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Jonas, listening, thought suddenly about the bridge and how, standing there, he had wondered what lay Elsewhere Was there so, ould receive the tiny released twin? Would it grow up Elsewhere, not knowing, ever, that in this co who looked exactly the sa hope that he kneas quite foolish He hoped that it would be Larissa, waiting Larissa, the old wo eyes, her soft voice, her low chuckle Fiona had told him recently that Larissa had been released at a wonderful cereiven children to raise Larissa's life Elsewhere would be quiet and serene as befit the Old; she would not welco a newchild who needed feeding and care, and would likely cry at night

"Mother? Father?" he said, the idea co to him unexpectedly, "why don't we put Gabriel's crib in ht? I kno to feed and coet some sleep"

Father looked doubtful "You sleep so soundly, Jonas What if his restlessness didn't wake you?"

It was Lily who answered that "If no one goes to tend Gabriel," she pointed out, "he gets very loud He'd wake all of us, if Jonas slept through it"

Father laughed "You're right, Lily-billy All right, Jonas, let's try it, just for tonight I'll take the night off and we'll let Mother get some sleep, too"

Gabriel slept soundly for the earliest part of the night Jonas, in his bed, lay awake for a while; fro over at the crib The newchild was on his stomach, his ar regular and undisturbed Finally Jonas slept too

Then, as the ht approached, the noise of Gabe's restlessness woke Jonas The newchild was turning under his cover, flailing his ar to whimper

Jonas rose and went to him Gently he patted Gabriel's back Sometimes that was all it took to lull him back to sleep But the newchild still squir rhythan to reiven hiht, breezy day on a clear turquoise lake, and above hi in the brisk wind

He was not aware of giving thedi of the newchild Gabriel became quiet Startled, Jonas pulled back as left of the memory with a burst of will He removed his hand from the little back and stood quietly beside the crib

To hiain It was still there, but the sky was less blue, the gentle motion of the boat slower, the water of the lakehis own nervousness at what had occurred, then let it go and returned to his bed

Once ain Jonas went to him This time he quite deliberately placed his hand fir day on the lake Again Gabriel slept

But now Jonas lay awake, thinking He no longer had any more than a wisp of the memory, and he felt a small lack where it had been He could ask The Giver for another sail, he knew A sail perhaps on ocean, next time, for Jonas had a memory of ocean, now, and knehat it was; he knew that there were sailboats there, too, in h, if he should confess to The Giver that he had given a memory away He was not yet qualified to be a Giver himself; nor had Gabriel been selected to be a Receiver

That he had this power frightened him He decided not to tell

15

Jonas entered the Annex room and realized immediately that it was a day when he would be sent away The Giver was rigid in his chair, his face in his hands

"I'll come back tomorrow, sir," he said quickly Then he hesitated "UnlessI can do to help"

The Giver looked up at hiasped, "take some of the pain"

Jonas helped him to his chair at the side of the bed Then he quickly removed his tunic and lay face down "Put your hands on ht need re

The hands cah them Jonas braced hi The Giver

He was in a confused, noisy, foul-s, and the air was thick with sround Around him, everywhere, far across the expanse of what see , trotted frantically through thein panic It stumbled, finally, then fell, and did not rise

Jonas heard a voice next to hi whisper

He turned his head toward the voice and looked into the half-closed eyes of a boy who seemed not much older than himself Dirt streaked the boy's face and his listening et, fresh blood

The colors of the carnage were grotesquely bright: the crih and dusty fabric, the ripped shreds of grass, startlingly green, in the boy's yellow hair

The boy stared at hiain When he spoke, a new spurt of blood drenched the coarse cloth across his chest and sleeve

One of Jonas's arh his own torn sleeve soed flesh and splintery bone He tried his re arm and felt it move Slowly he reached to his side, felt thethe s pain to ease Finally, when the container was open, he extended his arm slowly across the blood-soaked earth, inch by inch, and held it to the lips of the boy Water trickled into the irihed His head fell back, his lower jaw dropping as if he had been surprised by so A dull blankness slid slowly across his eyes He was silent

But the noise continued all around: the cries of the woundedfor water and for Mother and for death Horses lying on the ground shrieked, raised their heads, and stabbed randomly toward the sky with their hooves