have to do this, but Gabe and I will be up here waiting." She smiled, and hugged Jonas tight. "Bye Jonas."
"Bye Rosemary," Jonas said tearfully. He shut his eyes, and remembered the annex where he and The Giver trained everyday. Suddenly, he felt himself moving, although he was making no effort. I'm flying, he thought. When he opened his eyes, he was at the Annex.
He had a plan. But first he had to get all of the community to the auditorium. But how? He thought long and hard, until he came up with a solution. He rushed to the speaker box that lay near the bookshelves, and pressed a few buttons, until he had what he wanted. "ALL OF THE COMMUNITY MUST REPORT TO THE AUDOTORIUM IMMEDIATELY. ANY PERSON IN THE COMMUNITY NOT IN THE AUDITORIUM WITHIN THE TIMEFRAME OF 20 MINUTES WILL BE RELEASED WITHOUT ANY QUESITONS ASKED." Jonas spoke deeply so he would sound just like the guy who actually did this as his job. There, he thought to himself, the whole community should be in the auditorium.
He got out of the annex, and walked with all of the community to the auditorium, blending in perfectly with his toga that was identical to all of the others. He kept his head down until they made it to the auditorium.
Instead of sitting down with the others, he stealthily made his way to the stage and hid behind the curtains. He would have to calm down the anxious community.
"MY COMMUNITY!" he bellowed. "PLEASE CALM YOUSELVES DOWN AND I WILL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING."
With that, the community hushed themselves, and he walked onto the stage. Jonas was afraid. He was a scrawny boy standing in front of his whole community, trying to make a difference. The people gasped in shock when they saw him there. The talking began again, and he noticed several women faint at the sight of him. But he continued. He walked until the edge and began to talk.
"I am not dead, as you see, but very much alive. I faked my own death and ran away from the community. I did that so that the memories passed onto me by The Giver would stay in the community and would be accessible to everyone."
More gasps, more talking, and more fainting. He had to make this quick or they would all turn against him.
"I did not mean to hurt anyone," he added quickly. He spotted Asher and Fiona in the crowd, angry at him for putting them through this. "I had to do this. The monotonous ways of our community had to change. I know many of you must not understand, but after you have seen the things that I have, you would also want this community to change."
The community gaped at him like he had gone completely crazy.
"Before you form any opinions about my actions, I would like to share a memory with all of you. I know you have seen many, and probably do not want to see anymore, but this memory is different. This memory is of how the world used to be. I would like to call up 2 of my friends, Asher and Fiona up to the stage."
Obediently, both kids stood up, and came up to the stage.
"Fiona," Jonas said to his friend. "I am going to pass on a memory to you by placing my hands on your back. Please do the same with Asher. When you are down experiencing this memory, concentrate on passing it on to Asher. And Asher," he said turning to his other best friend," please repeat this procedure with a member of the audience. And that member do the same to the person next to them, and on and on and on. And please wake those who might have fainted. Here we go."
the world used to be. He felt it slipping away, like the way it felt when he was passing a memory onto Gabe.
Suddenly, his body felt strange. He looked down, and saw that he was glowing and giving off a silvery shade of color. Jonas felt that familiar sensation as if he was flying, and smiled. He was leaving.
"Gabe," he whispered softly. "Wait for me. And Rosemary—well—I'm ready." And then Jonas shut his eyes one final time.