No Escape
As the boys assembled in spare bunkers within the ship, Ralph stood at the stern of the ship. The island slowly drifting from sight. There was a deep feeling in Ralph's chest. For so long, they all wanted to be rescued, but when they were…it seemed so unreal. For the time they were on the island, they experienced the beginning of a society. A civilization arose and order was made, rules were put in effect. They experienced the problems of a society, keeping those rules and that order in place. And they experienced the downfall of the society, all order demolished, all rules broken.
Ralph stared blankly out to where the ocean and sky met for a passionate embrace, and the moon slowly came to power. The events of the island were becoming nothing more but a memory, a bad one at that.
He swallowed hard as he remembered Simon's brutal death. Even he took part in it. Ralph remembered the jabbing of spears, beating of sticks, and cries of the beast. Why did Simon die? What did he do?
Ralph remembered what Simon had said, that maybe it was only them. Maybe…maybe it really was only them. There were no maybes, Ralph knew it, Jack knew it, everyone knew it. Simon was the only one brave enough to say it. Ralph would laugh it off as did the other boys, but they all knew it. And when Simon came to declare what the beast upon the mountain really was, what did they do? They beat him, they slaughtered him, they killed him. And why? Did they think he was the beast? Did they get caught up in the moment? Or was it that they were afraid, afraid if Simon kept telling them what the beast was, they would really have to believe it?
Ralph knew what he had done, there was no denying it anymore. Simon had died at his own hands. Simon knew what the beast was, he had the answer to their problem, but they killed him.
Isn't that what the Lord of the Flies had warned him? That if he told the boys about him, they'd all do him. Jack, Roger, Maurice, Robert, Bill, Piggy, Ralph, they'd all do him. And it was so, they all participated in the dance and ritualistic death of Simon.
A tear rolled down Ralph's soiled face. Simon was really gone, gone with Piggy. If only Jack hadn't taken Piggy's glasses, or if only Ralph had taken along the conch shell and had been in Piggy's place. Maybe then, maybe Piggy would be alive. Maybe Ralph would've been bashed upon the rock so far down. Or maybe, Ralph could have moved and they would both be spared. Ralph couldn't help but blame himself. Not only for Piggy's death, but for everything.
As Ralph saw it, the happenings of the island were his fault. Whether it was truly his fault or not, to him, it boiled down to one thing: poor leadership. Ralph would take responsibility for it all. Ralph was their leader, and a captain always goes down with his ship.
The ship, in fact, was sunk already. Miles behind them now, the scorched island still burned. It's shores, a graveyard for the innocent and downtrodden.
As Ralph stared out at the sea, he sighed, the tears running down his chin. There was nothing he could do about it all. What would become of him? With the responsibility and order he tried to preserve, now back in full effect, and he, now a littlun; what would become of him? What would become of them all? Now that he could be punished for his mistakes.
Ralph was startled a bit as something touched his shoulders. He turned to see the Naval Officer who had saved them all. The officer had laid his jacket over Ralph's shoulders.
"You'll catch a cold." The officer told Ralph. The old grownup cliché.
Ralph simply nodded and turned away, looking back out over the horizon.
"What happened on that island?" The officer stood behind Ralph, staring out at the horizon as well.
"The beast…he came for us…he got us. He wanted us to try and fight it, to kill the things we thought were the beast…but there was no running. We knew who the beast was." Ralph looked down over the stern, the waves splashed below.
"Who? Who's this beast?" The officer asked him, not taking any of this real serious.
Ralph turned around to face the officer and outstretched a hand towards him. His fingers curled towards his palm, all but his index finger that pointed towards the officer. "You are." Ralph dropped his hand. "I am." He turned back to the ocean. "We all are."
The officer swallowed hard, but laughed a bit. "Such an imagination." He turned and walked away, ignorance prevailing.
Ralph sighed and stared out at the sea for a good time, falling into a trance, only leaving it as he felt another touch on his cold skin. The hand felt smaller than the naval officer's.
