When Jonas woke up he was alone and starving. He thought back to the time when he had interpreted feeling of mere hunger as starvation. This was true hunger. His stomach felt hollow and painful. He groaned and rolled over, taking in the surroundings. He was lying on a dusty gravel road. Around him was a dark grey fog. Jonas couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him. The fog was uncomfortably hot and seemed to burn his skin. Jonas stood up and tried to process where he was. He thought back to what had most recently happened. He distantly recalled images of snow and cold. There had been incredible cold and… a baby. Gabe! Jonas panicked looking around him. Where was Gabe? And where was he? The last thing that Jonas could remember was the cold making him go numb and all his memories flashing around him. And not just his memories either. Memories going centuries back and back. He remembered dying. And it wasn't someone else's memory either; he had died. This hadn't been in anyone else's memory. This was undocumented territory, although there had been several speculations about what would come after death. Until now, Jonas had believed that nothingness came after death. Up until today. Well, day isn't exactly the right word. It wasn't night time either. Jonas stood up and started walking along the road with no idea about where he was going. He felt himself inhaling puffs of the grey smoke that hung everywhere. The mysterious gas burned his lungs. It wasn't long before he was wheezing with every step he took. Jonas didn't notice the rusty iron gate until he walked into it nose first. The metal was cool to the touch despite the hot air around him. The sharp points of the gate rose into the thing which would have been called a sky in the community, but it was just empty space here. The rusty metal curled outwards in scrolls, forming the shapes of roses. The edges of the gate stretched out beyond the gravel road, seeming to go on infinitely. Jonas wondered what the gate was attached to. A padlock hung from the part where the two gates touched. Jonas removed the padlock with curiosity. This was strange for a number of reasons. One, it was unlocked. Though nothing in the community was locked anyway, he knew from the memories that locks weren't just meant to lie around unlocked. That ruined their entire purpose. Secondly, there was no reason for it to be locked from the outside. Most locks were designed to keep things or people out. But this lock seemed designed to keep people in. That thought made Jonas nervous. He pushed open the gates, which moved without so much as a creak. The gravel road continued past the gates, and Jonas was pretty sure that if he squinted, he could see a building in the distance. It loomed into the air but left no shadow on the ground because of the strange light. Jonas gathered what little energy he had left to stumble towards the building. When he reached it he flung himself inside, barely managing to take in what it looked like. He guessed it was a church and his suspicions were confirmed when he stepped inside. The church wasn't filled with smoke like the outside and Jonas was beyond grateful for it. Looking up Jonas saw a magnificent stain glass window depicting death holding a scythe. It was an odd design idea for a church, he thought. He was alone in the church and it was almost completely dark, save for the dark grey light being shone through several diamond shaped windows along the side of the church. As well as, of course, the light from the picture of death and the monsters and disfigured humans surrounding him. Jonas walked past the rows of seats facing the front. His footsteps echoed oddly, the sound seeming to bounce back from the different walls at random. When he reached the front, he got a closer look at the window. Death was shown as a figure in dark robes holding a scythe. Jonas recognised the image and the scythe from the memories the Giver had given him before running away from the community. They scythe seemed to be made of a slightly different glass to the rest of the window. As he leaned in even closer he realised that it was out of the same grey glass as the rest of death but it was covered in tiny silver words. Squinting, Jonas read the words aloud to himself.
