Finally the bottom of the hill came. He was there. Jonas was Elsewhere. Everything around him seemed a blur of happiness. Jonas felt affectionate arms around him, holding him close. He could feel Gabriel being pulled from his protective grasp, but found himself not caring. He trusted them. Sweet melodious music was singing in his ears. He could hear people laughing and singing joyfully, swarming in crowds around him. Then everything went into a warm, blissful darkness; the comfort engulfing him.
When Jonas woke he found himself in a bed. The bed was soft and warm with luxurious furs. He had snuggled himself deep into its soft layers. He pulled the covers back to take a look at his surroundings. Gabe lay beside him sleeping passively.
The room they were in was large and beautifully decorated. The walls were painted with a deep, warm crimson. The carpet looked supple and soft. There was a heavy wooden door at one end of the room. The door was intricately decorated with carvings of forest. There was a window across the room. Outside the sky was a bright and brilliant blue. He could hear birds twittering their lullaby songs as they fluttered from branch to branch. It all seemed so peaceful, so comforting.
Jonas suddenly realized Gabe was clean. Gabe's hair was no longer matted with dirt and grease. His skin was smooth and pink, unblemished with the crusted filth that had covered them both from the long journey of the days before. He ran his hand through his own hair to find that it was silky and unsoiled as well.
Jonas was startled when there was a knock at the door. "May I come in?" a muffled voice said from behind the thick door. Though it was in an unfamiliar language Jonas could still understand it. He recognized the singsong language from a memory the Giver had given him. He could comprehend it, but unfortunately wasn't sure how to respond.
"Yes, you may." He finally decided to just use the language he knew, hoping they would understand from at least his tone.
The door creaked slowly open. A woman peaked in, around the heavy door before entering completely. She was short with long dark hair, but that wasn't the first thing Jonas noticed about her. It was her eyes. They were dark, so dark that Jonas couldn't tell what color they were. They seemed the opposite of his pale, light eyes. She bowed modestly. "I see you're finally awake, Leader."
Jonas looked at her in surprise. "Leader?" he asked with a slight look of dismay crossing his face. 'Why would she call me Leader?' he wondered silently to himself, 'Doesn't that word mean master?'
He sat there on the soft bed in thought. 'No, master is a different word. A leader is like a coordinator in a team. A master is like a ruler, or a dictator.'
"I will send for your breakfast." The woman smiled warmly and bowed again, then left the room.
'Breakfast…' Jonas thought to himself. He hadn't noticed how hungry he was. His stomach churned in anticipation of nourishment.
He could feel Gabe rustling beside him. He looked to the side. Gabe was looking around the room in awe. He scooted closer to Jonas. Jonas wrapped an arm comfortingly around Gabe.
Suddenly the large door opened again. The dark eyed woman walked in, this time followed by more people carrying trays of food. Jonas could smell the warm aroma wafting from the trays as they set them on a table under the window. All of the people had dark eyes like the woman's.
All, but the woman, hurried out of the room. "Enjoy your meal," She said bowing once again as she backed out of the door.
"Food, Gabe." Jonas whispered as he slowly got out of the warm bed. Gabe followed him, clinging to his arm. He walked over to the table and looked down at the trays of unfamiliar food. There were bowls of strange fruits and plates of odd looking dishes.
Jonas picked up one of the fruits, one that looked like a pale green apple and cautiously bit into it. It tasted like an apple as well. He passed one to Gabe. Gabe bit into the apple graciously, slurping at the juice that dripped from it. Jonas picked at berries and nuts that looked familiar from when they were traveling; handing what he thought was good to Gabe. Finally he decided to try one of the dishes. He picked one that was flat and bready with gooey berries piled on the top. It tasted delicious but he couldn't convince, Gabe to eat anything but fruit and berries.
At last their stomachs were full; pleasantly full of food and nourishment. Jonas sat on one of the plush, velvet chairs that surrounded the table while Gabe took a seat on the soft carpet, stretching his legs.
A knock came at the door. "May I come in?" Jonas recognized the voice as the woman's.
