I have just started the Sci-Fi novel The Chrysalids by John Wyndham. It was bought and recommended to me by my father. He was in grade 10 when he read it and still stands that it is the best book he has ever read. Coming from a boy who was not academically inclined as he was, this means a lot. So, I have also decided to read it.
David, the protagonist, is sliding along a sandhill when he sees some rustling in the bushes beside him. He looks closer and sees a small girl with her head peaking out from the branches. As soon as she asses the situation with the sliding and all, she asks him if it’s fun what he is doing. He says yes and so she tries it. The fearful look in her eyes immediately turn to wistful. A few moments later David finds her laying at the bottom of the hill with her foot stuck and tears in her eyes. He thinks to himself,
For almost the first time in my life I found myself in charge of a situation which needed a decision. I made it.
The first thing I thought of when I read this is how I feel when I babysit. For all my life I have been the one being taken care of and without responsibility. If ever something was to go wrong someone older, stronger and more mature would deal with it. Now, while babysitting I am taking care of children and the responsibility falls on me. It is a scary feeling when you realize this. It is like an automatic “grown-up” moment. In the end, I relate to how David feels and while I read the book I will take into consideration that he has a mature mind.