Welcome dead reader, to the land after death
The last alternative to eternal rest
Die inside the death sleep trance
Or throw away your last chance
Jonas's suspicions had been confirmed; he was dead and this was some kind of afterlife. And it seemed that you could stay in this strange afterlife if you were reluctant to fully die and wanted to have a sort of twisted second life. There would be no way to contact anyone who was still alive. The only thing which reassured Jonas is that Gabe was still alive. But for how much longer, he wondered. How long could an underweight baby survive alone in the snow with inadequate clothing and no food? According to his memories and common sense it wasn't long. But Gabe wasn't here now, and for the time being, that was all that mattered. This brought the next concerning issue into Jonas' mind; how to get into this underworld that the window described. But just as he thought this he noticed a door down the back of the room to the left of the door he had entered through. Jonas looked at the door he had come through and was dismayed to see that there were a few wisps of the weird acidic mist coming through. What was the point of that? he thought. Maybe it was to see if whoever came through the gate was physically fit enough to make it to whatever awaited him. Or maybe the creator of this place just liked seeing people suffer. Jonas walked over to the door to the road he had come from and tried to open it. Just as he had feared it was locked. What would ever would make you want to go back outside to that horrible nothingness? Jonas felt a wave of fear wash over him. He walked to the other door, the one which would probably lead to the underworld. It was ironic, he thought, that the entrance to what some people would consider as hell, was a church. The door looked just as old as the door he had entered through, if not older. He brushed the gnarly grey wood with his fingertips. This door had no locks or door knob, only a brass door knocker in the shape of a snarling lion. The knocker hung from its mouth. Jonas regarded it apprehensively. It almost seemed alive, daring him to knock. He hesitantly reached for the knocker and rapped it twice against the door. Just like his footsteps, the noises seemed to echo weirdly. Jonas hastily backed away from the door, scared of what might come through. He jumped as he heard a loud noise behind him before realising that it was just another one of the rooms strange echoes. The door slowly swung inwards making no noise. Jonas was grateful for its silence. He already felt overly conspicuous in this unknown place. He wanted to get a feel for where he was going and who he would be meeting before alerting every one of his presence. Through the door he could see only more mist. This was even thicker than the stuff outside. With an irritated groan Jonas got down onto his knees and started to crawl through the fog, trying to get a feel for what was in front. The ground he knelt on seemed to be the same as the church floor; cold swirling white marble. The fog stopped abruptly and Jonas got to his feet and looked around. The space he had emerged into was a small room with black marble walls and ceiling. A grand chandelier hung from the ceiling, contrasting oddly with the room's otherwise prison like appearance. Directly under the chandelier was Jonas' bed. It was the same as the one he had at home. It was the same bed that everyone in the community had. He found himself all of a sudden getting rather drowsy. The bed looked very inviting with its soft, crisp, clean sheets. Maybe there had been something in the fog which was stopping him from thinking properly, but he couldn't form a clear thought. Jonas realised that he was wearing the same clothes he had been wearing when he had died. He removed his boots, surprised to see them completely clean. But he supposed that snow couldn't die. Come to think of it, why was he wearing any clothes at all? Maybe this place wasn't real at all and he was only imagining it all. If that were the case surely it couldn't hurt to have a little nap, could it? Before he could make up his mind he had already removed his shoes and jacket and was sliding under the covers. The bed felt even more comfortable than his bed at home. He slid into sleep without any struggles. Jonas wasn't aware of how long he slept but sometime after being asleep for a while he entered a dream. He was aware immediately that it was a dream. For a start, he was flying. Not like the way pilots flew. There was nothing holding him up, there was just nothing dragging him down either. He was flying among clouds. Jonas felt an indescribable feeling emerging inside of him. His memories told him that a word for the feeling was exhilaration or perhaps elation. The words seemed too tiny to cover what he was feeling right now. His chest hurt and he could have cried because of the intensity of the joy. Jonas realised after a while that he was slowly descending down to the ground. He didn't mind; he wasn't sure how much longer he could cope with the feeling. This is a dream, he had to keep reminding himself. But it felt very real, although also rather strange and other worldly at the same time. As he moved past the clouds he could see what was below; a collection of houses. A few taller buildings in the centre. A city. As he flew down he saw other people flying. He didn't know how he hadn't crashed into someone else while flying. He noticed their ragged attire, some people were wearing clothes which were ripped or charred. There was a woman still in her night clothes with a stab wound. Curiously, Jonas noticed, there was no blood. Jonas landed with a bump in a field of grass. The people around him came down at a slightly slower speed than he had. Jonas started walking towards the city in the hopes that there would be someone there who he could talk to. But he didn't need to look far; there was already a woman walking towards them. She was wearing a prim business suit and a tight pencil skirt. Jonas marvelled at the range of different fashion styles all around him. The Giver had managed to give him enough memories to recognise most of the clothing. He walked over to her, feeling a spike of apprehension in his stomach. He hoped the people here would be friendly. Jonas shuddered as he thought of the danger that could come of talking to strangers. He was completely defenceless too. Not that he would have known what to do if he had any kind of weapon with him. Jonas considered running away and hiding; the woman was a lot taller than him and something about her smile made him uneasy. Nether the less, he advanced, trying to summon all the courage he had. He realised, as he walked towards her that he was completely on his own now seeing as he had given all the courage to Gabe. It shocked him that the steady, if nervous determination inside him was entirely his own. Before he had any more time to contemplate his newly found strength, he was facing the woman. He opened his mouth to speak, to tell her his name perhaps (although he was uncomfortable telling strangers that), but she spoke first.