"Go away," said Ralph, "let me be."
The hand tugged at a small piece of worn cloth, nothing more than a loincloth now, on Ralph.
"I said, let me…" Ralph spoke as he turned, pausing as he gazed at the figure before him. "…be…" It was the child with the mulberry birthmark. "Y…y…you're…" Ralph was taken aback.
The child nodded solemnly to Ralph.
"B…but, who are you?…" Ralph had never really known the boy's name.
The child spoke with an omnipotent voice almost, "It matters not who I am, I've come to warn you Ralph."
Ralph looked confusingly towards the child. "Warn me?…" He swallowed hard, "Warn me of what?"
"Yourself Ralph. You, the other children. You're in danger. Remember Ralph, remember the spiral. The circle of life. You cannot escape it Ralph. Funny how things work out, your rescue only leading you closer to the thing you fear most." The child grinned almost maniacally at Ralph. "You're their leader, and you failed them. You failed Simon, you failed Piggy. The grownups will punish you for that Ralph. Do you want to be punished? You're responsible Ralph. Back to rules, back to responsibility. There is nothing you can do…" The child nodded, then walked off…seeming to vanish in the distance.
Ralph stared wide eyed as thoughts raced in his mind. The child was right…there was nothing to do. No matter how hard he fought, the beast would always prevail. The beast was stronger.
Ralph turned back to the water, knowing there was nothing to do. The naval officer moved behind him. "Are you all right?…"
Ralph stared silently.
"Ralph, was it? Are you all right?"
"He's right, you know." Ralph said silently.
"Who? Who's right, Ralph?"
"The kid with the birthmark right here." Ralph motioned to a portion of his face over his eye. "There is no escaping reality."
The officer looked to Ralph, "There is no child upon this ship with a birthmark there."
Ralph turned back to the ocean, "Of course not…" Was he delirious? Was he dreaming? Did…he go…batty too?
Loud booming noises suddenly sounded, and the night sky was lit up like it were daylight. Ralph stood his ground, entranced and staring at the sea. The ship was struck and children fled as the crew had fought. Jack ran to the stern, pulling on Ralph's arm.
"Come on," Jack said, "It's going down…"
But Ralph stood silently, entranced.
Jack grabbed Ralph and jumped ship with him. When they hit the water, Jack swam…Ralph merely floated aimlessly, staring at the sky.
As the night passed and the waves silently carried the children towards their destination, Ralph was still motionless, staring. A storm threatened from above.
The ship had sunk, taking the crew who had fought so hard.
"An island!" Cried Jack, "Up ahead! Land!" He began to swim towards it as the skies let out and poured into the seas. The children began to all swim.
As night became day, the boys were in their new natural habitat. Ralph's soaked body washed up upon the shore.
"No escape…" Ralph muttered inaudibly.
***
The years passed, the signal fires were not built, there was no conch. The beast inhabited this island as well, thriving, more than ever, living off of the children without physically harming a single one. And the fair hair, fair skinned child stalked the forests with a painted face and spear, hunting not only for food, but for thrill.
The child with the mulberry birthmark watched from a mountaintop, his mouth curved up into a grin at one side. "No escape."
|Spiral by: Sully Erna and Tony |Chaos by: Angel Diancecht | |Rombola | | | |Quiet land under a sullen moon | |Sometimes we only live for the |Tide rushing in to drag the bodies| |here and now. |out | |Sometimes we're lonely. |Our bright angel, our last hope | |Sometimes we feel we need a place|Our order and civilization | |to be grounded, |Dragged all about | |or fly away again | | | | | |I will fly away again. | | | | | |I feel rain pouring down. I wait | | |to rot away, | | |live again, here forever, the | | |spiral never ends. | | | | | |Why are we feeling something's | | |familiar around us? | | |Are we just dreaming? | | |Always we search for the answers | | |but nothing is found. | | |We fly away again. | | | | | |I will fly away again. | |
As the boys assembled in spare bunkers within the ship, Ralph stood at the stern of the ship. The island slowly drifting from sight. There was a deep feeling in Ralph's chest. For so long, they all wanted to be rescued, but when they were…it seemed so unreal. For the time they were on the island, they experienced the beginning of a society. A civilization arose and order was made, rules were put in effect. They experienced the problems of a society, keeping those rules and that order in place. And they experienced the downfall of the society, all order demolished, all rules broken.
