The Giver- Final Edition

The Thrilling Conclusion

 Every inch of Jonas's body wailed out in pain from exhaustion and starvation. Jonas felt feeble than he ever had before. Hunger was diminishing his hope for survival and the cold was agonizing for the two fugitives. With certainty and elation, Jonas knew that his destination lay ahead of him. With the critical condition he was in, Jonas wondered if he could endure the pain longer. Gabe was his only strength and the only devotion to not give up. Gabe shivered and cried against Jonas's back from the hunger he had never experienced. "We've gone through a lot Gabe." Jonas remarked. The infant shook violently from the snowflakes falling frequently on his pale skin. Jonas looked up from the sled and searched for a resource of alleviate and support. It was blurry, but he picked up the vision of houses, families, lights, and trees. "Help, please!" Jonas cried. Jonas could hear Gabe's cries and they tore at his very soul. He could feel blood pounding and pouring out the large gash in his leg. His leg felt like it was crushed with a hammer, and his body felt so ached, as it was wrapped up in a blanket of blades. His vision was blurring as he fought the blackness absorbing his sight. He peeled his eyes open and saw a woman running towards him...

"Christina! Come quickly, there are two children who are vastly injured!" Jonas heard the woman screaming. Jonas then heard, the thumps of footsteps in the piled up snow.

"My goodness, take the new child inside and I'll assist the teenager." Christina exclaimed. The woman seized Gabe out of Jonas's arms and placed him against her chest. Jonas had no energy even to move a muscle or his mouth. His whole body was numb and the only thing he could feel was pain. All he could see with half of his eyes opened was the blue, snowy sky. Upon its sight, Jonas completely lost his train of thought and realized that life can offer immense pain which you have to endure.

Jonas and Gabe were provided care, special aid, and support. It was tranquilizing and serene for the two fugitives, after all they had experience such pain their community had eliminated. "Where are you from, and how did you get here?" Christina questioned Jonas. His brain was totally empty, except the thoughts about his community kept on flowing in his mind. What happened to The Giver? Did the community perceive pain and pleasure? Did they realize Release meant death? Jonas kept on cogitating until he finally answered Christina with a sigh.

"Oh, my world..." Jonas paused for a second and explained how his community was built on lies and how the truth was revealed to him. "My perfectly precise community is a world of monitored robots, a world where pain, colour, love, hate, and pleasure has been eliminated." Jonas elucidated. Christina was motionless for a minute, imagining his community like a black and white film.

"Well, it seems like your community looks good on paper but in reality, it has many flaws..." Christina whispered facing Gabriel on the crib.

"In my community, people have rights and freedom. They have value and equality. But on the other hand, there is fear, pain, poverty and pollution." Christina observed with grief and a bit of thrill. Jonas was alarmed how Christina's society was arranged; how their community was not controlled by Chief Elders, and how choices existed...

Days passed by and the two fugitives were given a home, a family, and a new community very different from theirs. Jonas and Gabe lived in colour, weather, nature and all those feelings their community had eliminated. Soon step by step Gabe learned how to walk and obtained pleasure rather than pain. Each day Jonas would think about The Giver and his community. Each day thoughts stroked in Jonas's mind about his worship for Fiona. He wanted to feel, touch, smell Fiona's body, wanted to clutch her in his arms and place his lips into hers. Jonas's love for Fiona was like the wind, he couldn't see but feel. Then the love for the Giver was poles apart, Jonas wanted to see a little smile on his face, wanted to seek bliss in his eyes. Every time Jonas would gaze into his eyes in the mirror, he would see the imagery of The Giver indulging his eye vision.

Some days Christina would receive calls from her friends and relatives, but Jonas wanted something innovative and devastating. He craved for a call from the Giver, and he desired to know what circumstance he had left his community behind in. And one day startlingly, that was exactly what happened according to Jonas's thought...

"Hello?" Jonas asked with certainty and exhilaration that on the phone it was The Giver.

"Jonas I don't know how I got an opportunity to be in contact with you. The community is a chaos." Jonas was motionless, and the delight of Jonas talking to The Giver, started to fade away.

"Giver are you alright? Tell me Giver, what happened? Jonas's angst increased and there was no way he could release it.

"I failed Jonas, I failed! Forgive me if you can." Jonas was in awe. He could tell the Giver was in severe pain. He could tell that the Giver was shredded with tears rushing through his pale eyes. He could tell that he had failed in his mission...

"Giver why are you saying this, please don't do this with me!" Jonas had no word to say, he was speechless. Perhaps, it didn't end the way he imagined. For a moment he went silent and the phone went off. Jonas could hear the cries of Gabe from the next room but he didn't bother to cure Gabe. His mind blackened and tears rushed through his eyes leaving the path of the tears on his pale cheeks. For a moment he ignored the harsh cries of Gabe, and Christina's query of him being this way.

"Stay gold Giver, stay gold." Jonas whispered quietly. As he spoke each word, his pain was like a frozen knife stabbing him. The Giver's joy was like the sunshine of Jonas's world and the Giver's pain was like the darkness of Jonas's world. This was not a dream, not a memory, but it was destiny...