"Come in." Jonas decided to try the language she was speaking. Merely repeating the last two words she had said. He wondered if he had pronounced them wrong, but the woman seemed to understand and entered the room.
"Did you enjoy your breakfast, Leader?" She asked, speaking slowly.
Jonas thought a minute before responding. "Enjoy…" he said, not sure if she would understand what he was trying to say.
"You mean, 'Yes, I enjoyed my breakfast.'" She said cheerfully, but slowly enough that Jonas could comprehend and understand the pronunciation of every syllable.
"Yes, I enjoyed my breakfast." Jonas repeated bashfully.
Jonas looked at her and furrowed his eyebrows in thought, 'How can I ask her why she calls me Leader?'
"Is there something the matter, Leader?" She asked concernedly.
"Leader…" Jonas repeated softly.
The woman looked at him confusedly. "Leader…" she repeated. "It's what we call you."
"Why?" He asked in his own language.
The woman's eyes brightened in understanding. "We call you Leader because you were the one that came on a red sled. You were the one that the Giver spoke of."
"The Giver!" Jonas exclaimed in surprise. 'They know the Giver!' he thought to himself.
The woman smiled. "The Giver said you would come and lead us." She explained. "Follow me and he will tell you!"
"He?" Jonas asked but followed the woman out the door. Gabe followed close behind.
Outside of the room they seemed to walk out on to the top of a loft. It was open with no walls guarding it from the rest of the building below. They went down some steep spiral stairs to the landing. The woman led them down a corridor.
Finally they stopped in front of a heavy wooden door, much like the one to the room they were just in. It had intricate carvings, but a wide river, not a forest like the other door.
The woman knocked lightly on the door. "May I come in?" She asked softly.
From behind the door they heard a rough voice say, "You may come in."
The woman responded by opening the door a crack and peaking in before entering completely. She bowed and moved to the side so that Jonas and Gabe could come in too. Jonas didn't move at first, but merely looked in awe at the man that lay in bed before them.
He was old, much older than anyone Jonas had seen before; even older than the Giver was. Not only was he extremely old but he also seemed to be tired and sickly as well. And, Jonas realized, he had pale eyes, eyes that looked like his own.
When Jonas woke he found himself in a bed. The bed was soft and warm with luxurious furs. He had snuggled himself deep into its soft layers. He pulled the covers back to take a look at his surroundings. Gabe lay beside him sleeping passively.
The room they were in was large and beautifully decorated. The walls were painted with a deep, warm crimson. The carpet looked supple and soft. There was a heavy wooden door at one end of the room. The door was intricately decorated with carvings of forest. There was a window across the room. Outside the sky was a bright and brilliant blue. He could hear birds twittering their lullaby songs as they fluttered from branch to branch. It all seemed so peaceful, so comforting.
Jonas suddenly realized Gabe was clean. Gabe's hair was no longer matted with dirt and grease. His skin was smooth and pink, unblemished with the crusted filth that had covered them both from the long journey of the days before. He ran his hand through his own hair to find that it was silky and unsoiled as well.
Jonas was startled when there was a knock at the door. "May I come in?" a muffled voice said from behind the thick door. Though it was in an unfamiliar language Jonas could still understand it. He recognized the singsong language from a memory the Giver had given him. He could comprehend it, but unfortunately wasn't sure how to respond.
"Yes, you may." He finally decided to just use the language he knew, hoping they would understand from at least his tone.
The door creaked slowly open. A woman peaked in, around the heavy door before entering completely. She was short with long dark hair, but that wasn't the first thing Jonas noticed about her. It was her eyes. They were dark, so dark that Jonas couldn't tell what color they were. They seemed the opposite of his pale, light eyes. She bowed modestly. "I see you're finally awake, Leader."
Jonas looked at her in surprise. "Leader?" he asked with a slight look of dismay crossing his face. 'Why would she call me Leader?' he wondered silently to himself, 'Doesn't that word mean master?'
