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记忆传授人|The Giver

第二章 养育婴儿|Chapter 2

属类： 双语小说 【分类】魔幻小说 阅读：[13577]
《 字+字- 行+行- 页+页- 字+字- 行+行- 页+页- 》
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乔纳思耐心地等着爸爸又倒了一杯咖啡。

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“你知道，”爸爸终于开口了，“在我小时候，每年的十二月，我都非常兴奋。我很确定你和莉莉也一样。十二月总会带来很多的变化。”

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乔纳思点点头，他还记得自己变成四岁的那个十ニ月，之前的十二月他就不复记忆了。不过，他努力地观察了莉莉早年的每个十二月。他还记得他们家接受莉莉的日子，她就在那天接受命名，变成一岁。

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为一岁孩子举办的典礼非常热闹、有趣。每年的十二月，所有在这之前一年诞生的新生儿，都变成一岁。每个岁级通常都有五十个小孩——除非有人被解放。打从一出生就负责照料他们的养育师，会把他们带到台上来。有的小孩已经会迈开小腿，摇摇晃晃地走路；有的可能才几天大，还包在襁褓里，由养育师抱着出场。

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“我很喜欢命名典礼。”乔纳思说。

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妈妈也颇有同感地微笑着：“在接受莉莉那一年，我们当然事先就知道会获得到一名女婴，因为我们提出申请，也获得批准。但是我们很好奇，不知她会叫什么名字。”

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“在典礼之前，我原本是可以偷偷地溜进去查看名单，”

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爸爸说，“因为委员会事先拟好的名单就放在养育中心的办公室里。”

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“事实上，”爸爸继续说，“这样做会让我觉得不安。但是，今天下午我还是溜进去偷看命名的名单。我赶紧找到第三十六号，也就是我一直很关心的那个小家伙。因为我突然想到，如果我可以叫他的名字，也许他的发育会更好。当然是趁私下里旁边没人的时候才叫。”

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“你找到了没有？”乔纳思问。他被爸爸的话给吸引住了，虽然爸爸违反的规则不严重，但是光想到爸爸违规，就够他心惊胆战的了。他偷偷瞄了妈妈一眼，因为妈妈平常的工作就是维护法规。还好，妈妈在微笑，他松了一口气。

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爸爸点点头：“如果他没在命名典礼前被解放的话，他会叫做加波。所以现在趁着每四个小时喂食的机会，还有做运动和玩游戏的时间，我就这样小声地叫他。只要不被人听见就行了。”

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“事实上，我是叫他‘加波’。”爸爸说完，笑了一下。

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“加波。”乔纳思觉得这是个好名字。

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当年，他们家获得莉莉并知道她的名字时，乔纳思才五岁，但他仍清楚地记得家中兴奋的气氛，以及围绕她的话题不知妹妹长什么样子？个性怎样？能不能跟他们一家合得来？他还记得跟着爸爸妈妈上台时，爸爸就站在他身边，因为这年爸爸自己要领新生儿，不是以养育师的身份出席。

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他还记得妈妈抱着新妹妹，放到他的臂弯中，在这同时，大会当众宣布文件上的资料：“第二十三号新生儿，莉莉。”

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他还记得爸爸笑容满面，小声咕哝着：“她是我最喜欢的宝宝之一，我一直希望就是她。”大家鼓掌庆贺，乔纳思也不禁露齿一笑。他喜欢妹妹的名字。那个时候莉莉已经醒了，正挥舞着小拳头。后来他们便走下台来，让位给下一个家庭。

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爸爸开口说道：“当我十一岁、跟你现在一样年纪时，也是急切地等着十二岁典礼的到来。典礼长达两天，但我只对一岁的典礼和妹妹的典礼有兴趣，至于其他的典礼就不怎么在意了。在她九岁那一年，她得到了自行车，事实上，之前我已经用我的自行车，偷偷教她怎么骑了。虽然按规定我不应该这样做。”

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乔纳思笑了起来，有些法则大家不是很当一回事，不太遵守，甚至还违规。照规定，孩子会在九岁那年得到自行车，所以九岁以前不准骑车。但是，几乎所有哥哥或姐姐，都会暗地里教弟弟或妹妹。乔纳思自己早就在想要怎样教莉莉了。

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大家曾经提议修改法则，要求早一点提供自行车，也成立了专门委员会研究可行性，但始终没有下文，所以现在只要有议题要讨论，大家就会开玩笑地说，等修法完成，委员们早已经变成老人了。

