Darkness of Heart (Not to be Confused with a Heart of Darkness)

Alex Townsend

Act I, Scene I

(We open on a lovely tropical island. The sand is nearly white and the ocean is a gorgeous aquamarine. Suddenly there is a figure seen in the water. It is hard to distinguish much about this figure as it is inexplicably covered in seaweed; however from the creature's movement it soon becomes evident that it is human. It slowly works its way to the beach and finally collapses in a heap on the sand. It then slowly raises its head and some of the seaweed falls off and are able to see that this human is in fact a young boy of about 12 years of age. He looks toward the camera and speaks.)

Jacob: It's…

(This will allow the Monty Python fans in the audience a brief chuckle if they are paying attention and for the rest shall have to go unexplained for the plot calls for any further monologue to be interrupted by the introduction of a second character.)

Enter Ralph

Ralph: Well hello, what have we got here? Is that a perfectly good coconut lying unprotected on the beach? I do believe it is! (Ralph moves toward a coconut which is next to Jacob and trips over him in the process.) And a new boy too! My, this is a day for discoveries!

(Jacob looks up uncertainly; he is still a bit dazed from his trek in the water.)

Jacob: Hello?

Ralph: Hello to you too, my name is Ralph. Who are you and what might you be doing on this island?

Jacob: Well I was flying somewhere, they didn't tell where, when suddenly the wing caught fire. Someone pushed me out the window saying I could swim to this island for safety and here I am. Oh, I'm Jacob by the way.

(A slight explosion is heard in the distance.)

Ralph: Nice to meet you Jacob. (Shakes his hand heartily) I don't suppose you have any way to get off this island then? Anyone that knows you're here?

Jacob: Well, I was hoping the pilot would come back for me but I just saw his plane crash in the distance so I suppose I'm stranded now.

Ralph: I thought as much but it was worth a shot. Oh well, you may as well come get acquainted with your fellow lost boys. We've all been here quite a while now. Follow me.

(The two boys get up and proceed to go down the beach until they come across a series of poorly made huts. Surrounding these huts are many boys of various ages who look up curiously when they see the new boy approaching.)

Ralph: Everyone, this is Jacob, he just got stranded here and I want you all to make him feel welcome. Oh, and no, he doesn't have anyone who knows he's here either so you're all going to have to get used to him anyway.

Jacob: (Rather shyly) Hello… (Waves nervously)

(The other boys continue to stare at him but eventually some of the older ones stop what they're doing and come over to greet the new-comer. Ralph moves forward to introduce them.)

Ralph: Jacob, these boys here are what we call the big'uns, since they are the ones who are oldest among us. They're the only ones you need to worry about meeting since they are the only ones you will be required to address by name.

(The first boy steps forward.)

Simon: Hello, my name is Simon. I'm the closest thing this island has to a religious figure because I'm the only one who looks at anything in a spiritual way and tries to make sense of our tangled psychologies. I don't suggest you get too attached to me; I'm bound to become a martyr at this rate.

(Jacob seems to be the only one who hears this speech, everyone else is busy looking away and making cheerful conversation.)

(A new boy comes forth.)

Piggy: It's very nice to meet you Jacob. My name is (a child cries out when he hurts his foot on a tree) but everyone here calls me Piggy so you may as well now before you pick it up from someone else.

Jacob: What's that written on your glasses?

Piggy: You mean my specs? It's their symbolism, around here we tend to forget the significance of things and so we've taking to writing it down. It wasn't an easy fit though, my frames aren't that big.

Jacob: So what do they symbolize?

Piggy: They're our link to civilization and technology. They are also frequently associated with me since I'm the one who keeps reminding everyone to keep order so we can be rescued. Not many people like me here. I think someone might kill me soon.

Jacob: Who would do that?

(Suddenly there is a large hunting knife stabbed into the tree next to Jacob's face. This induces a very shocked look from the boy.)

Jack: Hello there. I think it's time you stopped talking to these worthless nobodies and move on to your future leader, me.

Jacob: Why did you stab the tree?

