Written by: Niharika Chapagain - 2024008, Grade VIII
Posted on: 28 February, 2021
I am an eleven-year-old boy and I live in a community with many rules and regulations and if the rules and regulations aren’t followed, the committee members release the person. I always used to wonder what releasing anyone exactly meant? The fact that children and other people were not allowed to see anyone being released, always increased my curiosity. I enjoy learning and experiencing new things. That's why I think, I always chose to volunteer in different places rather than focusing on one. I really enjoyed the freedom of choosing to do what we like during our volunteer hours. I also enjoyed learning and connecting with other people as our society doesn’t permit human love and deeper connection. I was always curious about what assignment I would be assigned because I wasn’t like my friends who had a particular interest. I didn’t have any idea until the announcement had mentioned me as a Receiver of Memory. I was quite proud as it was the most honorable assignment but I didn’t know what was coming towards me along with this title?
Every time I questioned my ability, The Giver reminded me of my ability to see beyond. Before I was assigned as the new Receiver, I used to feel a change in any objects for a second but I couldn’t explain the change and that was my ability which I later realized was to know colors! I realized I was different from my friends. My training had started and I was quite confused about my responsibility, but as The Giver started to pass me his memories, I felt responsible and cheerful but the fact that I couldn't share my learning with my friends to prove to them what I am capable of was frustrating! I had to keep my knowledge secret! I had my rules, the rules of a new receiver. I also had authority. As days progressed, I received many memories of elephants, colors, warmth, love, lovely terrains, and even of something as painful as war. I could also feel, dream, and had felt like normal humans as I had stopped taking the compulsory pills that used to control my feelings towards the opposite sex. I wanted to feel everything like normal human beings and hence, I asked the Giver to give me his pain. As he transferred me some, I felt why only a person should feel these, rather than the whole society should. I wanted my parents to love me, but they didn’t believe in love. The Giver and I finally planned to find the Elsewhere where the feelings existed. I escaped with Gabriel whom I had transferred some peaceful memories, and who was about to get released. I traveled for many days on my bicycle. I was tired and cold. I was hungry and more than myself, I cared about the small baby, Gabriel who was with me. As I moved further away from society, my memory started to fade away. At last, I could hear the echo of mesmerizing music and people singing in the distance down the hill. It was my favorite memory and I could hear people singing in the music. I could feel warmth, love, and calmness again!