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改变规则很难，但如果事关重大——不像只是几岁给自行车这种小事一那就呈报给记忆传承人定夺。记忆传承人是社区里地位最崇高的长老。乔纳思从未看过他，只知道他不轻易露面。不过，委员们是不会拿自行车这种小事去打扰记忆传承人的。他们只会争辩上几年，直到人们忘了这回事。

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爸爸继续说：“我兴奋地看着自己的妹妹卡迪雅变成九岁，拿下头发上的蝴蝶结，得到她的自行车。”爸爸说，“至于十岁和十一岁的典礼我本来就心不在焉，我一直在等十二岁庆典，仿佛等了永恒那么久，在第二天结束之前，终于轮到我了——那就是我十二岁的庆典。”

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乔纳思颤抖了一下，他在脑海里勾勒着爸爸少年时的模样，他那时一定很害羞、很安静地坐在同伴中，等着被叫上台。十二岁的典礼是整个典礼的压轴，非常重要。

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“轮到我的时候，我爸爸妈妈感到无比光荣，我的妹妹也是。虽然她很想到外面光明正大地骑自行车，但是，她一点也不烦躁，反而坐得直直的，非常专注。不过，老实说，乔纳思，这场典礼的悬念对我来说没你的高。”爸爸说，“因为我已经很清楚自己会被指派什么工作。”

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乔纳思很惊讶，不可能有人事先知道呀。这是一项秘密工作，由社区的领导者——长老委员会负责遴选。他们的保密工作可以说滴水不漏，甚至在指派工作时也不准开玩笑。

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妈妈看起来也很惊讶：“你怎么可能事先知道？”

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爸爸露出一贯温和的笑容：“因为情况太明显了——就连我的父母事后也承认，只要根据我的爱好判断，就不难推测出来。我一向喜欢新生儿，当同年龄的朋友在比赛自行车或用积木搭建交通工具、建筑物的时候，或……”

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“没错，我跟朋友都做这些事。”乔纳思插话说。妈妈也同意地点点头。

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“当然，我也参与各种活动，因为孩子本来就应该多方尝试。跟你一样，乔纳思，我在学校也很用功读书。但是，一次又一次，在课余时间，我总是不由自主地被新生儿吸引。我几乎把所有当义工的时间都花在育婴中心。长老们当然知道这件事，他们一直在观察。”

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乔纳思点点头，过去这一年，他也意识到长老们对他的观察越来越密切。不管是在学校、娱乐中心或义工时间，长老们都注视着他和其他十一岁孩子的一举一动。他看到过他们写笔记，也知道长老们还跟所有十一岁孩子以往的老师进行了长时间的会谈。

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“所以我期待这样的结果，也很开心有这样的结果。听到长老们指派我担任养育师，我一点都不意外。”爸爸说。

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“即使是意料中的事，大家还会鼓掌喝采吗？”乔纳思问。

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“哦，当然啦，大家都为我高兴，因为这是我最想要的工作，我觉得非常幸运。”爸爸微笑着说。

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“在你那一年，有没有哪个十一岁的孩子感到失望？”

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乔纳思问。不像爸爸，他对于自己未来可能被指派什么工作，一点儿概念都没有。但他知道有哪些工作自己肯定不喜欢。比方说，虽然爸爸的工作很崇高，但是他一点儿也不想当养育师。劳工也不是他羡慕的对象。

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爸爸想了一下。“没有，我想是没有。毕竟长老们在观察和遴选时，是非常小心谨慎的。”

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“这很可能是我们社区最重要的工作。”妈妈下评论。

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“我的朋友尤雪蔻很惊讶自己被指派担任医生。”爸爸说，“知道消息后，她非常激动。让我再想想，还有安德烈，当我们还是小男孩时，他不喜欢运动，休闲时都在盖积木，义工时间也都在基地帮忙。长老当然非常清楚这一点，所以安德烈被指派当工程师，他可以说是如愿以偿。”

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“安德烈后来设计了那座跨越河面、通往城西的大桥。”

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乔纳思的妈妈说，“在我们小时候，还没那座桥。”

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“乔纳思，很少人志趣不符。你大可不用担心这件事。”

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爸爸再次安慰他，“万一你真的不满意，还可以向委员会上诉。”大家一听到“向委员会上诉”，又笑了起来。

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“我很替亚瑟担心，不知道他会被指派什么工作？”乔纳思承认，“亚瑟人很风趣，爱开玩笑，但是，缺少比较正经的兴趣。”

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爸爸轻声笑了起来：“你知道吗？我记得当亚瑟还是个新生儿、尚未命名的时候，他就从来不哭，整天开心地嘻嘻笑。工作人员都很喜欢照顾他。”