Jack: It seems to get people's attention. It's also is a good to show my inner angst. Oh, how I angst!

Ralph: Don't pay attention to Jack. We don't think he really has that much angst, he just likes the word. He also likes to whine a lot.

Jack: Mark my words Ralph, one day I will overthrow you and your ridiculous republic! I will rule you all with an iron fist in the dictatorship of Jack! Oh, my angst! (He pauses for a moment.) I'm going to go kill a pig. (He goes into the forest and disappears.)

Jacob: (Stares after Jack for a moment.)

Ralph: Don't worry about him; he's always saying things like that.

Jacob: Don't you sense any foreshadowing from it?

Ralph: Whatever could you mean?

Jacob: Never mind, is there anyone else I should meet?

Samneric: Don't forget us!

Jacob: Okay, who are you?

Samneric: We're Samneric

Jacob: Which one is Sam and which is Eric?

Samneric: We don't really know, we're always together so we're just treated as one person.

(Ralph steps in again)

Ralph: Now that you've met everyone important how about a tour?

(Jacob nods and they're off.)

Act I, Scene II

(After having toured the less interesting points of the island they come upon the site of the fire.)

Ralph: And here's the most important thing on the island, without this fire we have no chance of being rescued.

Jacob: What fire?

(Ralph looks around and to his despair the fire has gone out.)

Ralph: Jack!

(There is the sound of a knife being stabbed into a tree and Jack appears again, this time with weird face paint.)

Jack: What!

Ralph: You put the fire out again didn't you?

Jack: So? The smoke was bothering my nose! I couldn't hunt!

Ralph: How do you expect us to ever get rescued if you keep putting out the fire?

Jack: Oh come on. What makes you think that someone's going to come flying by right now?

(Ralph points upward and a dozen or so airplanes go flying overhead.)

Jack: Don't you think it's odd that they always only do that when the fire is out?

Ralph: Don't try and change the subject!

(Jacob is meanwhile standing off to the side looking very confused when suddenly he is grabbed from behind and dragged into the forest. The other two boys are too busy arguing to notice. Jacob is dragged for a few minutes before he and his captor arrive in a large chamber within a cave. At this point he is finally able to turn around and he sees that his abductor was a rather pretty blond woman of about thirty-six. For those of the directors who are particularly dense this is an important moment of plot development.)

Jacob: What? Who are you? Why did you drag me here?

Charlene: That's none of your business! What are you doing here? This is a restricted government area. You have no right to be here.

Jacob: I'm sorry, I didn't know. It's just that my plane crashed and now I'm-

Charlene: Stranded? Yeah right, I heard your story and I'm not buying it. No aircraft is allowed within fifty miles of this island. I'm going to have to call this in to HQ.

(Charlene walks away and this allows Jacob an opportunity to look around the cavern. It turns out it's not a cavern at all, it is in fact a room of highly advanced monitoring equipment. On various monitors he can see the boys he has met thus far on the island and all the little ones he hasn't. There is also a bulletin board showing numbered pictures of all the boys as well as brief statistics and observations about all of them. Just then Jacob hears a yell and turns to see Charlene yelling into a phone and then finally slamming it down. She turns to him in a bit of a huff.)

Charlene: Well it seems there has been a bit of a misunderstanding among my superiors. They seem to think that I need another subject for me to keep track of constantly. Those idiots! I don't need another subject, I need an assistant! I haven't had a decent amount of sleep in weeks!

Jacob: Subject? Are you doing some sort of experiment with the people on the island?

Charlene: I'm trying to. I have a theory that without the imposed rules of society humanity would be reduced to chaos. The only reason we aren't all at each other's throats is because of the laws and customs that were slowly established over generations. This whole island was set up so we could find if this is true and if it is can there be any hope for humanity in the event of a massively destructive event.

Jacob: What? A massively destructive event? You say that like you know something is going to happen.

Charlene: I'm sorry, I can't tell you any more. It is very important that this experiment and all details surrounding it remain as secret as possible. I'm only telling you things that you'd figure out on your own anyway.

Jacob: Who are you anyway?

