"I told you, it's completely destroyed. Even the ocean couldn't 've done such a thing. It might've washed it all away, but not done this to it."
"Really?"
"No way."
"We can't-"
"-believe it."
"Here, I'll show you."
Ralph stood up and led the way. Outside, it felt colder than the night before, but only because they had snuggled so tightly under their clothes and the thin, starched sheets that had been given to them. They had put on the pants that the officers had loaned to them (which were all to big and had to be rolled up at the ankles), but not even that stopped the cold from shattering through.
The eerie shade of the night was no longer as ghastly, and now as the pale yellow sun began to peek over the dark, bejeweled sky and start an array of colors, they came upon the destroyed figure.
The sticks had been snapped in two, and peices of glass were strewn around the deck. No doubt most of the reminants of the glasses had already fallen into the ocean. Sam lifted up his foot as a peice latched onto it; Eric helped take it out. Ralph picked up the wire freams, which had been bent beyond recognition, and then he gathered the sticks that had been carelessly flung aside.
"See?"
"Who could've-"
"-Done such a thing?"
Ralph gave them a 'look', and they nodded with dull senses, tired of everything always being *his* fault.
"I'll deal with him. You two make sure he doesn't try to pull a move."
"But-"
"-Ralph? He'll hurt you-"
"He has no power now," Ralph cut in. "His followers are going to do nothing and he can't do much because of the officers here."
"You sure?"
"Positive. I've got to set things straight before Jack goes back and starts to run amuck. Probably grow up to be some facist dictator if we don't take care of him now. We can't make him feel as though he has any power over us anymore. Once we take his feeling of power away, we've destroyed him. He won't be able to do anything to anyone after that."
They walked inside. Most of the boys were still asleep, and those that were awake were only halfway there. Ralph knelt down by Jack's pillow, waiting until Jack became more aware of his presence. The hunter's eyes flung open at the quick snap of movement, and before he could do anything an icy, strong hand was pushed against his esophagus and wrapped around his wiry neck. Jack grabbed the arm that was holding him and pushed against it to sit up, only to meet the eyes of his glaring enemy.
"What the-"
Ralph shoved Jack down against the floor, and the hunter's head bounced at the impact as it collided with the surface.
"Now you listen here Jack Merridew. I'm going to say this once and you'd better listen. I'm not going to resort to killing or any more unnecessary pain like you handle things. So I'm letting you go, and if you're not afraid of me you'll stand down and LISTEN."
"I'm not afraid of you," Jack sneered. The cold hand was removed and he coughed roughly before wiping sleep from his eyes and clenching his fist, ready. "What the hell do you want?"
"I'm tired of you ruining things for everybody. I'm tired of you leading us into death and destruction and I am tired of you trying to think that you're still leader! You're not- so stop trying to prove to everyone how tough you are."
"What the hell 're you talking about?!"
"You know what I'm talking about. Stop. It."
"No, I don't know."
Now there was a crowd of inquisitive boys circling around them, blinking their eyes and trying not to show how the loud voices were paining their morning ears. Sam and Eric stood behind Ralph, looking at Jack, cocking their heads.
"I see what game you're trying to play. You're trying to make me say it. You want me to make a fool of myself in front of everyone. I'm onto you! You want me to say it so bad?! Fine! You destroyed the project we made for Simon and Piggy. Do you remember now?"
"Oh, that thing." Jack casually unclenched his fist and relaxed his shoulders.
"Yes! That thing! You remember Simon and Piggy, don't you? You remember how they were murdered because of YOU, don't you?"
This sparked a flame of anger in Jack. Fuming, he jerked up and pushed Ralph back. Ralph fell, almost crushing Samneric under his weight. They pushed him up.
"Stop it! I did not kill 'em!"
"Yes you did, liar! Stop trying to cover it up! If you had never tried to make the group break up and go under your stupid, selfish rule nobody would've died!"
"Shut up! Shut up! We all killed Simon- all of us! And Roger killed Piggy! You've should 've protected them, oh *leader*."
"You just want to ruin everything for us! Now, all that we've doen to remember them has been destroyed because of you!"
"Destroyed? What're you talking about?"
