~prologue~
The clock in the kitchen struck two.
"Do you still get what you're reading about?" Piggy asked sleepily.
Ralph shook his head.
"Not really."
"What about you, Jack?"
"I sure do. I always do..." the ginger's head dropped onto the yellowish pages of "the Coral Island" helplessly.
"Don't fall asleep, Jack," Piggy's eyelids seemed to turn even heavier every second, "Ralph, you too... We have only two books left to read..."
Jack and Ralph snored peacefully instead of answering. But Piggy didn't hear that, all right.
August is the busiest month of the Summer. That is for sure. You are quite busy getting used to doing nothing in June, and then you are busy playing war and swimming in that stinky pond near your house in July, and then...
Then comes August, with its terrible School-Starts-Soon mood. And also with the Reading List everybody forgets about as soon as June starts - the List that usually has over 9000 fat and boring books you have to read in two weeks. The teacher won't forgive.
It's read or die.
"Why would you worry about this," Clara asked, when her nephew Piggy woke up at 7 to tell her that his friends are coming to read the list books, and they're in a hurry, and could she make some pancakes and some coffee please?, "I thought you have read everything."
"Not really," he explained, "I didn't know the list had two sides."
"Oh," she said, "I see."
Piggy knew what she was thinking.
The same thing Ralph's dad and Jack's mom were.
"It's not like you bothered to check even the first one."
Oh well. Sometimes the parents are right. Sometimes.
(Hey, Reader! Here starts Golding's text. You've already read it, right? So here it ends.)
~epilogue~
Ralph opened his eyes in terror. Tears streamed down his cheeks, and the book he had been lying on seemed to be soaking wet. It was the worst nightmare of his life.
"Phew." It was just a dream. Just a dream.
He quickly wiped his face with his sleeve, so that nobody could see.
"I saw it," Jack said mockingly, "So you did cry for the loss of innocence in real life, huh?"
Merridew looked pale and kinda sad.
"You saw the same thing, did you?"
Was this even possible?
"Let's hide the books," Ralph suggested, "We wouldn't want anyone to see them in such condition."
Piggy was sleeping with a tired smile on his face.
"I- I guess I'll call Simon right now," the redhead said awkwardly, "Not that..."
"Just in case."
"Yeah."
"Thanks, miss," Ralph said politely, "But I don't feel like eating ham right now."
"I though you loved ham," Piggy noted.
"I still do. I've just... Um... I think I've had enough ham today."
"He DREAMS of ham," Jack chuckled.
"Maybe you'd like some, Jack?" Piggy's aunt smiled a sly smile.
"Uh, no."
"I'm telling you, she knows something about this," Jack insisted, "She's a witch."
"I don't believe in witches. It's kind of savage." Ralph smirked.
"Get lost."
In the school yard, Roger was making a mosaic out of small rocks.
Samneric looked sunburnt.
"Where have you been?"
"Cyprus. It's cool there - "Sam started.
" - Sunny and hot." Eric finished.
"We brought you something!" they said in a chorus.
Ralph unwrapped the purple packet carefully. And there it was.
You know what it was.
A conch.
And Jack Merridew happened to be staring from around the corner.
"Kyrie, Kyrie," the Choir sang, "Kyrie..."
It sounded like Cheerios.
The black mantles contrasted with the orange leaves on the cold ground.
"Blow your trumpet, Piggy," Ralph smiled, his eyes narrow because of the sunlight.
"I've got asthma," Piggy reminded.
"Sucks to- I mean, just pretend to. I'm taking a photo."
"And, by the way," Jack hesitated for a moment. "What is your name?"
