The Other Side of the Island (29 page)
Read The Other Side of the Island Online
Authors: Allegra Goodman
Tags: #Nature & the Natural World, #Social Issues, #Families, #Family, #Juvenile Fiction, #Individuality, #Fantasy & Magic, #Fiction, #Science Fiction, #Family Life, #Weather, #Peer Pressure, #Islands, #General, #Domestic fiction
“Come to the shelter,” Nurse Applebee urged them in her breathy voice. “It’s not safe; the light will blind us.” She was already halfway out the door.
“You’ll come with me,” Miss Blessing told Honor, Helix, and Quintilian. Nurse Applebee was running away, but Miss Blessing ignored her and blew her whistle. No orderlies arrived. The emergency sirens drowned out every other sound. Miss Blessing blew her whistle again. Nothing happened. “Come, Heloise,” she said.
But Honor didn’t move.
“Come along, Heloise.”
“Who’s Heloise?” Honor asked.
“You are Heloise,” said Miss Blessing.
“I don’t know anyone named Heloise,” said Honor.
“You are Heloise,” Miss Blessing repeated.
“I don’t think so,” said Honor.
“I know so,” said Miss Blessing, and she took Honor by the arm. “Come to the shelter.”
“No,” said Honor.
“We don’t have time for this. Come, Heloise.” Miss Blessing’s voice was tense.
“She’s Honor,” Quintilian said.
“He’s right,” said Helix.
“You see?” said Honor.
“Quiet!” Miss Blessing screamed.
Instinctively, Quintilian shrank back from Miss Blessing. Protectively, Helix moved closer to Honor. They had never heard Miss Blessing scream.
Miss Blessing took a breath. She steadied herself. “You will come with me,” she said between her teeth. “You will tell me the truth. You’ll tell me where you’ve been.”
“I don’t remember,” Honor said.
“You’ll tell me what you’ve done.”
“I don’t remember,” Honor said.
“You will remember exactly who you are.”
“I know who I am,” Honor said.
Miss Blessing’s blue eyes widened in alarm.
You are afraid of me, Honor thought. You are afraid of what I might do. I am Unpredictable and the world is Unpredictable as well. The dawn is many colors, not just one. But she did not say this. Instead she smiled and said sweetly to Miss Blessing, “My name is Honor. Who are you?”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Dear Reader:
Some stories end with a happily ever after. Others end in tragedy. This story begins with a shattered world, but ends for Honor with defiance, relief and joy. She finds her parents; she learns the truth about the island; she reunites with Helix and Quintilian; she insists on her true name.
Our story also ends with some uncertainty. We don’t know if it was a good idea for Honor’s parents to send her back to school. We don’t know if the plot against Earth Mother will succeed, or even if it should succeed. Most of all, we don’t know the source of the fear that keeps adults in check. Is it real fear that the planet is dying before their eyes? Or fear manufactured by the Corporation? A book ending with questions like these would not last long in Honor’s world. Miss Tuttle would cut these pages to ribbons if she could. Then she would rewrite the ending to show that Retrievers bring Honor’s parents home to re-educate them, Miss Blessing rebuilds her school, Earth Mother stabilizes the Weather Station, and Honor learns her lesson and never runs away again.
But as you can tell, I am an Objector to neat endings, and I prefer good questions to simple answers. I hope that when you finish reading this book you will do some questioning of your own about our world’s changing climate, our food supply, and the competing claims of politicians and environmentalists. I hope you wonder about Honor and Helix and Quintilian as well, and imagine their further adventures. I’d love to hear your ideas. Go to my web site:
www.allegragoodman.com
and tell me what you think happens next.
www.allegragoodman.com
and tell me what you think happens next.
Yours in all weather,
Allegra
I am grateful to the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced
Study for the fellowship year in which I wrote this book.
Study for the fellowship year in which I wrote this book.
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