Monday, February 25, 2008

Blog #8 The Pilot, the beast, and the Storm

Ralph was whispering to Piggy around the small signal fire down on the beach. Sam and Eric stood close straining to hear the conversation. They laughed quietly and wandered over to group of little ones digging in the sand. A thin trickle of smoke snaked up into the sky, contrasting oddly with the golden clouds. The wind had slowly picked up and was now blowing steadily, churning the hot air and blowing it every which way.
I saw Ralph gently take the conch from Piggy's arms, and raise it to his lips. Before he drew in a breath I slowly moved aside a wall of creepers and slipped easily through barely touching the vines. The conch sounded shortly, causing the bird to flit around from nest to nest calling out stridently. I followed the old pig track, to the base of the mountain, there were still faint footprints from the hunt, and a lot of brush was crushed haphazardly at the base of the hill. I stepped of the pig run and, slowly walked through the jungle towards Castle Rock, Jack's base. Stepping carefully through the mass of ferns I arrived, overlooking a group of boys. Jack's eyes were wildly happy and he was sitting in a makeshift chair, decorated with various ornaments, flowers, vines, and he wore his mask of clay. He was speaking gleefully to a small group of boys, who intently listened to his words.
A fetid smell came wafting towards me on the hot wind. I rose slowly from the hill top and skirted the edge of the jungle back towards Ralph's camp. The smell followed me, clinging to my skin and every time I drew a breath I would retch. It became steadily stronger as I approached the base of the mountain, a fly idly looped passed my nose and I brushed it off irritably. More and more of them kept, buzzing around my head, searching for the source I looked around. Black eyes, peered at me from between the leaves. Empty sockets black and lifeless. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply, slowly I opened one eyes. They were still there, I moved cautiously and moved towards the eyes. I pushed past the leaves and there, lifelessly smiling was a pig's head on a stick. The stick, was sticky and brown with blood, and some slowly oozed towards the ground. The mouth was open, with he tongue lolling out to one side, the heat beat down on the island slowly draining all the energy out of the mountain.
"A mistake, just leave go back to Ralph “Flies weaved in and out of the eyes. The voice seemed calm, but with an edge.
"You are a silly, boy." Said the Lord of the Flies. "Don't you agree?" I tried to talk but my tongue felt heavy in my mouth and I just stared.
"Go play, leave, go to the other boys." I felt myself answer, silently conversing without meaning to.
"They will think you are batty, you like Ralph a lot, don’t you?" Teasing the head continued.” You don’t want Ralph to think you are batty do you?"
The stick had gone, the head was floating in space right above me. Sprawled on the ground I could do nothing but stare.
" I am the Beast, aren’t you scared boy? Just run away." A slightly menacing air had come about the pig's head. " I am the beast, I am inside you, you cannot kill me!"
"Pig on a stick" I managed drawing a deep breath.
"You think you know more than I do, you cannot escape that way, I will be there."
The pig's head slowly swelled to the point where I was staring into the black of the mouth. I was swallowed up and I couldn’t breath, I gave up and slumped down.
-----------
A hot gust, blew through the trees. Slowly I drew in a deep breath the head was gone and the glade was locked in a eerie silence.
"What do I do?" Questioning the leaves, the trees, the butterflies, but none of them answered. Clambered slowly up, wincing I felt something warm running down my nose. I touched my nose hesitantly, and m hand came back stained red. Wiping my nose with my arm, a long line of blood stretched from my forearm to my wrist. Leaving the glade I continued towards the base of the mountain wincing with every step. The climb was easy, there was a small path and was worn by boys running to and fro by the signal fire. Clouds piled high towering in the sky, a gold color illuminated by the last rays on sunlight. I reached the top in about five minutes of steady walking. Uneasy I peered around a bluder at the platform. There was a man sitting on top the of the mountain hunched over, his limbs sprawled at odd angles. Something blues was snapped open by the wind, and the man sat up. I gasped in horror. His skin was pitted and hollowed, and the eyes were empty sockets, black holes. The wind died down a bit and he slumped down again, locked in a steadfast ritual. Sadly I approached the figure and untangled it from the rocks. it flopped down and lay still.
I climbed down the hill after one last glance at the pilot. I would have to go tell Ralph there was no beast. I shielded me eyes and looked for a column of smoke to show me where the camp was. There was one in the distance over near castle rock, they must have moved camp. maybe Ralph[h could convince Jack there was no beast, he could show him the pilot and then all the nonsense would be over. jack was a bit batty also, he was consumed with power, and he had see top a throne in camp. it was a bit sad really. Far off I could hear a tremulous chanting, it was getting louder as I drew nearer.
"Kill the pig, cut her throat, spill her blood!" Eagerly I tripped on a rock and stumbled out into the clearing. The air stank of corruption and I could see a mass of boys manically chanting.
"A pilot on the hill! There was no beast." They turned, there eyes gleaming and as one body moved forward surging towards me. " There is no beast!" Scared now I slowly tried to turn and run but they sprinted up to me. I could see Jack face painted eyes glittering, shoving his ay through I felt teeth on my arm, a spear was flung and lodged it self in my back. I crouched low to the ground and covered my head. The chant had changed.
"Kill the beast, cut his throat, spill his blood!" They were stabbing me, biting me, clawing me frenzied and delighted in the darkness. I wrenched away and I ran over, off the edge of the rock, but they were too fast. They all jumped on me at once, I felt something close in on my neck, there were a million hands all grabbing at me, slowly I faded away and fell onto the beach.
---
A lone figure clumsily waltzed down the beach, and walked past Simon, illuminated and floating out by the reef, it floated down the mountain past the boys and out towards the sunset hanging limply.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Zoe, again, i am really amazed by your writing skills. I thought this was your best blog yet, but i havent read all of them.
1. I liked the tittle The Pilot, the beast, and the Storm"
2. I like this really descriptive paragraph:
"Jack's eyes were wildly happy and he was sitting in a makeshift chair, decorated with various ornaments, flowers, vines, and he wore his mask of clay."

I could really imagine how they were killing Simon by this sentence:
"The chant had changed.
"Kill the beast, cut his throat, spill his blood!" They were stabbing me, biting me, clawing me frenzied and delighted in the darkness."

daniel said...

wow each one keeps getting better and better.
in this one ass well as the otheres it was amazing
and i really liked how you used this word.

"Kill the pig, cut her throat, spill her blood!" Eagerly I tripped on a rock and stumbled out into the clearing. The air stank of corruption and I could see a mass of boys manically chanting.


i never ever would have thought of using it in this way it is really cool the way you use all of your words but this one sttod out to me.