He sat there on the soft bed in thought. 'No, master is a different word. A leader is like a coordinator in a team. A master is like a ruler, or a dictator.'
"I will send for your breakfast." The woman smiled warmly and bowed again, then left the room.
'Breakfast…' Jonas thought to himself. He hadn't noticed how hungry he was. His stomach churned in anticipation of nourishment.
He could feel Gabe rustling beside him. He looked to the side. Gabe was looking around the room in awe. He scooted closer to Jonas. Jonas wrapped an arm comfortingly around Gabe.
Suddenly the large door opened again. The dark eyed woman walked in, this time followed by more people carrying trays of food. Jonas could smell the warm aroma wafting from the trays as they set them on a table under the window. All of the people had dark eyes like the woman's.
All, but the woman, hurried out of the room. "Enjoy your meal," She said bowing once again as she backed out of the door.
"Food, Gabe." Jonas whispered as he slowly got out of the warm bed. Gabe followed him, clinging to his arm. He walked over to the table and looked down at the trays of unfamiliar food. There were bowls of strange fruits and plates of odd looking dishes.
Jonas picked up one of the fruits, one that looked like a pale green apple and cautiously bit into it. It tasted like an apple as well. He passed one to Gabe. Gabe bit into the apple graciously, slurping at the juice that dripped from it. Jonas picked at berries and nuts that looked familiar from when they were traveling; handing what he thought was good to Gabe. Finally he decided to try one of the dishes. He picked one that was flat and bready with gooey berries piled on the top. It tasted delicious but he couldn't convince, Gabe to eat anything but fruit and berries.
At last their stomachs were full; pleasantly full of food and nourishment. Jonas sat on one of the plush, velvet chairs that surrounded the table while Gabe took a seat on the soft carpet, stretching his legs.
A knock came at the door. "May I come in?" Jonas recognized the voice as the woman's.
"Come in." Jonas decided to try the language she was speaking. Merely repeating the last two words she had said. He wondered if he had pronounced them wrong, but the woman seemed to understand and entered the room.
"Did you enjoy your breakfast, Leader?" She asked, speaking slowly.
Jonas thought a minute before responding. "Enjoy…" he said, not sure if she would understand what he was trying to say.
"You mean, 'Yes, I enjoyed my breakfast.'" She said cheerfully, but slowly enough that Jonas could comprehend and understand the pronunciation of every syllable.
"Yes, I enjoyed my breakfast." Jonas repeated bashfully.
Jonas looked at her and furrowed his eyebrows in thought, 'How can I ask her why she calls me Leader?'
"Is there something the matter, Leader?" She asked concernedly.
"Leader…" Jonas repeated softly.
The woman looked at him confusedly. "Leader…" she repeated. "It's what we call you."
"Why?" He asked in his own language.
The woman's eyes brightened in understanding. "We call you Leader because you were the one that came on a red sled. You were the one that the Giver spoke of."
"The Giver!" Jonas exclaimed in surprise. 'They know the Giver!' he thought to himself.
The woman smiled. "The Giver said you would come and lead us." She explained. "Follow me and he will tell you!"
"He?" Jonas asked but followed the woman out the door. Gabe followed close behind.
Outside of the room they seemed to walk out on to the top of a loft. It was open with no walls guarding it from the rest of the building below. They went down some steep spiral stairs to the landing. The woman led them down a corridor.
Finally they stopped in front of a heavy wooden door, much like the one to the room they were just in. It had intricate carvings, but a wide river, not a forest like the other door.
The woman knocked lightly on the door. "May I come in?" She asked softly.
From behind the door they heard a rough voice say, "You may come in."
The woman responded by opening the door a crack and peaking in before entering completely. She bowed and moved to the side so that Jonas and Gabe could come in too. Jonas didn't move at first, but merely looked in awe at the man that lay in bed before them.
He was old, much older than anyone Jonas had seen before; even older than the Giver was. Not only was he extremely old but he also seemed to be tired and sickly as well. And, Jonas realized, he had pale eyes, eyes that looked like his own.