Chapter 10 - The Lucky Ones
As they made their fateful climb down the stairs of the cruiser, each boy walking downward had a different reaction to the situation. The littluns, of course, were the most eager of all; they leapt down the stairs, running to their families with bright smiles on their faces.
They were the lucky ones.
The older boys, such as Ralph, Jack, and Maurice, were dreading the moment when they would reach the bottom of the climb. Thus, their pace was flowing as slow as it could possibly go. They didn't know what would become of them.
"I don't want to step down there," Jack whispered to Ralph, as they strolled downward.
"It doesn't seem like any of us, well, besides the littluns, do," Ralph admitted.
"Ralph," Jack sighed, "what'll we do?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't act naive, you know what I mean."
"No, I really--"
"Sure, the littluns will forget this once they're older, they won't remember the horror of all of it-- sure they might have faint memories, like we do of when we were younger, but they won't remember like we will."
Ralph was silent.
"What'll we do?" Jack asked again.
Before Ralph got the chance to reply, the two reached the bottom stair. Ralph took a gasp of breath and stepped down, looking outward at the many faces gathered before them. Jack followed Ralph down, but with a bit more reluctance than Ralph had shown.
From the crowd, a woman came rushing forward, followed by a rather tall man-- both with fair hair.
"Ralph!" the woman called.
Ralph smiled as best he could, and hugged the woman.
Jack stepped a few feet away from Ralph, his own eyes peering for an emerging pair from the crowd.
"I missed you, mother," Ralph said quietly.
The man smiled fondly at his son, but did not speak a word. Ralph turned around, and gazed at Jack; he wasn't about to forget him just because he had seen his parents again.
"You have to write to me, Jack," Ralph said, with a smile.
"I will," Jack said blankly, "but I don't know your address."
"Uh, mum," Ralph said, looking back at his mother.
Ralph's mother chuckled, and snatched a paper and pen from her pocket, jotting down the address; Jack waited, running his fingers through his red hair idly.
"Here," Ralph's mother said, handing the paper to Jack.
Jack took the paper, looked it over, and nodded.
"Well, let's go home," Ralph's father finally spoke, leading back toward the slowly diminishing crowd.
Jack allowed a small sigh to emerge from his lips. Ralph turned and nodded his head to his father, but then looked back at Jack concernedly.
"You going to be alright?" Ralph asked Jack quietly.
Jack nodded, "Yeah, I'll.. be fine."
Ralph smiled weakly, then waved, and took off as his mother began summoning him away.
"G'bye, Ralph," Jack called out, though his tone did not stand very high against the disconnected jabber of the crowd.
Ralph heard Jack, although.
"Bye, Jack," Ralph called back, as he disappeared into the crowd.
Bits of their conversation earlier rang over and over in Jack's head as he continued to shift his gaze around the crowd--
'What'll we do?' 'Don't act naive.' 'But they won't remember like we will..'
As they made their fateful climb down the stairs of the cruiser, each boy walking downward had a different reaction to the situation. The littluns, of course, were the most eager of all; they leapt down the stairs, running to their families with bright smiles on their faces.
They were the lucky ones.
The older boys, such as Ralph, Jack, and Maurice, were dreading the moment when they would reach the bottom of the climb. Thus, their pace was flowing as slow as it could possibly go. They didn't know what would become of them.
"I don't want to step down there," Jack whispered to Ralph, as they strolled downward.
"It doesn't seem like any of us, well, besides the littluns, do," Ralph admitted.
"Ralph," Jack sighed, "what'll we do?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't act naive, you know what I mean."
"No, I really--"
"Sure, the littluns will forget this once they're older, they won't remember the horror of all of it-- sure they might have faint memories, like we do of when we were younger, but they won't remember like we will."
Ralph was silent.
"What'll we do?" Jack asked again.
Before Ralph got the chance to reply, the two reached the bottom stair. Ralph took a gasp of breath and stepped down, looking outward at the many faces gathered before them. Jack followed Ralph down, but with a bit more reluctance than Ralph had shown.
From the crowd, a woman came rushing forward, followed by a rather tall man-- both with fair hair.
"Ralph!" the woman called.
Ralph smiled as best he could, and hugged the woman.
Jack stepped a few feet away from Ralph, his own eyes peering for an emerging pair from the crowd.
"I missed you, mother," Ralph said quietly.
The man smiled fondly at his son, but did not speak a word. Ralph turned around, and gazed at Jack; he wasn't about to forget him just because he had seen his parents again.
"You have to write to me, Jack," Ralph said, with a smile.
"I will," Jack said blankly, "but I don't know your address."
"Uh, mum," Ralph said, looking back at his mother.
Ralph's mother chuckled, and snatched a paper and pen from her pocket, jotting down the address; Jack waited, running his fingers through his red hair idly.
"Here," Ralph's mother said, handing the paper to Jack.
Jack took the paper, looked it over, and nodded.
"Well, let's go home," Ralph's father finally spoke, leading back toward the slowly diminishing crowd.
Jack allowed a small sigh to emerge from his lips. Ralph turned and nodded his head to his father, but then looked back at Jack concernedly.
"You going to be alright?" Ralph asked Jack quietly.
Jack nodded, "Yeah, I'll.. be fine."
Ralph smiled weakly, then waved, and took off as his mother began summoning him away.
"G'bye, Ralph," Jack called out, though his tone did not stand very high against the disconnected jabber of the crowd.
Ralph heard Jack, although.
"Bye, Jack," Ralph called back, as he disappeared into the crowd.
Bits of their conversation earlier rang over and over in Jack's head as he continued to shift his gaze around the crowd--
'What'll we do?' 'Don't act naive.' 'But they won't remember like we will..'