"The Giver Quartet" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lowry, Lois)

Stirrings. He had heard the word before. He remembered that there was a reference to the Stirrings in the Book of Rules, though he didnтАЩt remember what it said. And now and then the Speaker mentioned it. ATTENTION. A REMINDER THAT STIRRINGS MUST BE REPORTED IN ORDER FOR TREATMENT TO TAKE PLACE.



He had always ignored that announcement because he didnтАЩt understand it and it had never seemed to apply to him in any way. He ignored, as most citizens did, many of the commands and reminders read by the Speaker.



тАЬDo I have to report it?тАЭ he asked his mother.



She laughed. тАЬYou did, in the dream-telling. ThatтАЩs enough.тАЭ



тАЬBut what about the treatment? The Speaker says that treatment must take place.тАЭ Jonas felt miserable. Just when the Ceremony was about to happen, his Ceremony of Twelve, would he have to go away someplace for treatment? Just because of a stupid dream?



But his mother laughed again in a reassuring, affection-ate way. тАЬNo, no,тАЭ she said. тАЬItтАЩs just the pills. YouтАЩre ready for the pills, thatтАЩs all. ThatтАЩs the treatment for Stir-rings.тАЭ



Jonas brightened. He knew about the pills. His parents both took them each morning. And some of his friends did, he knew. Once he had been heading off to school with Asher, both of them on their bikes, when AsherтАЩs father had called from their dwelling doorway, тАЬYou forgot your pill, Asher!тАЭ Asher had groaned good-naturedly, turned his bike, and ridden back while Jonas waited.



It was the sort of thing one didnтАЩt ask a friend about because it might have fallen into that uncomfortable category of тАШbeing different.тАЩ Asher took a pill each morning; Jonas did not. Always better, less rude, to talk about things that were the same.



Now he swallowed the small pill that his mother handed him.



тАЬThatтАЩs all?тАЭ he asked.



тАЬThatтАЩs all,тАЭ she replied, returning the bottle to the cupboard. тАЬBut you mustnтАЩt forget. IтАЩll remind you for the first weeks, but then you must do it on your own. If you forget, the Stirrings will come back. The dreams of Stirrings will come back. Sometimes the dosage must be adjusted.тАЭ



тАЬAsher takes them,тАЭ Jonas confided.



His mother nodded, unsurprised. тАЬMany of your groupmates probably do. The males, at least. And they all will, soon. Females too.тАЭ