Charlene: Oh, I'm sorry. I've been here so long I've forgotten my manners. I'm Charlene, I'm a scientist.

Jacob: I'm Jacob. So can you at least tell me why I'm here? I thought it was just an accident but from what you were saying earlier it seems like I was sent here.

Charlene: That's true, I'm sorry about that. When the boys first came to this island from their "plane crash" one of them spotted me. Luckily he thought I was some sort of beast and he actually aided in my experiment by spreading discomfort through the rest. Sadly he saw me much more distinctly later that day. I was forced to take him away from the others and keep him here with me. I can't risk any sort of transport to the island so he's stuck here. I told this to my supervisors and they decided months later to replace this carefully chosen specimen with you, someone with completely different statistics. I can't believe they just expected me to go with it.

Jacob: So does this mean I'm stuck here too? Do I have to be part of this experiment?

Charlene: I'm afraid you are stuck here but you won't be part of the experiment, I can't allow the subjects to know they are being watched. No, you're going to have to stay here with me. As of this moment you are no longer allowed to leave the cave until the end of the experiment. I should warn you now I have no idea when this will all be done so you may be in for quite a bit. They may find it strange that you've suddenly disappeared but it's the lesser of two evils.

Act II, Scene I

Narrator: So because of Charlene's orders Jacob remained with her in her cave for several weeks. He got to watch the boys he had so briefly met and grew to feel a special bond with each of them. He would sit at the monitors and feel horrible about the trials they were forced to endure. He saw them try to build huts, keep things clean, keep the fire burning, and hold organized meetings. Many times they failed and every day it seemed like those things were getting harder to do. They would frequently run around trying to write down the symbolism of things around them and themselves but they would never be able to find any meaning behind it. In these past few weeks tensions had grown between Jack and Ralph until finally Jack had left with a few followers that morning.

It was because of things like this that he found it harder and harder each day not to leave the cave and help them. He had tried to sneak out several times but Charlene kept a very close eye on him and he could not escape. He supposed he could force his way out but the truth was he was curious about Charlene's experiment and was not eager to ruin it.

Mark: What are you thinking about Jacob?

Narrator: During these weeks Jacob had also made friends with the small boy who had spotted Charlene months ago. Mark had turned out to be surprisingly insightful, and while he didn't always understand what Jacob and Charlene would talk about he was always willing to give advice and listen when he could.

Jacob: I was wondering about why we're here again. Charlene says we're supposed to be finding out if humanity would have any hope of living up to its ideas of morality and being naturally good people if the forced goodness and order of society were to be lost.

Mark: So, what do you think about all that? Do you think we would?

Jacob: I don't know, I've been with this system all my life. I don't know what would happen if I suddenly didn't have to follow any orders. I mean, my whole life has been pretty much written out for me. If I suddenly had a blank slate who knows what I'd put there? But there's also the boys they have here as their little test subjects. It's taken a while but they seem to finally be letting go of the civilization they left behind. They only remember in passing that they even want to be rescued. Now that those walls are gone the characteristics that Charlene wants to research are starting to emerge.

Enter Charlene

Charlene: Yes, they most certainly are. This is where the important stuff comes up.

Mark: What do you think will happen to them Charlene? Do you think they're worth hoping for?

Charlene: Well none of us really knows, which is why we're doing the experiment, but if you're looking for my opinion I'll tell you that. Quite frankly no, I don't think they're worth hoping for. We've already seen glimpses of the evil within some of their hearts and the only half-way decent ones among them are ostracized and mocked. It won't be long now before even the most basic of morals unravel and they're left at a beast-like level.

Jacob: I don't think that at all. Right now it seems like they're adjusting, questioning the ways they used to know. They're testing a new set of rights and wrongs right now, trying to find a new system that applies to them. I bet that when they're done though, the morals they develop will be very similar to the ones they already had.

Charlene: You're quite the optimist Jacob, but the only new system they establish will be one of blood. Just look at the screen.