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“长老们知道亚瑟的个性。”妈妈说，“一定会找到最适当的工作给他。我想你不用为他操心。不过，乔纳思，虽然有些事不见得会发生在你身上，我还是得先警告你。我自己是在十二岁典礼之后才想到这一点。”

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“什么事？”

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“你也知道，这是你最后一个升级典礼。十二岁以后，年纪就不再重要，大部分的人甚至在时光流逝之后，忘了自己到底是几岁。不过，如果你想知道，随时可以到开放档案大厅去查。重要的是，我们要为成人以后的生活提前做准备，并且接受工作训练。”

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“我知道。”乔纳思说，“每个人都知道。”

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妈妈继续说：“这意味着你将迈入新的团体，你的每一个朋友都是这样。你不能再跟同年龄的孩子共度时光了。十二岁典礼之后，你会跟指派给你的团体一起受训，再也没有义工时间，也没有娱乐时间。所以朋友之间无法再像从前那样亲近了。”

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乔纳思摇摇头说：“亚瑟和我永远都是朋友，”他坚定地说，“我们还会一起上学。”

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“没错。”爸爸同意，“但是妈妈说的是事实，有些事会改变。”

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“不过呢，是‘好的’改变。”妈妈指出，“十二岁典礼过后，我很怀念童年无忧无虑的生活：但是当我接受相关的法律和司法训练时，我发现能够和一群志趣相投的人共事，和另一个层面、各种年龄层的人交朋友也很好。”

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“十二岁以后，您还玩游戏吗？”乔纳思问。

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“偶尔。”妈妈回答，“但是不像以前那样重要了。”

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“我就常玩。”爸爸大笑着说，“到现在还玩。我每天在育婴中心玩青蛙跳、藏猫猫，还有小熊抱抱的游戏。”他伸出手，轻抚着乔纳思修剪整齐的头发，“并不是一到十二岁，就结束所有的玩乐。”

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莉莉穿着睡袍出现在门口，不耐烦地叹了一口气：“这次的个别谈话可真长，还有人在等玩具哩。”

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“莉莉，”妈妈开心地说，“你就快八岁了，一到八岁，填充玩具就要收回去，送给更小的孩子玩，你应该开始学着不抱它睡觉了。”

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不过，爸爸已经走到柜子边，把上面的填充大象拿下来。这些填充玩具都是想象中的动物，里头塞满棉花，很柔软，以前乔纳思的是只小熊。

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“在这里，莉莉小宝贝。”爸爸说，“我来帮你解开头上的蝴蝶结。”

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乔纳思和妈妈翻了翻眼珠子，看着莉莉和爸爸拿着莉莉从出生时就得到的填充大象玩具，朝卧房走去。妈妈走到大桌子边，打开手提箱；即使晚上开夜车，她的工作好像还是永远做不完。乔纳思回到自己的书桌旁，开始构思怎么写报告。不过，他还是牵挂着即将来临的十二月庆典。

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和爸爸妈妈谈过后，他安心了不少，但对长老们会分派给他怎样的工作，毫无概念。不知道到时自己会有什么样的感受呢！

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Jonas watched as his father poured a fresh cup of coffee. He waited.

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"You know," his father finally said, "every December was exciting to me when I was young. And it has been for you and Lily, too, I’m sure. Each December brings such changes."

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Jonas nodded. He could remember the Decembers back to when he had become, well, probably a Four. The earlier ones were lost to him. But he observed them each year, and he remembered Lily’s earliest Decembers. He remembered when his family received Lily, the day she was named, the day that she had become a One.

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The Ceremony for the Ones was always noisy and fun. Each December, all the new children born in the previous year turned One. One at a time — there were always fifty in each year’s group, if none had been released — they had been brought to the stage by the Nurturers who had cared for them since birth. Some were already walking, wobbly on their unsteady legs; others were no more than a few days old, wrapped in blankets, held by their Nurturers.

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"I enjoy the Naming," Jonas said.

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His mother agreed, smiling. "The year we got Lily, we knew, of course, that we’d receive our female, because we’d made our application and been approved. But I’d been wondering and wondering what her name would be."

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"I could have sneaked a look at the list prior to the ceremony," Father confided . "The committee always makes the list in advance, and it’s right there in the office at the Nurturing Center.

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"As a matter of fact," he went on, "I feel a little guilty about this. But I did go in this afternoon and looked to see if this year’s Naming list had been made yet. It was right there in the office, and I looked up number Thirty-six — that’s the little guy I’ve been concerned about — because it occurred to me that it might enhance his nurturing if I could call him by a name. Just privately , of course, when no one else is around."