"Welcome Jonas. We have been waiting for you, I hope you enjoyed your descent?" Descent into hell? he thought. But he only said
"Yes Ma'am." She smiled that unnerving smile of her again.
"Oh please, you can call me Linda." Jonas kept staring at her lips, wondering what he found so strange.
"I'm sure that you know about us by now, you would have had to have to found out somehow to even be here at all."
"Are you talking about the church? And the writing on the scythe?" Jonas asked.
"A church?" she chuckled. "Boy, that is ironic. You must have a rather peculiar mind." Jonas stared at her in confusion.
"Everyone enters here a different way. It simply depends on the way your mind works and perhaps what you were thinking of when you died. Maybe it was a prominent memory which stuck out to you. Either way, everyone gets to here somehow." Jonas stared at her. The idea that the church, gas, bed and everything else had been created by his mind seemed very strange to him.
"How did you know I was coming? Jonas asked.
"It was on the notice board. I'll show you once the others get here. Jonas turned around and saw the others had indeed all landed and were walking towards them. The woman in the old-fashioned night clothes stepped forwards.
"Where am I? Are all you peasants part of another dream the king has inflicted upon me? I command you all to leave at once and take me back to the land where I wake." Looking down the woman noticed the stab wound. She shrieked.
"The king will kill whoever hurt me! Fear for your lives savages!"
Linda stepped forwards.
"Gwen, you can relax. None of us are here to hurt you. The king which you think of so highly stabbed you last night. He wanted your fortune. You had recently wed, hadn't you?" Gwen nodded sadly.
"I had always wondered if he was after something more. But he said he loved me. I loved him!" Linda put a hand on Gwen's shoulder.
"There, there. You will be safe here." Gwen looked up abruptly.
"Where is here? Am I dead? I know that is what the servant told me but I was so sure I was dreaming. Is this a dream?" Linda smiled at her. A smile which was almost convincing. But not quite.
"All of you here have died in some manner or another. Some by choice." She looked at a young girl, a few years older than Jonas who had bruise marks on her neck. She flinched as the group's attention turned to her.
"Some of you have been murdered." Linda looked at Gwen.
"And some of you have just been brought here by bad luck." She looked at a man whose body looked slightly mangled. He grimaced at the mention of his injuries. Jonas found himself wondering why none of these people were bleeding or in pain. As if she could read his mind Linda continued.
"None of you will ever be pained here. Your bodies are indestructible. You will not bleed or die unless you chose to. No one knows quite when this place was created or by whom but we know that it changes a bit for each person, just like the gateway you entered through. For example, some of you may not speak Greek, for that is what I am speaking. Each of you will hear my voice in a language you know." Jonas stared in wonder, unable to completely wrap his mind around the concept of seeing things differently to everyone else.