(Jacob turns slowly toward the bank of monitors and slowly scans them, searching for the one Charlene is referencing. When his eyes settle on it they should go wide from shock. The camera will then go over his shoulder to reveal a grisly scene of Simon on his hands and knees being attacked by the other boys. Jacob should freeze for a moment before reacting then turn around fiercely.)

Jacob: Charlene, Simon's going to get killed. I have to help him.

(Charlene moves to block him.)

Charlene: You know I can't let you do that. It would ruin everything.

Jacob: Well at least it proves my morals are still intact.

(He shoves past her and runs out of the cave. When he first leaves it is obvious that he does not have much of an idea of where he's going. This is understandable since he hasn't left the cave in weeks. Finally he picks the right direction and runs in a full sprint toward Simon. When he gets there he sees that Simon has really taken a beating, one of his ears has even been bitten at. Unsure what he should do Jacob hides behind a rock by the water. Soon the carnage moves closer to him and Simon is dropped into the ocean right next to Jacob's rock. When Jacob is sure the others won't see him he picks up Simon and carefully but quickly takes him back to the cave.)

Fade Out

Act II, Scene II

(Jacob, Mark, and Charlene are leaning over a bandaged Simon who is lying very still on a bed in the cave.)

Charlene: I did what I could but I'm really not a doctor, I don't there's much anyone could have done anyway. I'm very sorry Jacob, but Simon's taken too much damage, there's nothing else we can do. At least you tried though.

(She pats him in a reassuring way then leaves the room. Jacob seems to be nearly in tears.)

Jacob: I guess we got our answer then.

Mark: What do you mean Jacob?

Jacob: Charlene was right all along. What hope can humanity have if we would stoop to something like this? Why did they have to try and kill him anyway? What could he have done to them to deserve this?

(Simon's eyes open slightly and he begins to speak weakly.)

Simon: Jacob, is that you? What happened to you? Why did you disappear?

(Jacob looks pained as he tries to think of what to tell the dying boy.)

Jacob: I never really left Simon. I've been here this whole time watching you. I'm sorry I couldn't come out, and I'm sorry I couldn't get to you in time.

Simon: It's alright; I told you I was going to become a martyr, this was bound to happen sooner or later.

Jacob: But why did they attack you now?

Simon: I found out the truth. For months now everyone has been worried that there's some beast hiding on the island waiting to attack. I was the only one not worried about it. I didn't think there could be a beast. Then some of them actually saw something large and beast-like moving in the forest. They were terrified. I went to investigate and I saw that it was only the corpse of a man with a parachute stuck in a tree. They won't go there now, and they wouldn't let me tell them about it. So now they'll never know that the beast they fear is only in them. I suppose that's worse though. I'm glad I won't have to stick around to see the aftermath.

(Simon closes his eyes to signify his death.)

Mark: Jacob, you look strange.

Jacob: What makes you say that?

Mark: Simon was someone you cared about, even though you only really met once, but now you don't seem very sad. You don't even seem to be in a shocked state of disbelief. Why is that?

Jacob: I suppose I'm not grieving because Simon's situation isn't entirely unfortunate. I think he may be one of the lucky ones. I'm also not at a loss for emotion because I know what I have to do.

Mark: What do you have to do?

Jacob: For right now, I have to watch, I'll be ready when the time is right.

(Jacob goes to the monitors and we fade out to the next day. Now we get to see a change of scene as we watch the main boys of the actual book doing what they do best, angsting about the world in general in great long monologues.)

Ralph: Hello Piggy, have you seen Simon? He was supposed to help us build some more today.

Piggy: No, I don't believe I have. As a matter of fact I don't recall having seen him recently at all.

Ralph: Nor do I, perhaps we should ask Jack if he has seen him.

(No sooner are these words spoken then a large knife is embedded in a tree near Piggy.)

Piggy: It seems he has found us.

Ralph: Hello Jack, how is your angst today?

Jack: Oh I am at even higher levels of angst than ever now. I suppose that probably has something to do with the way you're completely denying that anything has changed here.

Ralph: I'm sorry, has something changed?

Jack: Yes! I left to make my own tribe! We feasted on meat last night and then killed Simon! Don't you remember?