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"Did you find it?" Jonas asked. He was fascinated. It didn’t seem a terribly important rule, but the fact that his father had broken a rule at all awed him. He glanced at his mother, the one responsible for adherence to the rules, and was relieved that she was smiling.

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His father nodded. "His name — if he makes it to the Naming without being released, of course — is to be Gabriel. So I whisper that to him when I feed him every four hours, and during exercise and playtime. If no one can hear me.

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"I call him Gabe, actually," he said, and grinned.

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"Gabe." Jonas tried it out. A good name, he decided .

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Though Jonas had only become a Five the year that they acquired Lily and learned her name, he remembered the excitement, the conversations at home, wondering about her: how she would look, who she would be, how she would fit into their established family unit. He remembered climbing the steps to the stage with his parents, his father by his side that year instead of with the Nurturers, since it was the year that he would be given a new child of his own.

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He remembered his mother taking the new child his sister, into her arms, while the document was read to the assembled family units. "Newchild Twenty-three," the Namer had read. "Lily."

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He remembered his father’s look of delight, and that his father had whispered, "She’s one of my favorites. I was hoping for her to be the one." The crowd had clapped, and Jonas had grinned. He liked his sister’s name. Lily, barely awake, had waved her small fist. Then they had stepped down to make room for the next family unit.

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"When I was an Eleven," his father said now, "as you are, Jonas, I was very impatient, waiting for the Ceremony of Twelve. It’s a long two days. I remember that I enjoyed the Ones, as I always do, but that I didn’t pay much attention to the other ceremonies, except for my sister’s. She became a Nine that year, and got her bicycle. I’d been teaching her to ride mine, even though technically I wasn’t supposed to."

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Jonas laughed. It was one of the few rules that was not taken very seriously and was almost always broken. The children all received their bicycles at Nine; they were not allowed to ride bicycles before then. But almost always, the older brothers and sisters had secretly taught the younger ones. Jonas had been thinking already about teaching Lily.

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There was talk about changing the rule and giving the bicycles at an earlier age. A committee was studying the idea. When something went to a committee for study, the people always joked about it. They said that the committee members would become Elders by the time the rule change was made.

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Rules were very hard to change. Sometimes, if it was a very important rule — unlike the one governing the age for bicycles — it would have to go, eventually, to The Receiver for a decision. The Receiver was the most important Elder. Jonas had never even seen him, that he knew of; someone in a position of such importance lived and worked alone. But the committee would never bother The Receiver with a question about bicycles; they would simply fret and argue about it themselves for years, until the citizens forgot that it had ever gone to them for study.

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His father continued. "So I watched and cheered when my sister, Katya, became a Nine and removed her hair ribbons and got her bicycle," Father went on. "Then I didn’t pay much attention to the Tens and Elevens. And finally, at the end of the second day, which seemed to go on forever, it was my turn. It was the Ceremony of Twelve."

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Jonas shivered. He pictured his father, who must have been a shy and quiet boy, for he was a shy and quiet man, seated with his group, waiting to be called to the stage. The Ceremony of Twelve was the last of the Ceremonies. The most important.

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"I remember how proud my parents looked — and my sister, too; even though she wanted to be out riding the bicycle publicly, she stopped fidgeting and was very still and attentive when my turn came.

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"But to be honest, Jonas," his father said, "for me there was not the element of suspense that there is with your Ceremony. Because I was already fairly certain of what my Assignment was to be."

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Jonas was surprised. There was no way, really, to know in advance. It was a secret selection, made by the leaders of the community, the Committee of Elders, who took the responsibility so seriously that there were never even any jokes made about Assignments.

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His mother seemed surprised, too. "How could you have known?" she asked.

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His father smiled his gentle smile. "Well, it was clear to me — and my parents later confessed that it had been obvious to them, too — what my aptitude was. I had always loved the new children more than anything. When my friends in my age group were holding bicycle races, or building toy vehicles or bridges with their construction sets, or — "

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"All the things I do with my friends," Jonas pointed out, and his mother nodded in agreement.

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"I always participated, of course, because as children we must experience all of those things. And I studied hard in school, as you do, Jonas. But again and again, during free time, I found myself drawn to the new children I spent almost all of my volunteer hours helping in the Nurturing Center. Of course the Elders knew that, from their observation."

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Jonas nodded. During the past year he had been aware of the increasing level of observation. In school, at recreation time, and during volunteer hours, he had noticed the Elders watching him and the other Elevens. He had seen them taking notes. He knew, too, that the Elders were meeting for long hours with all of the instructors that he and the other Elevens had had during their years of school.