"However, if you truly want to die, you can leave. All you need to do is walk through the Door. That will be the end of everything for you. You will never be able to return. Theoretically you should be able to lift someone out of this world and back into the world of the living. But we don't do that; it is wrong. What dies, should stay dead. This place is simply an alternative for those who are terrified of death. We have set it up to be as much like your home life as possible. However, you must respect all dead. You will have to take your vows in a second." The group of dead who had just landed looked at each other in astonishment. An afterlife? Where they would not feel pain? Surely this was all too good to be true. Linda smiled again; Jonas wished she would stop doing that. He had a feeling that she only smiled because she had been told that it made people relax. Linda reached into a pocket in her jacket and pulled out a small purse. From it she took a bag of small pills. She opened the bag and dropped a pill into each of their outstretched palms.
"Taking the pill will merely ensure that you don't break the rules." Linda said. The ominous statement sent shivers down Jonas' spine. He looked at the small blue pill in his hand. There was no way he would be able to get out of taking it. He placed the pill inside his mouth, trying to swallow it without tasting the bitter flavour. It dissolved a little in his mouth anyway and he winced at it's sharp taste.
"Join hands." Linda snapped, all of a sudden seeming much less friendly. Jonas offered his hand to the girl with the bruising around her neck next to him. She took it. Linda strode closer and grabbed Jonas' hand. They stood in a circle. Jonas could feel a strange energy thrumming through their hands.
"Repeat after me. 'I shall never show disrespect to any dead person.'"
"I shall never to show disrespect to any dead person," they echoed.
"And I shall never force anyone through the Door against their will." They repeated that too.
"And finally, I shall never help anyone almost dead back to the land of the living." The group of newly dead gave each other a look. Why would anyone want to do that? It was better here than it was alive. Jonas however felt a little uneasy promising that. For some reason this world felt a little bit off, just like Linda's smile. They unclasped hands.
"You are lot 478. You will all share a room for tonight. Tomorrow you can look for other occupation. There are lots of groups who live together. They find it easier to live with people who came from there time."
"Why have I only just come here?" Gwen inquired. "If what you said is true, why didn't I just die with my time?"
"I believe that you spent quite a lot of the time at the gate. Perhaps you saw something which intrigued you, or perhaps you just didn't want to come here." Gwen blushed.
"Does anyone have any other questions?" Linda asked. No one said anything.
"Well then. Off to your dwellings." Jonas flinched at the word. He had hoped for a home here, not just a dwelling. Surely the underworld couldn't be anything like the community, could it? Of course it couldn't.
*.*.*
Jonas' dorm was almost as plain as the community. The bed seemed a little worn. He supposed that other lots must have had this room before him and moved out. He flopped on his bed. There were three beds per room and the cabin was separated by gender. Sharing his room was a young boy, maybe a twelve. Jonas mentally scolded himself; at some point, he would have to stop using his community's terms. He wasn't a part of the community anymore. And they probably just assumed that he was elsewhere. The young boy seemed mainly uninjured except for a few bruises. Jonas wondered how he had died. The boy noticed him staring.
"My name is Elliot. I died in a car accident in 1952. I am fifteen years old. Who are you?" Jonas, startled by the boy's forthrightness, fumbled over his words.
"Er, I'm Jonas. I'm a- I mean I think I'm twelve. Or I may be thirteen by now. I died from" he searched through his memories looking for the word. He didn't find anything.
"Cold?"
"Hypothermia?" the boy supplied.
"I guess." Jonas was well aware of how jumbled he sounded and was ashamed of his own lack of precision of language. But he didn't need to worry about it here; no one would smack him if he got something wrong.
"That's a big word for you to know at fifteen years old," Jonas said, trying to be encouraging.
"I'm not a baby," Elliot snapped. "In fact, I stayed in the gateway for much longer than you have been alive, judging from the peculiar clothes that you are wearing." Jonas looked down at his clothing. He would never have thought it anything but ordinary, but he supposed that to someone from the past it might look a bit strange. Jonas struggled awkwardly for a conversation point, but it was almost night time in this world and he figured that he could probably get away with being silent while getting ready for bed. Jonas grabbed the clothes that most resembled his night clothes at home. Home. The community had never been a real home. not compared to what homes could be. Jonas realised with a start that he had gotten lost in his thoughts and had been staring at the wall for five minutes not doing anything. He threw on his night clothes, surprised at how well they fit. He was a little disturbed at the amount they seemed to know about him here. Did everything they knew about him just turn up on the notice board for everyone to see? And how could they tell who was going to die? He decided to see for himself. After dark when his two roommates were asleep Jonas crept out. After the awkward conversation earlier that day Jonas didn't particularly want to bring Elliot and he saw no purpose to bring the old man who was also sharing their dorm. Something about breaking the rules (even though no one had specifically told them not to go out after dark) excited Jonas. He supposed that it came of an entire life made of strict rules and a longing to detach himself from the ways of his community. Jonas walked past all the other cabins. H tried to remember where the notice board was from Linda's tour He walked towards the tallest buildings, the streets filled with things he identified as cars. Jonas was surprised by the lack of bicycles. There were a few here and there but not the same amount that they had back at the community. Instead it seemed that people travelled primarily by car. Jonas shuddered remembering the kind of accidents that could happen when using those vicious machines. Though it wasn't the machines that were vicious, Jonas reminded himself. It was the people running them. After about twenty minutes of walking Jonas had reached what he presumed was the city square. There was a large screen displaying a list to all in the square. The list was titled 'Incoming Dead'. Jonas worriedly scanned the list, not willing to admit to himself what he didn't want to see. Arabella, Keith, Adam, Liana… the names drifted through his mind without him fully processing them or the facts next to their name. His heart skipped a beat. Gabriel. The name shook him; his unacknowledged fears were coming true. Gabe was about to die. Jonas took in the facts next to Gabe's name with a numb horror. Cause of death; hypothermia. Place of death; Community No. 4. Expected Survival Potential; low. Expected Descent Time; Tomorrow midday. Jonas stood there. His heart felt like it was cracking open. Gabe. The boy who had become his little brother. Jonas had known that there was no way that a baby could survive in the snow but he had hoped. Hoped that the people in the cottage could take him in and take care of him. But Gabe was going to die. He would never experience joy or pain or love or music again. He would come here, but somehow Jonas knew that it wouldn't be the same. There was no way to save him- unless… Unless Jonas was willing to break yet another rule, but this time a spoken vow. If there were only some way to keep Gabe from touching the ground and instead carry him back up. Jonas had until tomorrow to form a plan. Filled with anger at the community, at the vows he had made and at the impossibility of the situation. Jonas ran back to his dwelling, channelling all his energy into speed. After a while Jonas started to feel a burn in his side. A stitch it was called. Jonas winced; it was more painful in real life than in a memory. He kept running though, taking a sort of grim satisfaction from the pain. He slowed down as he reached the cabin so as not to wake the others. He opened the door, wincing at the small creak it gave. It seemed that that small creak had been enough to wake his roommates. Or one of them at least. The old man was awake and sitting up in his bed with a book in hand.
"Boy, I was wondering when you would be back." The old man spoke confidently, seeming unafraid of waking Elliot.
"Are you going to explain what you were doing out of bed at this time? Or perhaps where you just went?" The old man gave no explanation for why he was awake at this time of night. Maybe he had heard Jonas leaving. Jonas once again felt awkward trying to explain.
"I went to go look at the list of people coming in the next lot." Jonas decided that it would probably be best to just be honest.
"You got someone who's gonna die soon?" Once again Jonas was shocked by the man's lack of pleasantries. He was on the verge of downright rudeness, talking about the dead like that. Jonas was prepared to overlook it though, if only because he was curious why the old man cared.
"Yes," Jonas replied. "My little brother." Calling Gabe his little brother seemed much easier than explaining everything that had happened over the last few months. And that was how Jonas had come to think of Gabe anyway.
"I'm sorry. It sucks doesn't it. I mean everyone seems to be getting so hyped up about this death land but I don't think it's right. I would give anything just to be still alive and with m wife. I think she'll be joining me soon. Not that I'm going to give her the chance; as much as I'd like to die down here with her, I don't think that it's right. I'm going through the Gate first thing tomorrow morning." The old man stopped and looked at Jonas scrutinisingly.
