--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Dad takes a step back, one hand still on…" description: "\"“Dad takes a step back, one hand still on my shoulder, and reaches into his pocket. He draws out a little blue capsule, and I feel every molecule in my..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/emily-skrutskie-47232_parent-child-relatio_dad-takes-a-step-back-one-hand-still-on_1732694.jpg" --- # Dad takes a step back, one hand still on my shoulder, and… ![“Dad takes a step back, one hand still on my shoulder, and reaches into his pocket. He draws out a little blue capsule, and I feel every molecule in my body screaming to run. Dad must catch the panic in my eyes - he squeezes my shoulder and holds out the capsule. "Cas, it's fine. It's going to be…” quote by Emily Skrutskie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/emily-skrutskie-47232_parent-child-relatio_dad-takes-a-step-back-one-hand-still-on_1732694.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/emily-skrutskie-47232_parent-child-relatio_dad-takes-a-step-back-one-hand-still-on_1732694.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4de/emily-skrutskie-47232_parent-child-relatio_dad-takes-a-step-back-one-hand-still-on_1732694.jpg) > ““Dad takes a step back, one hand still on my shoulder, and reaches into his pocket. He draws out a little blue capsule, and I feel every molecule in my body screaming to run. Dad must catch the panic in my eyes - he squeezes my shoulder and holds out the capsule. "Cas, it's fine. It's going to be fine. This is just in case." Just in case. Just in case the worst happens. The ship falls. Durga fails, I fail, and the knowledge I carry as a Reckoner trainer must be disposed of. That information can't fall into the wrong hands, into the hands of people who will do anything to take down our beasts. So this little capsule holds the pill that will kill me if it comes to that. "It's waterproof," Dad continues, pressing it into my hand. "The pocket on the collar of your wetsuit, keep it there. It has to stay with you at all times." It won't happen on this voyage. It's such a basic mission, gift-wrapped to be easy enough for me to handle on my own. But even holding the pill fills me with revulsion. On all my training voyages, I've never had to carry one of these capsules. That burden only goes to full-time trainers. "Cas." Dad tilts my chin up, ripping my gaze from the pull. "You were born to do this. I promise you, you'll forget you even have it." I suppose he ought to know - he's been carrying one for two decades. It's just a right of passage, I tell myself, and throw my arms around his neck once more.”” [Emily Skrutskie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-skrutskie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A father gives his child a lethal capsule as a safeguard, symbolizing the heavy burden of responsibility and the fear of catastrophic failure. **In simple terms:** Father gives a deadly pill for safety. Key Takeaway Accept responsibility, but seek healthier coping. Themes responsibility family fear burden trust Mood anxious determined Type narrative dramatic When to use this quote - space missions - military training - high‑risk professions - personal crisis Key Concepts ethics risk management psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance duty with personal safety? - What alternatives exist to lethal safeguards? A Different Perspective The pill may create paranoia rather than security. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Parent child relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent-child-relationship/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) ## Related quotes > [If you're making a time capsule you have to throw my album in there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/if-you-re-making-a-time-capsule-you-have-to-throw-my-album-in-there/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [“The liquid inside was pitching and rolling, like there was a storm inside the tiny capsule.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/the-liquid-inside-was-pitching-and-rolling-like-there-was-a-storm/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) > [Love is pain, take this capsule and get rid of it;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-pain-take-this-capsule-and-get-rid-of-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The poem is a capsule where we wrap up our punishable secrets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/the-poem-is-a-capsule-where-we-wrap-up-our-punishable-secrets/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [“By a time capsule, I mean any fixed pattern that creates or encodes the appearance of motion, change or history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barbour/by-a-time-capsule-i-mean-any-fixed-pattern-that-creates-or-encodes/) [Julian Barbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barbour/) > [Children do learn what they live. 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Even protectiveness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-catherine-bateson/when-any-relationship-is-characterized-by-difference-particularly-a/) [Mary Catherine Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-catherine-bateson/) > [In Afghan society, parents play a central role in the lives of their children; the parent-child relationship is fundamental to who you are and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/in-afghan-society-parents-play-a-central-role-in-the-lives-of-their/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [And most of the failures in parent-child relationships, from my observation, begin when the child begins to acquire a mind and a will of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/and-most-of-the-failures-in-parent-child-relationships-from-my/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [The parent-child relationship in the home usually reflects the objective cultural conditions of the surrounding social structure. If the conditions which penetrate the home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/the-parent-child-relationship-in-the-home-usually-reflects-the/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) ## More by Emily Skrutskie > [“She probably just wants to see me get eaten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-skrutskie/she-probably-just-wants-to-see-me-get-eaten/) [Emily Skrutskie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-skrutskie/) > [“Home is what you kill for. And I killed for Swift.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-skrutskie/home-is-what-you-kill-for-and-i-killed-for-swift/) [Emily Skrutskie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-skrutskie/) > [“But before that day it felt like at least I had an ally on this boat. Now I have nothing. 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I'll have everything I'll ever need, I'm carrying your love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce/it-s-my-strength-for-holding-on-every-minute-that-i-have-to-be-gone-i/) [Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce/) > [To be on the world stage carrying our flag and representing the U.S. Paralympic Team is a huge honor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-schultz/to-be-on-the-world-stage-carrying-our-flag-and-representing-the-u-s/) [Mike Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-schultz/) > [I have no problem putting on a kit, carrying a big sniper rifle, and running a few thousand meters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kennedy/i-have-no-problem-putting-on-a-kit-carrying-a-big-sniper-rifle-and/) [Tim Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kennedy/) > [You stand out in the crowd only because you have these many, many carrying you on their shoulders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/you-stand-out-in-the-crowd-only-because-you-have-these-many-many/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [President Obama has a good sense not just of the economic requisites for financial crisis firefighting but also how you build political support for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lael-brainard/president-obama-has-a-good-sense-not-just-of-the-economic-requisites/) [Lael Brainard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lael-brainard/) Browse all 302 Carrying quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Dad takes a step back, one hand still on my shoulder, and reaches into his pocket. He draws out a little blue capsule, and I feel every molecule in my body screaming to run. Dad must catch the panic in my eyes - he squeezes my shoulder and holds out the capsule. \"Cas, it's fine. It's going to be fine. This is just in case.\" Just in case. Just in case the worst happens. The ship falls. Durga fails, I fail, and the knowledge I carry as a Reckoner trainer must be disposed of. That information can't fall into the wrong hands, into the hands of people who will do anything to take down our beasts. So this little capsule holds the pill that will kill me if it comes to that. \"It's waterproof,\" Dad continues, pressing it into my hand. \"The pocket on the collar of your wetsuit, keep it there. It has to stay with you at all times.\" It won't happen on this voyage. It's such a basic mission, gift-wrapped to be easy enough for me to handle on my own. But even holding the pill fills me with revulsion. On all my training voyages, I've never had to carry one of these capsules. That burden only goes to full-time trainers. \"Cas.\" Dad tilts my chin up, ripping my gaze from the pull. \"You were born to do this. I promise you, you'll forget you even have it.\" I suppose he ought to know - he's been carrying one for two decades. 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