Ralph: I don't quite recall any of that happening, are you sure?

Jack: No wonder everyone is leaving your tribe for mine. You're a complete dunder-head!

Ralph: No, I don't think it's quite time for a meeting yet, maybe later.

Jack: You're not even listening to me! Why can't you understand what I'm saying?

Roger: It's the symbolism.

Jack: What?

Roger: Ralph symbolizes democracy and the order that goes with it. When the fear of the beast became more wide-spread his order began to slip. Now the only way he can keep his place is to completely ignore anything that disrupts what he is supposed to maintain. It's rather ironic actually.

Jack: I suppose we have no choice but to leave him then. There's a beast on this island and these boys need better protection and a more secure governing system. If they come with me I'll take them to a more practical living area and they can help us find better ways to get off this island. After all, that's our main objective here.

Piggy: I'm afraid I can't let you do that.

Jack: Why not? You're welcome to come join us; we could use someone as smart as you in the new system.

Piggy: No! You must do as you were told! There is no choice in the matter!

Jack: You mean that stupid symbolism thing? How can you expect me to take that seriously now? I can't be a tyrant representing the inner evil of man when we're in such a dire situation. Just look at what it's done to Ralph; he has to resort to a fantasy life to keep from falling apart!

(Piggy gives Jack a dark look and takes his arm. In one sudden movement Jack has been pinned to the ground with Piggy sitting on him.)

Piggy: You have no idea what you're dealing with Jack. If you know what's good for you you'll know your place and stay there. Not unless you want another death's guilt weighing on the island.

Jack: Like you're one to talk! This is hardly the behavior of the voice of logic and civilization. You'd never act like this back home!

Piggy: Oh, but I am also supposed to maintain order. Right now I'm maintaining a very important order. I think you should try to maintain it too.

(Jack tries to struggle but can't break Piggy's hold. Finally he hangs his head in defeat.)

Piggy: That's better. Now I think it's time I had a chat with Ralph.

(Piggy and Ralph walk off and Roger helps Jack up and they go the other way. After they both leave Samneric come out from behind some trees.)

Sam: That was—

Eric: Spooky? Yes I know. Do you think—

Sam: Something's wrong with Piggy? There defiantly is. I don't think we should tell them—

Eric: That we've separated and are—

Sam: Speaking almost completely independently now.

Eric: If we told anyone—

Sam: We could be in serious trouble. All the same we have to—

Eric: Try to stop this madness—

Sam: Before anyone else gets hurt.

Eric: What should we do?

Sam: I think we should see if Jack's interested in forming an alliance with us against the nutters here who are so obsessed with our meaning and what we're supposed represent.

Eric: I agree, after all how can all humanity be accurately represented by a few vague ideals? To try to represent our code of morals and show that we are utterly without them if a situation without pre-established order occurs overlooks so many subtleties of human nature that it's more insulting than the under-researched notion that we are all simply evil beasts at heart.

Sam: Yes, humanity does indeed have its downfalls but those only seem to be more greatly prevailing because there isn't much use in analyzing the good things about it. After all if no one was really any good how would they be able to look upon the bad things and feel remorse?

Eric: And how could they be beast-like if they use their capacity to think to analyze these things and present them in such a way that others might look upon it and use it as a means to know how to improve themselves?

Sam: Exactly, so let's go find Jack so we can do the human thing and try to save those who can be saved here.

(They smile at each other and run off in the direction Jack went off with Roger.)

Act III, Scene I

(Alas the touching seen among the characters that you could actually find in the book must end and we are now presented once again with the set of people that you can only imagine the narrative happened to overlook. As this act opens we can see Charlene, diligent as ever staring at her monitors with a clipboard taking notes. Just then Mark walks in.)

Mark: What did you do with Jacob?

Charlene: I don't know what you're talking about. He must be sleeping in his room.

Mark: Not many people sleep with a head wound like that.

Charlene: Well, if you must know he was prying too much into things that don't concern him. I had to give him a bit of forceful encouragement to leave things alone. His wound isn't as bad as it looks. I checked it. He'll be fine.