"Young man, would you do me the honour of walking me to the gate? I just don't really want to go alone." Jonas felt trapped. This man was asking him to escort him to his death. Jonas wasn't sure if he could do that. Whenever he thought of death he always remembered the soldier who got shot. Jonas would forever keep with him the memory of the light going out of the soldier's eyes. Of his body falling slack. Of the feeling inside Jonas' chest, a terrible ache that no words could properly describe. But Jonas could see the longing in the old man's eyes to have a proper send off. To die rightly. Jonas knew that it was the right thing to do. He would still have time to stop Gabe from dying.
"Alright. I'll take you there tomorrow." Jonas managed to get the words out. He tried not to show the old man how much the idea of death disturbed him.
"Today actually. It's past midnight." A twinkle in the old man's eyes reminded him of the Giver. There was a lot Jonas had to sort out in his mind, a large portion of it revolving around the Giver. But that was for another time.
"Well, we best get some sleep then," Jonas said. The old man nodded in reply. Jonas climbed back into his bed. The pillow was soft and inviting after his late-night expedition and run. Before Jonas knew it the old man was leaning over his bed shaking him.
"It's time to go. I can't stay in this place a moment longer." Jonas wearily got up, acutely aware of the task ahead of him and the death he would witness today. He threw on some of the other clothes which had been lying on the end of his bed, barely bothering to look at them. Once he was changes he went back into the bedroom and found the old man waiting for him. Elliot had already left. The old man grabbed his cane even though he had no use for it now, and they departed. Maybe he had asked Linda when she showed them around. Jonas trudged along beside the old man. He flipped through the memories to occupy himself and then before he knew it he was back in the city square. Jonas determinedly didn't look at the list on the screen. He had to pull himself together for now. Jonas saw a door right below the screen which he hadn't seen last night. It was made of ebony and was completely plain except for a golden door knob. A sign above it read "Death door." The old man walked unflinchingly towards it. He placed a hand on the knob. He turned back around to face Jonas.
"Well, I guess this is it. Thank you for your consideration- what is your name again?"
"Jonas," Jonas replied feeling choked up.
"Thank you Jonas. You have been a great comfort to me. I wish you luck with whatever you are about to attempt. I fear saying anything here but let me just say this; you are still dreaming. Farewell Jonas." Just as the old man moved to step through the door Jonas raced forwards and tapped the man on the shoulder.
"Wait! Sir, what is your name?" The old man smiled.
"My name was Charles Willis. Goodbye. If you see my wife Portia, tell her I loved her and always will. Farewell." As soon as he stepped into the blackness on the other side the door slammed shut again. Jonas fell to his knees, staring at the door. So this is what death was, he thought to himself.
*.*.*
Jonas went back to the cabin and miserably shovelled down some food. Elliot was still gone and the room felt empty without anyone else in it. Jonas looked at the small clock attached to the wall. The time read eleven o'clock. It was almost time for Jonas to go. Charles had given him the answer. Jonas didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before. He was still technically sleeping in the church. All he had to do was fly back up until he woke up again. He would need to get Gabe back through his gate. Jonas wasn't sure how he was going to do that but he knew that he had to try. Jonas looked around the room for some form of entertainment. He didn't want to go down to where they were landing to soon; he would make someone suspicious. He knew that Linda would be there and he was afraid of being caught by her. A book sat on the shelf. Jonas approached it with curiosity. Although he knew how to read, he had never read a proper book before. There was only the rules book and various assignments. He picked it up. It was a small book. It had a navy-blue hardcover and was titled in gold lettering 'The Golden Tree'. Jonas opened it to the first page and started reading. The memories did no justice to how it felt to be swept off your feet by a book and taken into another world. The book was about a woman who was trapped inside a tree by an evil sorcerer. She fell in love with a man who went through the woods every day and would communicate with him through dropping the tree's leaves into the shapes of words. The man thus discovered that there was a woman trapped inside the forest. But the sorcerer