Ralph stared blankly out to where the ocean and sky met for a passionate embrace, and the moon slowly came to power. The events of the island were becoming nothing more but a memory, a bad one at that.
He swallowed hard as he remembered Simon's brutal death. Even he took part in it. Ralph remembered the jabbing of spears, beating of sticks, and cries of the beast. Why did Simon die? What did he do?
Ralph remembered what Simon had said, that maybe it was only them. Maybe…maybe it really was only them. There were no maybes, Ralph knew it, Jack knew it, everyone knew it. Simon was the only one brave enough to say it. Ralph would laugh it off as did the other boys, but they all knew it. And when Simon came to declare what the beast upon the mountain really was, what did they do? They beat him, they slaughtered him, they killed him. And why? Did they think he was the beast? Did they get caught up in the moment? Or was it that they were afraid, afraid if Simon kept telling them what the beast was, they would really have to believe it?
Ralph knew what he had done, there was no denying it anymore. Simon had died at his own hands. Simon knew what the beast was, he had the answer to their problem, but they killed him.
Isn't that what the Lord of the Flies had warned him? That if he told the boys about him, they'd all do him. Jack, Roger, Maurice, Robert, Bill, Piggy, Ralph, they'd all do him. And it was so, they all participated in the dance and ritualistic death of Simon.
A tear rolled down Ralph's soiled face. Simon was really gone, gone with Piggy. If only Jack hadn't taken Piggy's glasses, or if only Ralph had taken along the conch shell and had been in Piggy's place. Maybe then, maybe Piggy would be alive. Maybe Ralph would've been bashed upon the rock so far down. Or maybe, Ralph could have moved and they would both be spared. Ralph couldn't help but blame himself. Not only for Piggy's death, but for everything.
As Ralph saw it, the happenings of the island were his fault. Whether it was truly his fault or not, to him, it boiled down to one thing: poor leadership. Ralph would take responsibility for it all. Ralph was their leader, and a captain always goes down with his ship.
The ship, in fact, was sunk already. Miles behind them now, the scorched island still burned. It's shores, a graveyard for the innocent and downtrodden.
As Ralph stared out at the sea, he sighed, the tears running down his chin. There was nothing he could do about it all. What would become of him? With the responsibility and order he tried to preserve, now back in full effect, and he, now a littlun; what would become of him? What would become of them all? Now that he could be punished for his mistakes.
Ralph was startled a bit as something touched his shoulders. He turned to see the Naval Officer who had saved them all. The officer had laid his jacket over Ralph's shoulders.
"You'll catch a cold." The officer told Ralph. The old grownup cliché.
Ralph simply nodded and turned away, looking back out over the horizon.
"What happened on that island?" The officer stood behind Ralph, staring out at the horizon as well.
"The beast…he came for us…he got us. He wanted us to try and fight it, to kill the things we thought were the beast…but there was no running. We knew who the beast was." Ralph looked down over the stern, the waves splashed below.
"Who? Who's this beast?" The officer asked him, not taking any of this real serious.
Ralph turned around to face the officer and outstretched a hand towards him. His fingers curled towards his palm, all but his index finger that pointed towards the officer. "You are." Ralph dropped his hand. "I am." He turned back to the ocean. "We all are."
The officer swallowed hard, but laughed a bit. "Such an imagination." He turned and walked away, ignorance prevailing.
Ralph sighed and stared out at the sea for a good time, falling into a trance, only leaving it as he felt another touch on his cold skin. The hand felt smaller than the naval officer's.
"Go away," said Ralph, "let me be."
The hand tugged at a small piece of worn cloth, nothing more than a loincloth now, on Ralph.
"I said, let me…" Ralph spoke as he turned, pausing as he gazed at the figure before him. "…be…" It was the child with the mulberry birthmark. "Y…y…you're…" Ralph was taken aback.
The child nodded solemnly to Ralph.
"B…but, who are you?…" Ralph had never really known the boy's name.
The child spoke with an omnipotent voice almost, "It matters not who I am, I've come to warn you Ralph."
Ralph looked confusingly towards the child. "Warn me?…" He swallowed hard, "Warn me of what?"
"Yourself Ralph. You, the other children. You're in danger. Remember Ralph, remember the spiral. The circle of life. You cannot escape it Ralph. Funny how things work out, your rescue only leading you closer to the thing you fear most." The child grinned almost maniacally at Ralph. "You're their leader, and you failed them. You failed Simon, you failed Piggy. The grownups will punish you for that Ralph. Do you want to be punished? You're responsible Ralph. Back to rules, back to responsibility. There is nothing you can do…" The child nodded, then walked off…seeming to vanish in the distance.
Ralph stared wide eyed as thoughts raced in his mind. The child was right…there was nothing to do. No matter how hard he fought, the beast would always prevail. The beast was stronger.
Ralph turned back to the water, knowing there was nothing to do. The naval officer moved behind him. "Are you all right?…"
Ralph stared silently.
"Ralph, was it? Are you all right?"
"He's right, you know." Ralph said silently.
"Who? Who's right, Ralph?"
"The kid with the birthmark right here." Ralph motioned to a portion of his face over his eye. "There is no escaping reality."
The officer looked to Ralph, "There is no child upon this ship with a birthmark there."
Ralph turned back to the ocean, "Of course not…" Was he delirious? Was he dreaming? Did…he go…batty too?
Loud booming noises suddenly sounded, and the night sky was lit up like it were daylight. Ralph stood his ground, entranced and staring at the sea. The ship was struck and children fled as the crew had fought. Jack ran to the stern, pulling on Ralph's arm.
"Come on," Jack said, "It's going down…"
But Ralph stood silently, entranced.
Jack grabbed Ralph and jumped ship with him. When they hit the water, Jack swam…Ralph merely floated aimlessly, staring at the sky.
As the night passed and the waves silently carried the children towards their destination, Ralph was still motionless, staring. A storm threatened from above.
The ship had sunk, taking the crew who had fought so hard.
"An island!" Cried Jack, "Up ahead! Land!" He began to swim towards it as the skies let out and poured into the seas. The children began to all swim.
As night became day, the boys were in their new natural habitat. Ralph's soaked body washed up upon the shore.
"No escape…" Ralph muttered inaudibly.
***
The years passed, the signal fires were not built, there was no conch. The beast inhabited this island as well, thriving, more than ever, living off of the children without physically harming a single one. And the fair hair, fair skinned child stalked the forests with a painted face and spear, hunting not only for food, but for thrill.
The child with the mulberry birthmark watched from a mountaintop, his mouth curved up into a grin at one side. "No escape."
|Spiral by: Sully Erna and Tony |Chaos by: Angel Diancecht | |Rombola | | | |Quiet land under a sullen moon | |Sometimes we only live for the |Tide rushing in to drag the bodies| |here and now. |out | |Sometimes we're lonely. |Our bright angel, our last hope | |Sometimes we feel we need a place|Our order and civilization | |to be grounded, |Dragged all about | |or fly away again | | | | | |I will fly away again. | | | | | |I feel rain pouring down. I wait | | |to rot away, | | |live again, here forever, the | | |spiral never ends. | | | | | |Why are we feeling something's | | |familiar around us? | | |Are we just dreaming? | | |Always we search for the answers | | |but nothing is found. | | |We fly away again. | | | | | |I will fly away again. | |