Final Chapter

...But perhaps it was only an echo. Jonas looked forward once again, now, the snow ripped across his face harder and he could barely see. He clutched Gabe closer to him as he sped forward, trying desperately to keep him warm. As he approached the end of the hill he saw the lights once more, but they were dimmer, they were... Lesser. Jonas fought to keep his eyes open, he tried so hard to stay conscious. But he felt so tired, like he had gone down too many snow hills, all he wanted to do was sleep.

The sled stopped and Jonas slowly crawled off. His fingers stung as his hand hit the frozen earth. He inched forward on his knees and one hand, the other held Gabriel tightly to his chest. But he couldn't take it anymore, he fell to the ground and laid his head in the soft snow. He took a deep breath and immediately regretted it, the cold wrapped itself around his lungs and squeezed the air out before it could even go through his system. He started to cry, which was also a mistake because the short intakes of breath left him hyperventilating and soon, he had no breath at all. Swirls of stormy snow clouded his vision and became a blur of black and white. And for one fleeting moment, he thought that he was back at his dwelling. Back with no color. He gasped and his lungs coulden't take it. He looked down at Gabriel and saw that the baby was already unconscious. His eyes fluttered shut and Jonas fell into a coma.

He woke to the sound of Gabriel crying. He looked over and saw him lying in a white crib with soft yellow blankets. The room he was in was small. The walls were painted a bright, but subtle pink and the ceiling was white with soft swirling patterns. It soothed him and he figured it must be a room for a small child. The carpet was also white, but with specks of pale blue and green in it and the door was the color of the walls only a bit lighter. Jonas sat up in the bed he was in and then laid back down due to the dizziness and nausea he was currently experiencing.

'Hello, Jonas.' Came the voice of the Giver from the doorway. Jonas shot his gaze over to the door only to see the Giver standing there. He was shocked, and confused. Really, there was no word for what Jonas was feeling at that moment.

'Giver?' he asked weakly.

'Yes Jonas.' He replied then came into the room and picked up Gabriel and started to rock him back and forth. Gabe soon settled down and fell asleep. 'You gave us quite a scare Jonas, I was afraid you might not wake up.' The Giver said slowly as he set the baby down in his crib.

'Who's 'us' Giver?' Jonas asked as the Giver sat down on the edge of his bed.

'Our family, and no need to call me that now Jonas.' He said in his old raspy voice, and Jonas was glad to hear that voice again.

'Then what do I call you?' He asked smiling at his mentor.

'Shhh Jonas, close your eyes my boy. You may call me Grandpa.'

And with that, Jonas drifted into a peaceful sleep.

With time, Jonas and Gabriel became strong again. They lived together, the three of them, in that house. Jonas liked the neighborhood they lived in. There were lots of children there that were his age and he got along with them very well. He and his best friend Matthew always found something to do, whether it be riding their bikes down the big hill, or exploring the forest. Jonas even met a girl he really liked, named Sarah. She was a beautiful young lady who Jonas just adored. And he even got to watch as Gabriel grew up and went to school and made friends and got into trouble. He got to have Christmas, and go caroling with his friends. He got to paint, and sing, and dance! But most important of all, he got to have his own children, and grandchildren, and to tell them the stories of his past, and back and back and back, was the most incredible feeling he had ever experienced. And every year, until the day he left this world, Jonas went tobogganing. And as he rushed down the hill he remembered just how lucky he was.