had long since died and so the only way to get her out was to cut the tree open. The problem was that the man had no idea which tree she was inside because they all grew so close together. So, the man decided to cut down all the trees in the forest until he found the woman. But he didn't know that she had learnt to talk to the trees. She had even made friends with them. And so, when he had cut them down she had lost her closest friends. When the man proposed to her she rejected him, telling him that love should only go so far and she could never marry someone so single minded. Jonas was shook reading the book. For the first time, he understood a bit about why love could be dangerous and why the community wanted to rid themselves of it. But what he was doing for Gabe wasn't like that, was it? The only person it would harm is Jonas. Jonas was unsure what punishment he would face, but he doubted that they would be kind when they found out that he had broken one of their most sacred laws. Jonas glanced at the clock, it was eleven thirty-five. Jonas hadn't noticed the time passing because of the book he was absorbed in. Jonas headed out the door and began to jog his way to the oval to make up for any lost time. When he was about a block away Jonas slowed to a walk so as not to draw attention to himself. When Jonas reached the oval, he noticed a clock that he hadn't seen before. It was a digital clock and it was counting down. The clock read thirty seconds. It seemed that they would be descending early; Jonas had been right to hurry. Linda stood on the edge of the oval looking upwards. Jonas stared at the clouds over the oval. Nothing. He moved onto the edge of the oval on the other side to Linda. There were a few more dead gathered around. Jonas looked back at the clock. Ten seconds. Nine. Eight. Seven. Jonas could feel his breathing speed up. Six. Five. His hands were sweating. Four. Three. Jonas prepared to sprint. Two. One. Jonas leapt over the rail And ran as fast as he could into the centre of the oval. He heard people call out around him. Now was the time. Jonas jumped upwards as high as he could…and fell back down. No. This couldn't be happening. Jonas tried again only to achieve the same result. Jonas tried to relax and remember what he had first felt when flying. He had dreamed. Jonas hurriedly got down onto the ground even though every instinct screamed at him to get back up. He rested his head down onto the grass and stared up at the sky. He could see the first three people coming down from the sky. Jonas shut his eyes, even though he could hear people coming towards him. In his head he said to himself; I am dreaming. He repeated it again and again as he opened his eyes. The world looked the same but Jonas could feel that something was different. He got to his feet in slow motion and leapt off the ground, soaring into the air. He was lit up with the giddy feeling of flying and only with great difficulty managed to remember why he was here. He flew up and up towards the tiny figure floating downwards towards him. Gabe was still wrapped in the blanket he had been in when he died. Gabe was laughing and Jonas knew that he was doing the right thing. Whatever that book said, this was right. Gabe would live. Jonas continued drifting up. He met Gabe about halfway up and grabbed him by the arm. As if moving through water, Jonas slowly pulled Gabe into his arms, just as they had been when they had both died. The shouts below were barely audible now and instead Jonas' ears were filled with the sound of the wind. They had almost reached the cloud. Jonas knew from his classes that it should have been freezing up here, but instead the weather was mild and gentle. As they reached the cloud another person came through. She was an old lady, around the same age as Charles. Realization hit Jonas. He tried to stop himself and Gabe mid-air.
"Excuse me, are you Portia?" Jonas called out to her. She looked mildly surprised.
"Yes, who's asking?"
"Charles told me to tell you that he still loved you. He's moved on though. I'm sorry." Jonas didn't have time to explain anything else. Jonas entered the cloud. Time to wake up he thought to himself. He closed his eyes. Then opened them. And then opened them again.
*.*.*
Jonas woke up. He was in the bed he had fallen asleep in, except Gabe was next to him. Jonas rolled over and gently shook Gabe.
"Wake up little guy. It's almost time to go back. You just need to get up and then you can go see those nice people we saw earlier." Gabe opened his bright blue eyes and stared at Jonas. Gabe looked over Jonas' shoulder and began to cry. Jonas tried hushing Gabe but when that didn't work Jonas glanced behind him to see what Gabe was looking at and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Linda standing there.
