Dear mom and dad,
I am writing to tell you that Henry and I are safe. We are now living among free men at a place called the White Mountains. It is a place very far from Wherton. I cannot tell you exactly where it is because that might endanger the lives of a lot of people. I know you must have been worried sick. I am sorry we left without telling you and without saying goodbye, but I think you wouldn't have understood why.
I left Wherton of my own free will. And that is the whole point of my journey.
The reason I left home is because I don't want to be Capped. I know you and everyone at Wherton think that it is normal and alright to be Capped. I don't agree. The Tripods are not who you think they are. The situation started when Jack got Capped. I noticed that Jack wasn't acting like himself after that. It seemed like something had been taken out of him. The vagrant Ozymandias explained to me that once you are Capped, you lose the power to think for yourself. He said that the Tripods make you obey and respect them by controlling your mind. I realized that Ozymandias was telling the truth because Jack used to have doubts about the Tripods, but after being Capped, he had no doubts anymore. Don't you think it's strange that no one who's Capped has ever asked why the Tripods are in our lives? We know so little about them. It's hard for me to explain all this to you because I'm not sure that you will understand, but I'm going to try.
Henry and I have been on an incredible journey. We have seen many wonders. We saw a "Shmand-fair" which is a long vehicle that is pulled by horses. It can carry many people and heavy things. We went to a great abandoned city created by the ancient humans. There we found a lot of inventions created by the ancient people. There were huge structures and buildings, and vehicles or carts that can move without having to be pulled by horses. There were underground tunnels which I guess must have been used for travelling. There was this metal egg that explodes once you pull out the ring that is attached to it. We even saw a man-made river. The ancient humans were actually really smart to build these great cities and gadgets. But I think that they must have perished in a war with the Tripods.
Our journey wasn't smooth. I've fallen ill, been captured by Tripod, even had a tracking device implanted in me. But I managed to destroy a Tripod. I know it must be shocking to you!
We have met many people. They live very differently from us. There is this foreign boy called Zhan-pole or Beanpole, as we call him. He lives in a country beyond the sea. He joined us on our journey to the White Mountains. Beanpole is very smart. He has poor eyesight but he figured out a way to see better by wearing glass lenses in front of each eye. He learnt to speak our language just by reading a book. There was also this very nice family who live in a castle with a red tower. We stayed with them for a while. During that time, I learnt some important things about freedom. They are Capped like everyone else but that doesn't mean that they can't think or make their own choices unlike slaves. They can make their own decisions and choices, but not about important things. They can decide to hunt, or go to different places or make friends with strangers. So they still have some freedom. But their freedom is not real freedom. They still obey the Tripods. They don't question why their lives have to be ruled by the Tripods.
I realized that making a decision to be free is not easy. There are many kinds of freedom. I realized why some people would decide to live under the control of others like the Tripods. You can still live a nice life and be happy, maybe happier than free men. I know that you can't be totally free to do anything you feel like. But you should be free to make important decisions about your own life. You should be free to question everything. And that is the reason why I left Wherton. The only way that I can make important decisions about my own life is if I'm not Capped. That is why I cannot come home and risk being Capped.
I also discovered about love. I fell in love with a wonderful girl called Eloise. I was so in love with her that I was willing to forget going to the White Mountains and stay with Eloise and maybe get Capped. I think Eloise loved me too. Unfortunately, she was Capped and chose to go away to serve the Tripods. My heart was broken. I guess that love is a powerful thing. It can make you do funny things.
I think I have grown up at lot since leaving Wherton. I am sad that I will not be coming back home. I really love you but I want to make my own choices, good or bad. It is what makes us truly human.
Love,
Will
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