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"So I expected it, and I was pleased, but not at all surprised, when my Assignment was announced as Nurturer ," Father explained.

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"Did everyone applaud, even though they weren’t surprised?" Jonas asked.

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"Oh, of course. They were happy for me, that my Assignment was what I wanted most. I felt very fortunate." His father smiled.

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"Were any of the Elevens disappointed, your year?" Jonas asked. Unlike his father, he had no idea what his Assignment would be. But he knew that some would disappoint him. Though he respected his father’s work, Nurturer would not be his wish. And he didn’t envy Laborers at all.

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His father thought. "No, I don’t think so. Of course the Elders are so careful in their observations and selections."

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"I think it’s probably the most important job in our community," his mother commented.

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"My friend Yoshiko was surprised by her selection as Doctor," Father said, "but she was thrilled. And let’s see, there was Andrei — I remember that when we were boys he never wanted to do physical things. He spent all the recreation time he could with his construction set, and his volunteer hours were always on building sites. The Elders knew that, of course. Andrei was given the Assignment of Engineer and he was delighted."

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"Andrei later designed the bridge that crosses the river to the west of town," Jonas’s mother said. "It wasn’t there when we were children."

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"There are very rarely disappointments, Jonas. I don’t think you need to worry about that," his father reassured him. "And if there are, you know there’s an appeal process." But they all laughed at that — an appeal went to a committee for study.

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"I worry a little about Asher’s Assignment," Jonas confessed. "Asher’s such fun. But he doesn’t really have any serious interests. He makes a game out of everything."

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His father chuckled . "You know," he said, "I remember when Asher was a new child at the Nurturing Center, before he was named. He never cried. He giggled and laughed at everything. All of us on the staff enjoyed nurturing Asher."

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"The Elders know Asher," his mother said. "They’ll find exactly the right Assignment for him. I don’t think you need to worry about him. But, Jonas, let me warn you about something that may not have occurred to you. I know I didn’t think about it until after my Ceremony of Twelve."

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"What’s that?"

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"Well, it’s the last of the Ceremonies, as you know. After Twelve, age isn’t important. Most of us even lose track of how old we are as time passes, though the information is in the Hall of Open Records, and we could go and look it up if we wanted to. What’s important is the preparation for adult life, and the training you’ll receive in your Assignment."

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"I know that," Jonas said. "Everyone knows that."

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"But it means," his mother went on, "that you’ll move into a new group. And each of your friends will. You’ll no longer be spending your time with your group of Elevens. After the Ceremony of Twelve, you’ll be with your Assignment group, with those in training. No more volunteer hours. No more recreation hours. So your friends will no longer be as close."

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Jonas shook his head. "Asher and I will always be friends," he said firmly. "And there will still be school."

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"That’s true," his father agreed. "But what your mother said is true as well. There will be changes."

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"Good changes, though," his mother pointed out.

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"After my Ceremony of Twelve, I missed my childhood recreation. But when I entered my training for Law and Justice, I found myself with people who shared my interests. I made friends on a new level, friends of all ages."

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"Did you still play at all, after Twelve?" Jonas asked.

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"Occasionally," his mother replied. "But didn’t seem as important to me."

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"I did," his father said, laughing. "I still do. Every day, at the Nurturing Center, I play bounce-on-the-knee, and peek-a-boo, and hug-the-teddy." He reached over and stroked Jonas’s neatly trimmed hair. "Fun doesn’t end when you become Twelve."

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Lily appeared, wearing her nightclothes, in the doorway . She gave an impatient sigh. "This is certainly a very long private conversation," she said. "And there are certain people waiting for their comfort object."

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"Lily," her mother said fondly, "You’re very close to being an Eight, and when you’re an Eight, your comfort object will be taken away. It will be recycled to the younger children. You should be starting to go off to sleep without it."

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But her father had already gone to the shelf and taken down the stuffed elephant which was kept there. Many of the comfort objects, like Lily’s, were soft, stuffed, imaginary creatures. Jonas’s had been called a bear.

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"Here you are, Lily-billy," he said. "I’ll come help you remove your hair ribbons."

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Jonas and his mother rolled their eyes, yet they watched affectionately as Lily and her father headed to her sleeping-room with the stuffed elephant that had been given to her as her comfort object when she was born. His mother moved to her big desk and opened her briefcase ; her work never seemed to end, even when she was at home in the evening. Jonas went to his own desk and began to sort through his school papers for the evening’s assignment. But his mind was still on December and the coming Ceremony.

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Though he had been reassured by the talk with his parents, he hadn’t the slightest idea what Assignment the Elders would be selecting for his future, or how he might feel about it when the day came.

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