"I told you, Ralph," the chubby, brown-haired boy known as Piggy told his chief, clutching the conch shell in his hands. "stop worrying about it. He was batty. He had it coming." Ralph snapped his head in Piggy's direction, his blue eyes cold.
"Don't ever say that, Piggy!" Ralph practically snarled. His fair hair was a mess, and his face was smeared with dirt from the previous night. That bloody dance...that bloody dance! "Get away from me....I want to be alone!" Piggy quickly put the conch down, moving as quickly as his weight and a$$-mar would let him.
Ralph continued to glare in his direction until he was completely out of sight, then he turned his head to face the ocean. He blinked his eyes, not even bothering to wipe the tears he felt coming. Ralph sobbed bitterly, letting the tears flow. "I'm a murderer...a bloody murderer!" he yelled, scaring away several birds that were resting in the nearby trees. "I've killed you, Simon...I've killed you..."
The wind was all that answered him, blowing quietly through the trees, almost like a whisper. "Ralph..." it seemed to whisper. It was a voice almost. Ralph covered his ears, wanting to keep from hearing the voice. It was almost an echo. "Ralph..." it repeated again.
"STOP TORTURING ME!" Ralph screamed, choking on a sob. "Simon, I'm sorry! I can't blame you for hating me now, after what we--I did..." He clutched his heart, feeling as if there were a hole in his chest. "Simon, I...Simon, I love you..."
The wind began to howl more wildly, and the whisper seem to get louder. "Ralph." Ralph looked around almost in a frenzy, looking for the source of the voice.
"Where are you?" Ralph whispered almost in a begging voice. "Tell me where you are! If you're here, tell me! Where are you?!" Ralph's heart was pounding, waiting anxiously for a reply.
"Ralph." it repeated once more, much more clearly. It sounded close. "I'm here, Ralph, I'm here." Ralph stared, seeing nothing at first, thinking his mind must be playing tricks on him. But as he continued to stare, the shape of the boy who had been murdered began to form.
Ralph stared, dumbfounded, trembling. "Is it..." he whispered in disbelief, gripping the boys white clothing to make sure he was real. "is really you, Simon?"
The black-haired boy smiled at him, taking one of Ralph's hands in his own. "It's me. I'm here, Ralph." Ralph couldn't help but smile in response, tears of joy rolling down his cheeks. This was certainly no illusion.
"Simon, I..." he whispered sorrowfully, frowning. "I'm so sorry, Simon. I don't know what I could say to make up for what I did, but--" Simon wrapped his arms around Ralph's shoulders, pulling the taller boy into a hug.
"There's nothing to forgive, Ralph," Simon whispered in response, his chocolate brown eyes filling with tears as well. "I was never angry with you. You're my best friend." Ralph wiped his eyes a little as Simon spoke. "You never treated me badly. You never called me batty."
"You're not batty." Ralph said in a firm voice, looking at the boy with serious eyes.
Simon laughed a little, wiping his eyes. "Thank you, Ralph." he hugged the boy a little tighter, lying his head against Ralph's shoulder. "Really, thank you..." Ralph heard the boy sob a little. Ralph felt a pang of sympathy for the young boy. He had been treated so terribly when he was alive. All his kindness had been wasted on people who called him batty.
"Simon." Ralph spoke to him, and the boy looked up at him with tears in his eyes. Ralph gently pressed his lips against Simon's, pulling the boy into another hug. Simon stood in shock for a few moments before he finally wrapped his arms around Ralph's shoulders and kissed him back.
"I love you, Ralph." he whispered, sniffling a little after they had broke the kiss. Ralph gently kissed Simon on the forehead, holding his hand.
"I love you, too, Simon."