"Stop trying to play innocent. I know you came out last night and destroyed the cross an' glasses. Only me and Samneric now about it- I didn't tell YOU."
"I went out last night and saw you making that stupid thing but I did not destroy it!"
"Then who did?!" Ralph screamed. "WHO DID?!"
The silence that suddenly filled the room was deafening. Everyone was awake now. Ralph and Jack still held their fists clenched, now so far apart that nothing could bring them back except themselves. Ralph held up the bent glasses and Jack looked at it as if he had never set eyes on it.
"Piggy's glasses?" a look of confused recognition crossed his face.
"Stop being naive you-"
"Hey, hey stop!" the door burst open and Tom stood there wearing pants and a dirty white undershirt. His face was smeared creamy white and his hair was reaching toward the ceiling. It would have been funny had it not been for the serious aura that settled about the room. "What's going on here?"
"That... that crazy fool was blaming me for destroying his stupid-"
"It's not stupid!" Samneric yelled.
"Ralph?" Tom looked down at the boy as if he were reprimanding his own. "What happened?"
Ralph looked down, his hair falling over his eyes, then back up at Tom. "I took up your idea and made... something... for Simon and Piggy. I left it on the deck over night and... when I went out there this morning it was destroyed."
"Did it ever cross your mind that it might have been the ocean."
Ralph held up the glasses. "The ocean couldn't 've done this."
Tom inspected the glasses carefully and then nodded, handing them back over to Ralph. "Well then, how are you sure it was your friend over here that did it?" he nodded toward the small, freakled boy with the dusty red hair.
"Because he's always ruinin' everything," Ralph shouted, suddenly. "He was the one that drove everybody to kill my friends and he-"
"It wasn't my fault! They were both at the wrong place at the wrong time!"
"You took over as leader! DId anybody die when I was leader?"
A spark of memory suddenly came to Jack in his anger. "Yes- yes that little mul-"
But Ralph had already closed his mind to all else that may be true. "No! Was anyone driven to violence? No! It was you and your stupid idea of being a hunter!"
"Listen. Both of you. Be Quiet. The captain hates disturbances and may as well throw you off board if you bother him. So leave your differences for later."
The boys stood up, glaring at each other, the thick cloud of emnity brewing a storm in between them. Tom left and the group of other boys disperesed, some returning to sleep and the others walking aimlessly about, bored as the action died down. Ralph stood up himself and walked out, turning his back on Jack. The twins, still looking at Jack with slight confusion on their faces, turned and followed.
***********************************************
Ralph stood, his arms hanging over the edge of the icy bar. When the ship lurched and tilted low on the other side, he grasped it tight and the skin on his arms, at times, even stuck to the bar itself. He always managed to rip it off, feeling little because it was only dead skin that was removed.
As the ship glode over the water Ralph gazed out, feeling the flicks of sun against his face. He pushed his hair out of the way, hoping that today would be the day that Tom had promised would come: when he would get his hair cut. Tom was not rushing. "Besides," the officer had said. "It's that tangled mop that keeps your head warm at night." Ralph didn't care. He wanted to purge himself of any remanants of being savage.
Under a single white puff the ocean broke and a slick grey fin rose out, gliding at the same speed of teh ship. A hole appeared an inch in front of the fin and smoky air splurted out. A high-pitched squeal followed, then both the fin and the hole disappeared under the waters. Ralph waited, hopeful, and as soon as the figure seemed to drift away, it sprang back up again with a sudden rush of water that sent a spiral of whitewash into Ralph's face. He laughed and stepped back as he was showered with a display like no other.
The dolphin played by the side of the large metal fish, the one that swam much slower than she, but still held her interest. She nuzzled by it's cold grey wall and then was off again, leaping toward the sky, outjumping the big fish by what seemed a mile. She sqealed in delight and threw a burst of speech to her new companion, but it seemed strangely quiet as it continued to glide over the water. A sudden acute echo burst into the sky, and this sent her a strange sensation of happiness, because it had responded, though she could not understand it's words. A long, bubbling voice from below told her it was time to leave. For one final goodbye to the big friend, she flung herself as high into the sky as she possibly could, higher than she'd ever been before, until it seemed she was one with the sky and would disappear into the bright ray of the sun. Then with a flash of a tail she flopped back into the water with a great splash!, crashing into the ocean, where she swam deep, never to see that particular big fish, again.
