Note from author: Throughout this story, Simon's dream sequences are shown in italics.
....
Chapter One.
Simon could feel himself floating up and down in a black abyss. His bright eyes scanned the darkness around him, praying that he would spot a tiny glimpse of light. Nothing. Everything around him was just a mass of shadows. There was nothing but infinite gloom.
"Hello?" The boy whimpered in a quiet voice. There was no answer. Simon tried again. "Hello?"
"Hello, little boy…" a deep, raspy voice sounded.
Simon jumped. He knew that voice. He looked around him, but he couldn't see anyone. The voice seemed to be coming from nowhere. "Where are you?"
"I'm everywhere, you silly boy. I am a part of you. I can be anywhere, anytime, anyplace. There's no escaping me" The Lord of the Flies replied.
"What happened?" The last thing Simon could remember was running out of the jungle towards Jack's tribe, yelling the truth about the Beast. The rest of his memory was a blank.
"The tribe mistook you for the Beast, panicked and attacked you. They bit you and scratched you and tore your skin apart!" The Lord of the Flies said in a sing-song voice, as if it were rehearsing a nursery rhyme.
Simon felt his eyes sting with tears. "Am I dead?" He choked out.
"No, you're still alive, but barely. You were injured extremely badly."
"Then why am I here?"
"You're in a coma. You took numerous blows to the head in that attack. Of course, none of this would have happened if you'd listened to me. If you'd done as I told you and hadn't tried to talk to the others, you wouldn't even be here right now!"
"I had to tell the others! I had to help!"
"Well, they're beyond help now. They didn't hear one word you said. They were far too busy beating the living daylights out of you! And nobody tried to help you, not even your precious little Ralph!"
Simon's head shot up with sudden anger. "That's a lie!"
"Oh no, it's not! He's just as guilty as any of the others! He hit you and struck you along with the rest of the tribe!"
Simon felt a hot tear trickling down his cheek. "Why?" he whispered.
"We've had this conversation before, my dear boy. Every person in the world has the potential to kill, and it's only a matter of time before they decide to use it!"
Simon felt more tears spill from his eyes and run down his face. He didn't feel any shame in crying in front of the beast. He felt so betrayed, so deceived. Ralph was the one person on the island he thought he could trust.
"Oh dear, I've gone and upset you, haven't I?" The Lord of the Flies said in a mock sympathetic voice. "Not that it really surprises me. I knew you'd be devastated when you found out. You liked Ralph a lot, didn't you?"
Simon didn't answer.
"Yes, you liked him very much. I know how you felt about him…"
"Be quiet!" Simon tried to yell at the creature, but it only came out as a hoarse whisper, which was instantly drowned out by the sound of The Lord of the Flies' cruel laughter. Simon covered his ears and shut his eyes as the laughing echoed throughout the darkness.
….
It was a starless night and no moon was visible. The lack of light made the ocean a mass of liquid blackness, and the only thing that separated the outline of the ocean against the outline of the equally dark sky were the waves that stirred the water's surface.
Drifting peacefully along on the calm waves, Simon's comatose body continued to be pulled further and further out to sea by the strong currents. The boy had now been floating in the ocean for several hours. The salty water had mixed with the blood from his gaping wounds to form a reddish hue which washed across most of his body. Simon's soft black hair was now partially stained with blood, making small strands of his locks clump together above his forehead.
Suddenly, a huge wave emerged out of the tranquil waters, forcefully dragging Simon along with it. The wave continued to increase in height and surge forwards until it suddenly crashed against the shore of a tiny coral atoll.
As soon as it hit the shore, the wave descended into a powerful stream of foam and trickling sea water which deposited Simon's body on the sand. The torrent rushed over the boy and tugged him further up the beach until the water finally pulled backwards into the ocean, leaving Simon lying at the top of the beach.
The young boy jerked his head and murmured something quietly, but he soon fell silent again and slipped back into unconsciousness.