The Giver script - June

Mother: June?

Father: June.

June: What?

Father: We’re sharing feelings. Anything you want to share?

June: I’m feeling… apprehensive.

Father: Why is that kiddo?

June:… it’s almost December.

Father: When I was an Eleven as you are, June, there wasn’t the suspense there is for your Ceremony of Twelve. I was already fairly certain what assignment the Council of Elders was going to give me.

June: How? It’s a secret-

Father: I knew what my gift was. When my friends in my age group were holding bike races or building bridges with their construction sets, I spent all my volunteer hours at the Nurturing Center with new children. The Elders knew that.

June: They’ve been watching me a lot at school. They watch all the Elevens and take notes.

Father: They don’t make mistakes. So when my assignment was announced as Nurturer, it wasn’t a big surprise. It was what I most wanted.

June: But I don’t know what I most want. I don’t know what my gift is. What if I’m disappointed with my assignment?

Mother: They’ll find exactly the right assignment for you. Don’t worry. And after your ceremony you’ll be training with your new assignment group-

June: But Asher and I will always be friends, right? And we’ll still be in school-

Mother: Good changes, though. After my ceremony, when I entered my training for Law and Justice, I found myself with new friends who shared my interests-

June: Did you still play after Twelve?

Father: I think so. Yours is an “elephant,” right?

Lily: Right

June: Mine was a “bear.”

Asher: Throw me an apple

June: Asher-

Asher: What? I need to improve my hand-eye coordination, don’t I?

June: No doubt.

Asher: You know what I don’t want to be assigned? I could never be an Instructor of Threes. (*June* giggles at this) Can you imagine me teaching them precise language?

June: Every one of them would be asking for a smack when they want a snack!

Asher: You’d think after the fourth round of the discipline wand, I’d have learned not to say “i want my smack” at mealtime-

June: Remember the lashes on your legs?

Asher: Remember when I stopped talking altogether

June: Did…

Asher: what

June: Nothing. Ash? Does anything seem strange to you? About the apple

Lily: I apologize, June.

June: Apology accepted.

Father: I call him Gabe actually.

June: Gabe. Its a good name.

Announcer: … and that snacks are to be eaten not hoarded. Thank you.

June: I just wanted to look at it…

Fiona: Hello June.

June: Hello Fiona

Asher:… and joined the next community he came to. Nobody ever saw him again

June: Somebody made that story up, Ash. My father said he heard that story when he was a Twelve.

Asher: Whatever, Fiona. I don’t have it. I sink

June: Have you ever once known of anyone-I mean really known for sure, Asher- who joined another community?

Asher: No. But you can. It says so in the rules. If you don’t fit in, you can apply for Elsewhere and be released-

June: How can someone not fit in?

Father: No dreams last night. Gabe? Any dreams? June?

June: I did dream last night

Lily: For once!

June: I think I was in the House of the Old

Father: Didn’t you and your friends volunteer there yesterday?

June: But it wasn’t really the same. There was only one tub in the dream. And Fiona was there.

Father: Asher too?

June: No. It was only me and Fiona. I think I was trying to convince her that she should get into the tub of water. I wanted to bathe her. But she wouldn’t. She kept Laughing and saying no. That’s all.

Father: Can you describe the strongest feeling in your dream

June:… the wanting. i knew she wouldn’t. And I think I knew she shouldn’t. But I could feel the wanting all through me.

Mother: … It happened to Father when he was your age. It happened to me-

June: Do i have to report it?

Mother: You did. In the dream telling. That’s enough.

Jonas: But the Speaker says that treatment must take place- my ceremony is tomorrow, I don’t want to go away someplace for treatment just because of some stupid dream-

Mother: … That’s the treatment for the stirrings.

June: The ones you take?

Mother: Yes

June: Thats all?

Mother: … If you forget the Stirrings will come back.

June: How long will I have to take them?

Mother: … Thank you again for your dream

June: I’m already forgetting it.

Lily:… Then you can take me flying!

June: Sure I will. And I’ll get a special little parachute that just fits you and I’ll take you up maybe 20,000 feet and open the door and-

June: … maybe 20,000 feet and open the door and-

Father: June

June: I was only joking. I don’t want to be a Pilot. If I get Pilot I’ll put in an appeal-

Asher: I’d take it

June: I’m glad Gabe’s here and not being relaesed

Asher: Ready, Number Nineteen

June: Ready, Number Eighteen. How about you, Number Twenty?

Chief Elder: … Madeline, Thank you for your childhood

June: I’m glad that assignment’s been taken

Asher: I would have taken that

June: You can’t be a Birth Mother, Asher

Asher: What happened?

June:… I don’t know

Asher: She skipped you

June: I…I don’t know.

Chief Elder: I caused you anguish

June: I accept your apology

Chief Elder: … The Receiver calls it the Capacity to see Beyond.

June: … I think it’s true. Sometimes I see something. And maybe It’s beyond

\*After the Ceremony of Twelves\*

June: Ash! Congratulations!

Asher: Thanks. Congratulations

June: want to ride home Recreation Director

Father: It’s the most important job in the community

June: What did the Chief Elder mean about the person before me failing? What happened to him?

Mother: … But we are never to speak her name.

June: What happened to her?

\*After Parental Conversation\*

June: Fiona Congratulations

Fiona: Thank you. Have you read your rules and instructions yet?

June: Have you read yours?

Fiona: I started. Its a lot of material

June: Mine is just one sheet.

Fiona: … I’m not supposed to read it.

June: I know

Fiona: Are your rules clear enough?

June: … yes

Fiona: … I’m nervous, I’ve been there so often before.

June: … Everything’s different now.

Fiona: I’ll ride home with you.