"Yes, it is beautiful," he said aloud to no one.
Ralph smiled and leaned over the side, thinking 'goodbye' as the dolphin disappeared under the depths. A school of silver fish swam in a swarm together, glittering against the sun, and disappearing as well. Ralph leaned back and returned to his dream world across the sea.
"It wasn't my fault you know."
Ralph hadn't been aware of the figure that joined him by the water's edge, and silently he hoped that the statement he'd made earler hadn't been heard. He remained quiet, pretending to remain in his world, but listened. That was all that was needed.
"I didn't do it. I went out there last night and felt something... watching me... and you know how it is." Jack leaned over the side with his arms hung casually over as well.
"If you didn't do it, then who did?" Ralph asked coldly.
"One of my hunters?"
Ralph snorted. "I doubt it."
"You know... you have always underestimated them," Jack took a menacing glance at his rival.
"Yes. And look at what they are capable of now that you've forever changed them."
Jack sighed. "I know you're upset about Piggy and Simon-"
"Upset?" Ralph gave a laugh not at all meant to be friendly. "I am upset that this war is going on. I'm upset that things are the way they are. But I am far too angry and depressed to be just upset about what you did, Jack Merridew."
"I didn't do it alone!"
"You led them. If you didn't exhist, none of this would have every happened."
"You can never get rid of people like me, Ralph. If I didn't exist? So what? There are a million other people out there who would've done the exact same thing. You can't just wish I didn't exist, because I AM everyone. If I didn't exist, neither would humanity. I'm everywhere you don't want to be, I'm obvious, I'm hidden, I'm only partly there, but I'm there and that is all that matters."
Seeing the look on Ralph's appalled face Jack stopped for a moment.
"But even still, I... I'm sorry."
Ralph paused, and then continued. "A while ago... if we'd been under the warmth of the island, and we were together, and things hadn't changed, I would have accepted that. But, cheif, ou may or may not have killed those two directly, but you sure as hell influenced it. And it doesn't matter if there are a million other Jack's out there, what matter's is that YOUR here and you are the one to have changed everything."
Jack, abashed, said nothing and began to escape to the same dream world Ralph had been in earlier. Then, after what felt like hours, "Things'll never be the same again, will they?"
Ralph stood up, straightening his position. "I believe you."
"What?"
"I believe you. If you'd destroyed that dedication project, you'd 've been proud of it."
"...sort've like with the big."
"Yes," Ralph blinked, surprised they had began to see face to face on something in this universe. To balance it out, he said, "Yes... exactly like with the pig."
"Then... who did it?"
"Someone." Ralph was feeling drowsy, as the warmth and the rocking of the boat began to lull him into sleep. He looked back at the main part of the ship, where everything seemed to have a cloudy emanance around it. "Maybe we won't know. But someone."
Jack shifted his weight awkwardly and stood, facing Ralph as a lutenaint might to his inferior.
Ralph looked at this position and laughed with tacit scorn, looking away. Then he stood as well. The occurences had too far set them apart, and as much Ralph hated to admit it, he nodded. "You're right, Jack. Things 'll never be the same again."
Jack held out his hand. "We'll be rivals forever, you do know that."
"I know. Maybe we're meant to be so."
"Maybe."
"We'll see each other again?" Ralph didn't mean on the ship.
"Sometime." The aeons began to tick away through the lost hope of each of their minds.
"But not..."
"Yes."
Jack shook his rival's hand. "Goodbye Ralph."
Ralph took a moment to gaze out where his dream world lay. The sky was brighter there, the grass a more vibrant shade of lime, the earth soft and warm as he remembered it. A shadow stold into view and slithered across the scape above, crouched, prowling, ready to strike at any moment. Ralph broke away from this place, finally looking through the menacing eyes of his once close friend. These eyes were different. They had changed, but in a way he could not perceive. Not just yet. Ralph peered into the deep shades, clouded with a coerving anvil thunder. He then apprehensively returned the shake. "Goodbye Jack Merridew."
Jack turned and walked away, their two dream worlds having been crossed and left behind.