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.
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.
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.
His father continued. ‘So I watched and cheered when my sister, Katya, became a Nine and removed her hair ribbons and got her bicycle. 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.’
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.
‘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.
‘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.’
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.
His mother seemed surprised, too. ‘How could you have known?’ she asked.
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 newchildren 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—’
‘All the things I do with my friends,’ Jonas pointed out, and his mother nodded in agreement.
‘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 newchildren. I spent almost all of my volunteer hours helping in the Nurturing Centre. Of course the Elders knew that, from their observation.’
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.
‘So I expected it, and I was pleased, but not at all surprised, when my Assignment was announced as Nurturer,’ Father explained.
‘Did everyone applaud, even though they weren’t surprised?’ Jonas asked.
‘Oh, of course. They were happy for me, that my Assignment was what I wanted most. I felt very fortunate.’ His father smiled.
‘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 Labourers at all.
His father thought. ‘No, I don’t think so. Of course the Elders are so careful in their observations and selections.’
‘I think it’s probably the most important job in our community,’ his mother commented.
‘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.’
‘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.’
‘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.
‘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.’
His father chuckled. ‘You know,’ he said, ‘I remember when Asher was a newchild at the Nurturing Centre, before he was named. He never cried. He giggled and laughed at everything. All of us on the staff enjoyed nurturing Asher.’
‘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.’
‘What’s that?’
‘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.’
‘I know that,’ Jonas said. ‘Everyone knows that.’
‘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.’
Jonas shook his head. ‘Asher and I will always be friends,’ he said firmly. ‘And there will still be school.’
‘That’s true,’ his father agreed. ‘But what your mother said is true as well. There will be changes.’
‘Good changes, though,’ his mother pointed out. ‘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.’
‘Did