"You're not the only one who can get back to the gate you know Jonas." He was speechless. He hadn't even considered the possibility that she would be able to follow them. But he could see no reason why she couldn't.
"Do you know what will happen if you do manage to get Gabe back to the land of the living?" Jonas numbly shook his head.
"You will be executed." Jonas had suspected as such but hearing the words still scared him. But he wasn't about to back down now.
"You can kill me. But just listen to me first." Jonas wasn't sure where he found the courage from but Linda stayed quiet so he kept talking.
"Gabe was going to be killed. So, I ran away with him. We came from a world in which there is no love and no family. I became his older brother while we travelled. It was only because of my community's foolish ways that we were completely unprepared for the cold. He should have his whole life ahead of him. He hasn't even lived yet. I have at least lived a few years. Kill me, if you must, but let Gabe live." Jonas hadn't dared to look at Linda this whole time, but having given his last defence he looked up, dreading to see a fake smile and no sympathy in her eyes. Instead he saw tears glistening in her eyes.
"I had a son once. He died before I came here. He decided to move on through the door. I never got to see him again. You're lucky you remind me so much of him." Jonas inhaled a hopeful breath; was she going to let Gabe go?
"You understand that I must still kill you?" Jonas tried to nod calmly. His heart was racing and he felt like he would be sick. He had accepted his death but it was still scary. He held Linda's gaze for a further few seconds before dropping it and turning towards the hallway which should lead to the church. Jonas picked up Gabe and started walking through it, surprised by the absence of the smoke. He emerged from the hallway into their bedroom at home.
"Where are we?" Jonas asked in confusion.
"You have woken up with Gabe from Gabe's dream. This is his Gate." Jonas remembered her saying something like that before. They approached the door which would hopefully lead to the iron gate Jonas had entered through, presuming it was the same in Gabe's dream. Linda and Jonas with Gabe in arm, moved towards the door warily. Jonas turned the knob and peeked outside. There was the same gravel road that there had been for Jonas.
"Is this part the same for everyone?" he asked Linda. She mutely nodded. They walked at a brisk pace until they reached the iron gate. Jonas put Gabe down and turned to Linda.
"Do you have anything to write with?"
I don't," Linda replied. They stared at the ground for a second before an idea hit Jonas. He walked over to the side of the road. As he'd suspected, the earth was slightly wet and could pass as mud. He pulled his light grey jacket off and started to right on it.
This is Gabe. Look after him and love him.
It was all Jonas had room to write but he wasn't sure what else he could say anyway. He showed the jacket to Linda and she nodded in approval. Jonas wrapped Gabe in the Jacket, careful not to smudge the mud. He picked Gabe up and pushed him in between the bars. Gabe cried a little as he was squeezed through but stopped complaining once he was through. Gabe looked up at his surroundings and started to smile just as he vanished from sight. Gabe's absence hit Jonas hard. He knew he had made the right decision. He smiled at Linda and she smiled back, and for the first time Jonas knew it was genuine.
As they walked back Jonas saw the church appear, it seemed he was going to go through the descent again. H e and Linda walked through everything silently. When they reached the room at the end of the corridor Jonas saw that there were now two beds. Linda lay down in one and he lay in the other. Once again, falling asleep was easy and quick. Jonas was falling again, but this time he wasn't enjoying it as much. He was well aware that as soon as he landed on the ground he would be executed. Jonas closed his eyes and tried to fall faster. Sure enough, in under a minute he was standing on the ground. He felt Linda land besides him. A bunch of officials ran forwards and grabbed him by the arms. They pulled him towards the square and Jonas didn't put up a fight. He distantly heard Linda telling the officials that she had managed to recapture Jonas but the little boy had escaped. Jonas didn't even care that she was lying; she had helped them and that was all that mattered. Jonas faced the door for the second time that day. He looked behind him.
"Thank you," he said. It might get Linda in trouble, but it needed to be said. Jonas turned back to faced the door and then without any further hesitation, Jonas stepped through.