Chapters - 22 & 23.

Chapter – 22.

Gradually the landscape changes. The road becomes narrower, untended by the road crews. It gets increasingly difficult for Jonas to maintain his balance on such wobbly and bumpy roads. Once Jonas’ bike hits a rock and Jonas falls, badly bruising his knees in the process. While the bike overturns, Jonas instinctively reaches for Gabriel, trying to keep him from any harm.

Jonas then starts riding in the morning, with all fear of the searchers, who seem to have disappeared into thin air, gone. Now he is faced with new fears of the unknown perils. He realizes that the safety and survival of Gabriel depends entirely on him, his strength.

They encounter more streams now from which they drink water. They also see their first waterfall, wildlife (i.e. birds, deer and a reddish-brown creature). All this is new to him and he stops his bike time and again to look at wildflowers, or the way the wind rustles in the trees. He has never experienced such exquisite happiness in his life before.

Now the most nagging fear gnawing at his stomach is the fear of starvation. In order to satiate his hunger, Jonas tries to fish from a stream. He catches two silvery fish after many tries with a makeshift net. He hacks them into pieces and feeds on the raw flesh. He even tries catching a bird!

At night, as Gabriel sleeps, Jonas keeps awake, trying to recollect the memories, the memories of the roasted meats at banquets, birthday parties with frosted cakes, fresh fruits picked from sun-baked trees). But then when the memories are gone, he is left with a growing sense of hunger. Now he thinks about how each dwelling in their community is provided with food. When he had the chance, he made the wrong choice and now he has to starve. But staying back would not have helped as he would have lived a life devoid of feelings, colour and love. Besides, Gabe would have had no life at all! Then Jonas notices for the first time in reality what he always yearned to see – hills. They also get wet in the rain, so different from what he had seen in the memories.

Gabriel now starts crying due to hunger, cold and weakness. So does Jonas for similar reasons. But he suffers for one more reason – his inability to protect and save Gabriel.

Chapter – 23.

Jonas, despite all the discomforts, is now sure of the existence of Elsewhere, which cannot be far away. All his hopes of getting there are fast diminishing with the snow piling fast all around him.

The ever alert and curious Gabriel puts his head against his chest, feeble and shivering. Jonas takes off his vest and holding him (Gabriel) close to him, he envelops the dirty, torn blanket around them. A steep hill is ahead, which will be difficult to climb even under normal circumstances, but now the mounting snow has made the ride almost impossible. When the bicycle cannot move any further, he gets off and the bike falls sideways. He has an overwhelming desire to lie down beside it too, in the softness of the snow and the warmth of the oblivion of sleep.

Yet he moves on as he is a fighter, with the fear of the memories leaving him. He tries to transmit the memory of sunshine (warmth) to Gabe, the only person left to love, bringing temporary relief to both of them.

Jonas begins the upward climb. The warm memory is gone and they feel cold again. Fortunately, Jonas is back to being alert ; the transitory memory has restored his will to survive. He stumbles, unable to get up, he grasps at a wisp of memory of warmth and begins climbing and moving forward.

The top of the hill seems so far away, but he trudges on. As he approaches the summit, despite the physical hardships and all, he feels happy recalling the happy times (parents, Lily, Asher, Fiona and the giver). He arrives at the crest of the hill and can feel the ground becoming level.

Excited, he calls out, “I remember this place, Gab.” It is not a thin recollection but a different kind of memory, something for keeps, something of his own. Through the blinding storm, bitter-cold wind, he rubs Gabriel to keep him alive. He is confident of warmth and light ahead.

Jonas finally finds the sled, hugging Gabe tightly, he settles on it, least afraid of any likely pain this time in the real situation. His heart is filled with new hope. He wills himself to protecting Gabe and against losing consciousness. The runners speed through the snow with the wind whipping at his face, to the final destination, Elsewhere, beckoning to the promise of the future and holding the past at the same time.

He then finds the lights through the windows of the rooms – red, blue and yellow lights on the trees in houses where families celebrate Love and keep memories. He can hear music and people singing, positively waiting for them. Behind him, from the place he has left behind, there comes music too. But it is just the echo.

The End