Mark: Just what is it that you're so worried about? With the way you watch Jacob he'd never escape again to tell the others what's happening. You seem far too obsessed with the details of their lives. Are you just being thorough or is there something you need to make sure of. Is there something you are trying to make sure happens? (Charlene looks up at him as though startled.) I've been watching them too you know, there isn't much else to do here. If you just wanted them to show their inner selves to be evil and without morals you could probably write a thesis proving it just from what you've seen so far. But that doesn't seem to be what you're after, it's more like you're trying to force them all down some pre-ordained script for them, but why?

Charlene: I don't know what you're talking about. You see me, I never leave the cave, and I've even sealed it off now so you two don't cause any trouble. How could I possibly have any influence on them? I'm just an observer.

Mark: How could you influence them indeed?

Act III, Scene II

(Ralph and Piggy are in the now largely deserted original settlement. They are speaking with worried tones and Piggy seems to be back to normal but Ralph is very distraught.)

Piggy: Ralph, Jack's gone mad with power! He's doing horrible things on the other side of the island! We have to go bring the conch with its symbolism of order and civilization to them. If we don't he'll rule them with an iron fist and we'll all die one by one!

Ralph: Why would he do that? I know why they all left me, I was being a terrible leader with my ignoring of such important tensions, but why would they leave for something as terrible as that? They are free to leave him at any time. Besides, why would they want to listen to a symbol of authority that has misled them already. I think it would be best if we smashed the conch and apologized to them all, then maybe we could join their tribe and work together to think up a way to get off this island.

Piggy: I understand that by doing this you're just to keep role as the one who symbolizes the order of civilization—

Ralph: Why do so many things here symbolize order and civilization?

Piggy: But we can't let that get in the way of the bigger picture. Bigger symbols are coming into play now. Who knows what horrible things may happen if you don't follow the right route of what is supposed to happen? Don't worry Ralph, I'll make sure you do what's right.

(They go off to find Jack and his followers.)

Act III, Scene II

(Now we see that this previous scene was all being watched by Charlene who is in her ever-present chair-of-power in front of the monitors. She has given up any pretense of take notes and watching the drama unfold like a soap opera with a wide grin on her face. She doesn't notice that Jacob and Mark are behind her.)

Jacob: Are you enjoying yourself?

(Charlene jumps when she hears his voice and turns slowly.)

Jacob: What are you doing here Charlene, really?

Charlene: I told you, I'm conducting an experiment about human values and I'm trying to prove to my superiors that in an atmosphere without the pre-existing order of civilization those values disappear and humans would prove themselves to be no better than beasts. Well, that's the gist of it anyway.

Jacob: Is this experiment and its results important to your supervisors?

Charlene: Of course, it's their top priority.

Jacob: Then why don't you ever communicate with each other? That is what supervisors do isn't? Supervise?

Charlene: Well, they, um….

Jacob: Stop lying to us Charlene, tell us what's really going on here. It's like you're trying to make those boys do something that was already all written out for them before they even got here.

Charlene: I'm sorry, I can't tell you. This has more riding on it than you can possibly imagine. The fates of millions depend on things happening the way they're supposed to. I can't allow things to go wrong now! Neither of us can!

Jacob: Neither? But there're three of us…

Mark: I knew it! You're working with someone else on the island aren't you?

Jacob: Of course! It's Piggy, I've seen him manipulating the others away from sensible action and forcing them to follow that stupid symbolism of theirs!

(Charlene suddenly reaches down into a drawer and pulls out a small pistol. She begins to point it at Jacob but she forgets to look out for Mark, he ducks down and rolls behind her. He then gets up and picks up a lamp on her desk. He swings it hard and gives her a sound whack on the head. Jacob breathes a sigh of relief as Charlene falls to the floor.)

Jacob: Thanks Mark, I was sure she was going to kill me. Will she be okay?

Mark: Of course she will be, I'm only six, how hard do you think I can swing a lamp?

(Jacob laughs a little bit but then turns serious again.)

Jacob: Come on Mark, we have to get out of here and save those boys from Piggy.

