I made some bigger changes like adding sentences. These changes I bolded, but the smaller edits like capitalzation, sentence fragments and run-ons I did not bold.
We rose, quietly nursing bruises and rubbing our eyes until the events of last night came back all in a flash. The darkness, snarling, kicking, clawing, and the glasses, the fire. As we crept solemnly out the door of the hut we could see Ralph bending desperately over the fire blowing at the dark smudge until his breath run out. Piggy sat on the log squinting at Ralph evidently trying to see through the haze without his glasses.
"Ralph Its no use-"
"They took the glasses we’ve got no fire now-" We were trying to comfort Ralph , but we had quite the wrong effect.
"Yes they took our fire!" His voice rose shrilly, and his eyes flashed dangerously "They stole it from us!" it was quite dishonest really, not fair, we could have just given them fire, I am sure Ralph wouldn't have minded.
"Piggy?" Piggy's head swiveled in the direction of the voice, blindly staring in the direciton of the voice
"Yes Ralph?"
"Can you see me?" One of his cheeks was puffy and it pressed against his eyelid.
"A bit, you quite hazy, but I can see you outline." He peered intently in Ralph’s direction. "Ralph I want my glasses back, really its wrong what they gone and did!" he rubbed his eyes as if he was trying to clear them. "I cannot see now, and well that’s not really fair, I voted for you as chief, you have got to tell us what to do!" Ralph fiddled with his cheek.
"There is no fire now, we wont get rescued now. I don’t know how they cannot remember." He murmured softly. ” They cant remember home, school, or even civilization its all a game to them." He sadly gaze in the direciton of castle rock. "Its just hunting, fighting, killing to them. I don't think they can realize what they are doing, its not really them anymore."
"Then I'm going to go see Jack. He took me glasses and Im going with the conch! He doesn’t have that, he cant! He has to give them back, he has to!" We exchanged looks, surely Piggy wasn’t hoping to just ask Jack for his glasses! He wouldn’t give them back.
Surprisingly Ralph seemed to be a bit excited about his idea. "We could wash, and you know comb our hair. We could go there all civilized to show them." He murmured the next sentence. "Show them, make them remember..."
"I got some socks from when we landed-"
"We could wear them, like caps." It seemed a bit silly, but it was better than combing our hair.
'We could tie your hair back, it would look neater."
"Like a girl!" We laughed and Piggy even smiled.
"No not like that to you know keep it out of our eyes."
"And Paint-" The thought of painitng our faces, was very exciting. We had just once for a pig hunt, and it became a mask. You could do anything behind that mask, and it wasnt really you!
"We could paint our faces like-"
"Jacks whole tribe has painted faces, remember-"
"last night they came to take the glasses and-"
"No!" Ralph stood angrily. "No paint, we wont be like them" he spat. "They are savage"
"But just, we could-"
"No!" Ralph turned his face contorted in anger 'We can just go like this, they wont be better!"
---
Piggy had refused to carry a spear, and instead reverently carried the conch in his arms. One hand was pressed to our arm and we formed a ring around him guiding him in through the jungle. We were doubtful this would work, we were walking expecting Jack Merridew to just freely give us the glasses. He had joined in the killing, and didn’t seem to worry about what we had done. He was merciless, and I don’t think any of us could knowingly kill someone, except...
"Who goes there?" A harsh voice echoed through the tree, and we jumped causing Piggy, and cry out.
"You know perfectly well who Roger." Ralph stepped out into the clearing at the base of castle rock, he gently took the conch from Piggy and blew. It continued until he ran out of breath.
"A meeting, i'm calling a meeting." Breathing deeply Ralph handed the conch back to Piggy. "Where is Jack?” He gazed up the jagged rock face which was dotted with the forms of boys we had once knew. They were painted, and bradishing spears in our direction.
"Out hunting, we weren’t to let you in" A cold laughter echoed through out the jungle.
"What is it Ralph?" Jack stepped out of the jungle. "You keep to your end, this is my camp."
"That was dirty trick! You took Piggy's specs! You have to give them back you know." He faltered, even Ralph seemed to doubt his words.
"Who says" Jacks eyes flashed.
"We would have given it you, you know! But instead you come and steal it, you...you thief!"
"What?"
"You heard me! Thief thief!" He smiled malevontly, at Jack happily taunitng him.
Jack raised his arm and ran at Ralph thrusting his spear at his chest; Ralph surprisingly dodged and blocked it with the end of his spear.
'Thief!" called Ralph tauntingly.
"Ralph! The fire, the conch. My specs"
"Right." Ralph calmed, and stood up straighter. "This isn’t a game! You give back Piggy's specs!" the laughter rose and died again, coldly.
"Fools! You keep hunting; don't you want to go home? Its no game!"
The laughter rose higher, and eerily.
"There could be a ship!"
Jack who had stood, impassive during Ralph’s speech, slowly turned and called up the hill. "Go on tie them up!" A few hunters moved but no one made came over toward us. "Now!" They all rushed at us, we couldn’t see anything the minute they closed in. There were hand grabbing and tightening robe. We could feel ropes being coiled around our feet and hands. We were thrown to the ground immobile. It was awfully unfair, we just came for the specs they had no business making us join them.
"Samneric!' He turned his eyes looked different now harder some how. "You beast, thief! You give back the specs!" He swung wildly at Jack who dodged and soon they were fighting head on.
"Stop it I got the conch!" Piggy had risen unsteadily and was holding the conch outwards. Twup, A rock flew by his head.
"I got the conch! Now listen!" The laughter ceased, and Jack and Ralph stood apart.
"You need rules, all you do is hunt and Kill!" Twup another rock. "You need a fire to get a ship to come..."
There was an ominous creak, and we looked up to see Roger smiling, and with reckless abandon leaning on the leaver. The rock broke loose and thundered down the hill.
"Piggy!" it was too late, he was hit, the conch broke. It shattered it a million tiny pieces flying through the air until they fell clattering to the ground. Piggy, was thrown off the cliff, and he fell straight on a rock. He moved a bit, and Blood spiraled around him.
"Piggy!"
A wave crashed and when the foam cleared he was gone, out to sea...with Simon. It was horrible, he was just gone, Jack was happily looking down at the pink waves. I’m not sure what Ralph would do now, he was the one with a lot of good idea which had often helped.
"See that what we will do if you come again, he thew his spear at Ralph."
Ralph wasAstonished he didn’t have time to move, it hit him above the ribs and he glared at Jack. he cast an anguished glance our way and ran straight off into the forest followed by a rain of spears.
We were dragged up to the top of the rock and Jack began firing questions at us. Shuddering and unable to speak thinking of Piggy, out at sea somewhere we just shook our heads. Until roger pushed forward an eerie smile playing on the corners of his mouth.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment