Just an assignment I did several years ago, I just found it while looking through my old writing. We were asked to add on a final chapter to the book.
Memories
An elaborate room was filled with silent mourning. The cold sunlight filtered though the stain glass windows, flooding the church floor with inappropriate colours. At the altar, the priest spoke monotonously, his dreary voice echoed through the filled hall.
Among the crowd sat a fair, young man whose hands were clenched together on his lap. He wore all back, his neighbours were dressed similarly. A single tear rolled down the man's cheek. With a bitter smile Ralph hastily wiped it away. He would have never thought he would cry at this funeral.
It had been thirteen years since he had been rescued from the island. Not long after that, the war had stopped. But to Ralph, all the conflict seemed a lifetime ago. He had just graduated from Oxford and attained a highly successful job in business management. He found it easy to forget the horrors with his nose in a book, it seemed more he studied the less nightmares he had. But even with all the success, the strong smell of alcohol lingered on his breath and grey smudges remained, permanently, under his eyes.
When the boys had been rescued they were taken back to their families, no questions asked. Piggy's aunty, Simon's, and all the other parents of children who passed away in the event were told they died in the crash. Both physiologist and justice experts agreed that no boy could be held accountable for their actions on the island.
Out of all the survivors, Ralph had only kept in contact with Samneric. Both of whom sat in front of him, nervously tapping a rhythm with their feet in ominous harmony. But this day had become a sort of twisted reunion for all the biguns from the island.
Because of this seclusion, Ralph didn't realize just how horrifically the island days had scarred the others. Especially Jack.
At first Jack was fine, happy to be home. But then things took a turn for the worst, or so they told Ralph. They said he became so domineering and mad that they had to put him in an asylum to keep him and others safe. Once locked away he kept babbling about his best friends, who were never around, and his hatred for pigs.
That's why Ralph was asked to come. Jack's mother had asked all his friends, who he talked so much about, to come. The only one she couldn't find was little Simon, that didn't worry her too much though.
Once the priest had finished, everyone in the cathedral stood up to leave. Ralph made his way to the altar. He put a hand softly on the closed casket. He knew that under the dark oak was a young, red headed man whose ugly, freckled face still haunts his dreams.
As Ralph turned to leave he met the eyes the still mysterious, yet wary, face of Roger. A small spasm of pain crept across that face before Roger slowly lowered his gaze, turned and walked away. Ralph headed for the door, avoiding anymore eye contact. Especially with the young men he wished never to see again.
Once he escaped outside, Ralph was met by a cold wind. He let out a sigh of relief and looked up into the clear empty sky. He hadn't realize it at the time, but he had felt suffocated during the entire funeral.
Ralph's thoughts were broken by two simultaneous voices. "You okay Ralph?"
Ralph nodded, blinking Samneric into focus.
Sam looked back into the door of the church, "Good riddance-"
"-perhaps we'll get some sleep tonight."
"We still on for the weekend Ralph?"
"Ralph?" Both twins looked at him in concern.
Ralph shook his head, as if to shake off the terrifying thoughts. "Oh, yeah sure, see you on Saturday." He waved his goodbye as he turned to leave.
Ralph drove into the traffic jam and knew his car wasn't going anywhere. He rested his head against the window and turned up the volume on the radio. The cool glass eased his aching head and the loud music drove back the horrible thoughts that were slowly creeping into his head.