(They rummage through Charlene's things and once they find the key out make a dash towards the door.)

Act IV, Scene I

(Ralph and Piggy are outside of Jack's fortress surrounded by the other boys who are all wearing tribal paint. Jack is also in the circle but it is obvious that he's the leader of the ones around them from his posture and the headdress he has on.)

Jack: Don't you try and insult us with that pathetic shell of yours. We're not going back to you and your mockery of a government, so don't try and make us!

(Jack steps forward and knocks the conch from Piggy's hands. It lands on a rock and shatters into pieces, for some reason Piggy looks delighted at this.)

Piggy: Ralph, Jack just destroyed our order. There's only one way to save everyone now. (He picks up a spear from the ground.) You have to kill him.

Ralph: What! I can't do that! We may be having disagreements but Jack is still my friend!

Piggy: Don't waste your breath Ralph, you can fight me, you shouldn't waste time trying.

(Jacob and Mark suddenly burst onto the scene.)

Jacob: Don't do it Ralph!

Ralph: Jacob? I wasn't going to but what are doing here—

Jacob: Drop the spear Piggy, it's over.

Mark: That's right Piggy, we figured what you're up to!

(Piggy looks angry and gnashes his teeth.)

Piggy: You're fools! You can't fight me! I'm the only one with any real control here! I hold the ultimate power in the story that you're weaving and you will do only what I want!

(The sky has suddenly gone black and there is a strange thunderstorm swirling around them.)

Jacob: What makes you think you can control us? What right do you have?

Piggy: I have every right, for you see my name isn't really Piggy. No, my name is one of ultimate power, I am William Golding!

(The boys around him gasp in astonishment as he transformed from his overweight disguise to the indescribable deity he truly was. With snarl and a slash of power he sends all the boys flying except for Jacob. For a moment William seems surprised and tries to use another wave of power on Jacob but it is as ineffective as the first and soon Jacob is smiling at him with a cocky grin.)

Jacob: It won't work Golding, I'm not under your domain of power. I belong to one far greater than you. With my deity's help I will throw down you and your forced argument for man's own inhumanity. I call upon the powers of the great Goddess, lend us your powers and free us from this evil!

(Snow starts to whirl into the storm until the screen is completely white, leaving no trace of the horror that once stood there.)

Act IV, Scene II

(We see Jacob's face lying on sand. When he gets up we can see he is on the same beach that landed on when he first came to the island. He looks around him and sees all the other boys are safely accounted for. Even Simon and the man in the parachute have returned to life through the Goddess's great powers though they are still asleep on the sand. Jacob smiles to himself and a hand is put in front of his face. Jacob uses it to get up and finds it is attached to Jack. He and the others are all smiling at Jacob.)

Jack: You have no idea how much we owe you, thank you so much Jacob. You have freed us from a horrible fate.

Ralph: Yes, we were all so trapped in his spell of symbolism and what we were supposed to do that we lost our inner meaning.

Sam: I've never felt so lost in my own personality.

Eric: I completely lost sight of all the complex layers that make each person individual and impossible to fully understand to any degree.

Charlene: It's true. (Jacob turns to see Charlene.) Even I got lost in his power, and I was supposed to be helping you Jacob. The only thing I did right was save Mark from that fire. I'm truly sorry. When Golding focused his power so much on that one aspect of humanity he forced these boys to do things against their nature and overlook the obvious. He didn't think the Goddess would have a say in the point he was trying to make though, and that's what led to his downfall.

(Suddenly a large cruise ship appears out in the sea and a small comes to shore to take them aboard. Everyone gets in the boat and as they magically move the ship Mark turns to talk to Jacob.)

Mark: So did you get your answer?

Jacob: What do you mean?

Mark: The answer to your question about humanity, what do you think? Are we good or bad?

Narrator: Jacob thought back over the many experiences he had had while on the island. He weighed the good against the bad and considered the arguments that had been made. Finally he thought of the phrase he had uttered when he first arrived on the island, he had never gotten to finish that phrase. Jacob decided now would be a good time to.

Jacob: It's…good

(And it was.)

fin