June: I’d like that

Giver: Hello

June: Hello. I’m Jonas

Giver: I know. Welcome, Receiver of Memory

June: Mame. I apologize for my lack of understanding

Giver: No apologies in this room. We haven’t time.

June:  But I think you are the Receiver of Memory, I’m not anything at all—

Giver: … He was just as tired as I am today. Simply stated, my job is to transmit to you all the memories I have with me.

June: Ma’am. I would be very interested to hear the story of your life—

Giver: It’s the memories of the whole world. Before you, before me, before the previous Receiver, and generations before him.

June: …I don’t understand, ma’am.

Giver: Of course you don’t. You don’t know what snow is. Do you? (*JUNE shakes her head)* Or a sled? Runners?

June: No, ma’am.

Giver: Downhill means nothing to you.

June: Nothing, ma’am.

Giver: Move to the bed and lie face down. Close your eyes. Relax. This will not be painful.

June: What…what are you going to do, ma’am?

Giver: I am going to transmit the memory of snow.

JUNE: Snow. This is snow. Sled. Hill. I’m on a sled on a hill. And I’m moving… downhilllllll!! Runners! Speed! Sled downhill!

Giver:  How do you feel?

June: Surprised

Giver: It was exhausting. But you know, even transmitting a tiny memory to you— I think it lightened me a little.

June: You don’t have the memory anymore? But it was such fun! And I took it from you—

Giver: All I gave you was one ride on one sled on one hill. I have a whole world of them in my memory. 

June: …are you saying that I— could I do it again? Because I think I’d like to, I think I could steer this time by pulling the rope—

Giver: Another day, for a treat maybe.

June: why don’t we have snow and sleds and hills? Did my parents have sleds? Did you?

Giver:  No. It’s a distant memory.

June:  But what happened to snow?

Giver: … It wasn’t a practical thing, so it became obsolete when we went to Sameness. 

June:  Hills. 

Giver:  Hills too. Trucks, and buses, slowed them down. So… Sameness. 

June: I wish we had those things still. Just now and then.

Giver:  So do I. But the choice is not ours.

June:  But ma’am, since you have so much power—

Giver: Let me give you something else. And this time I’m not going to tell you the name of it.

June: Sunshine

Giver: You did get the word. Good! That makes my job easier. Not so much explaining. 

June:  And it came from the sky

Giver: That’s enough for today, we’re off to a good start.

June:  Ma’am *(OLD WOMAN pauses.)* The Chief Elder told me that it would be painful. But it didn’t hurt at all. I really enjoyed it

Giver: I started you with memories of pleasure. My previous failure gave me the wisdom to do that at least. *(She looks at the girl)* It will be painful. 

June:  I’m brave. I really am.

Giver:  I can see that. I think I have enough energy for one more transmission. 

June: Ouch. Owwww—.  It hurt. I couldn’t get the word for it. 

Giver: It was sunburn.

June: It hurt a lot. But I’m glad you have it to me. It was interesting.

Giver: Get up. It’s time for you to go home.

\

June: Ma’am? 

Giver: Yes?

June: It’s just that I don’t know her name. I thought you were the Receiver, but you say now I’m the Receiver… so I don’t know what to call you. 

Mother: You slept soundly, June? No dreams?

June: I slept very soundly.

Mother:  So do I. He’s so fretful at night.

June: I slept soundly

Fiona:  I looked for you yesterday. So we could ride home together. Your bike was there, and I waited a while, but then I went home. 

June:  I apologize for making you wait.

Fiona: I accept your apology

June: You’ve been doing so many volunteer hours with the Old, there won’t be much you don’t already know.

Fiona: did you know they use a dicipline wand on the Old, the same as for small children? *(FLASH)* What? 

June: Nothing

Fiona: Well. I have to go.

June: Me too.

Giver: You’re one minute late—

June: I apologize—

Giver: Ah Ah Ah

June: —I’m one minute late because it just happened again. What I think you call “seeing beyond.” 

GIver: Describe it.

June: It started with an apple a few weeks ago— one second it was a regular old apple, and then one second it had changed. The same thing happened at the ceremony, the faces of the crowd changed, just for a second. And just now, outside with Fiona— her hair…

Giver: Call back the memory of the ride on the sled. Just the beginning of it. Look down in the sled.

June: Yes! I saw it! In the sled!

Giver: Look to the bookcase, the very top row of books—

June: It happened.

**GIVER**: You’re beginning to see the color red.

**JUNE**: The what?

**GIVER**: Back in the time of the memories everything had a shape and size, but they also had a quality called color. There were lots of colors and one of them was red. Your friend Fiona has red hair— quite distinctive actually.

**JUNE**: And the faces of the people at the ceremony? 

**GIVER**: Flesh is not red, but it has red tones in it. There was a time actually— you’ll see it in the memories— when flesh was many different colors. Before we went to Sameness. 

**JUNE**: The red was so beautiful.

**GIVER**: It is.

**JUNE**: Do you see it all the time?

**GIVER**: I see all of them. All of the colors

**JUNE**: Why can’t everyone? Why did colors disappear?

**GIVER**: *(shrugs)* Our people made that choice. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We gave up color when we gave up sunshine. We gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others

**JUNE**: We shouldn’t have!

**GIVER**: You’ve come very quickly to that conclusion. It took me many years. Lie back down. We have so much to do. I’m going to give you a memory of a rainbow. (end scene)

**JUNE**: Asher!

**ASHER**: Oh. Hello, June.

**JUNE**: I want you to do something. 

**ASHER**: What.

**JUNE**: Um. Look at those flowers very carefully. The geraniums.

**ASHER**: …what’s the matter? Is something wrong?

**JUNE**: …Nothing. I thought for a minute that they were wilting and we should let the gardening crew know. 

END OF SCENE 14

**JUNE**: *(cont’d)* It’s not fair!