Chapter 13: Empathy
The words were deafening; ringing in Ralph's ears, the venom-filled phrase Jack had stated, seemed to be the loudest sound in the house, despite the occasional creaking floorboard. Finally, Ralph's blank gaze snapped back into the present, and he shook his head. His eyes darted toward Jack, and widened in sympathy. Jack's visage had been unchanged; his face looked as cold as stone, and his gaze was stern and serious, but Ralph could judge that it wouldn't last for long. From his experience with knowing Jack, Ralph understood that it took a lot to beat Jack down into sorrow, and the past few days would've easily passed the task.
"I-- I'm sorry, Jack," Ralph said, his voice barely above a rather sorrowful whisper.
"You don't need to apologize," Jack replied gruffly, "you didn't kill them."
Ralph shook his head, and a bit of a weak smile crept over his face; the smile was weak, but not entirely true all the same, as it had been formed mostly out of pity and sympathy for Jack. Ralph realized how Jack must've been feeling, but nevertheless, silently thanked fate for not letting this happen in his life. But it dawned on Ralph that he had yet to come up with a comment to counter Jack's, for he had been silent for easily a minute.
"Well, what'll you do? Where will you go? Do you have a guardian-- close family-- someone?" Ralph blurted out.
"Close family?" Jack mock-laughed.
"Well, wouldn't they take you in?" Ralph questioned.
"I'd doubt it. My family's full of a bunch of snobs, they'd think I was some kind of wild boy from being gone so long," Jack muttered. "They'd end up sending me off to an orphanage or something of the like. And even there, fate's decided, eh? They all want children, not me. And after that, if one person would decide to take interest in the one no one wanted to take in, they'd hear my history, and discard me right away, because of some kind of belief that I would have rabies or some other disease. It's set in stone. I'd be the prep school student turned wild boy."
Regarding the serious nature of their conversation, Ralph felt a bit out of place with his emotions, but Jack had included a bit of dry humor and wit, and Ralph couldn't help but laughing quietly.
"Well, the school will take us back," Ralph interjected.
"What? You seriously think the prep school will take us back? They'll think the same of all of us, exclude the littluns, maybe. Surely, they'll hear the news, they'll hear about Piggy and Simon, they'll hear about Roger and I, they'll hear about you, they'll hear about the tribes of the island. You really think their high-class stature is going to allow us 'wild boys' back into the school?" Jack ranted.
For once, Ralph understood Jack's position in the conversation; he was right. Ralph realized that he would have an air of danger around him wherever he went, and even more so if someone recognized him. The same would count for Jack, and the rest of the 'biguns' from the island.
"Sure, the littluns may get a better chance to reconcile themselves from this reputation, because they'll be viewed as the ones who were innocent on the island, and can overcome their problems. We'll be the ones who are regarded as barbarians with low intelligence levels, no morals, and lacking regular virtues. Can't you see it?" Jack continued.
Ralph nodded, his empathy for Jack growing. He never recognized how well of a grip Jack had gotten on reality.
"But I think that's something we can't deal with now," Ralph finally spoke up. "What we do need to deal with now is where you're going to live."
Jack nodded, but then shrugged, replying, "I already told you-- I'll be sent off to some orphanage by my family."
"Where that vicious cycle will begin, hm?" Ralph muttered.
Jack nodded, "That seems to be the way it'll go."
"Well, you're not going to the orphanage," Ralph grinned.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Jack demanded.
Ralph laughed, "You're acting like you want to go to the orphanage."
"Hell no!" Jack exclaimed. "But where to you propose I stay, then?"
"Right here," Ralph beamed.
"You're off your rocker!" Jack laughed.
The tone in their conversation had grown considerably louder, and had sparked a bit of curiosity from Ralph's parents, who peeked into the room.
"I'm serious!" Ralph grinned.
"And when did you become your parents' authority?" Jack smirked.
"Mom!" Ralph called.
"I'm already here," Ralph's mother replied softly, stepping further into the room.
"Oh, well, then you've heard our conversation?" Ralph inquired, somewhat sourly.
"Certainly not enough of it," Ralph's mother said, in an uncertain tone.
"To make it brief, my parents died," Jack interjected, -- and meanwhile Ralph's mother gasped loudly-- "and your son, here," he continued, motioning with his hand toward Ralph, "has his mind set on making me stay here, instead of going to my family, who'll end up sending me to an orphanage."
There was a silence in the air, but its tone was not as deafening as it had been, previously. No longer was there a thick layer of sorrow in the atmosphere, for luckily, the two boys had managed to lighten up the mood. Both Jack and Ralph seemed to be realizing that factor, as they grinned at each other somewhat smugly. Now, that was the Merridew that Ralph knew.
The words were deafening; ringing in Ralph's ears, the venom-filled phrase Jack had stated, seemed to be the loudest sound in the house, despite the occasional creaking floorboard. Finally, Ralph's blank gaze snapped back into the present, and he shook his head. His eyes darted toward Jack, and widened in sympathy. Jack's visage had been unchanged; his face looked as cold as stone, and his gaze was stern and serious, but Ralph could judge that it wouldn't last for long. From his experience with knowing Jack, Ralph understood that it took a lot to beat Jack down into sorrow, and the past few days would've easily passed the task.
"I-- I'm sorry, Jack," Ralph said, his voice barely above a rather sorrowful whisper.
"You don't need to apologize," Jack replied gruffly, "you didn't kill them."
Ralph shook his head, and a bit of a weak smile crept over his face; the smile was weak, but not entirely true all the same, as it had been formed mostly out of pity and sympathy for Jack. Ralph realized how Jack must've been feeling, but nevertheless, silently thanked fate for not letting this happen in his life. But it dawned on Ralph that he had yet to come up with a comment to counter Jack's, for he had been silent for easily a minute.
"Well, what'll you do? Where will you go? Do you have a guardian-- close family-- someone?" Ralph blurted out.
"Close family?" Jack mock-laughed.
"Well, wouldn't they take you in?" Ralph questioned.
"I'd doubt it. My family's full of a bunch of snobs, they'd think I was some kind of wild boy from being gone so long," Jack muttered. "They'd end up sending me off to an orphanage or something of the like. And even there, fate's decided, eh? They all want children, not me. And after that, if one person would decide to take interest in the one no one wanted to take in, they'd hear my history, and discard me right away, because of some kind of belief that I would have rabies or some other disease. It's set in stone. I'd be the prep school student turned wild boy."
Regarding the serious nature of their conversation, Ralph felt a bit out of place with his emotions, but Jack had included a bit of dry humor and wit, and Ralph couldn't help but laughing quietly.
"Well, the school will take us back," Ralph interjected.
"What? You seriously think the prep school will take us back? They'll think the same of all of us, exclude the littluns, maybe. Surely, they'll hear the news, they'll hear about Piggy and Simon, they'll hear about Roger and I, they'll hear about you, they'll hear about the tribes of the island. You really think their high-class stature is going to allow us 'wild boys' back into the school?" Jack ranted.
For once, Ralph understood Jack's position in the conversation; he was right. Ralph realized that he would have an air of danger around him wherever he went, and even more so if someone recognized him. The same would count for Jack, and the rest of the 'biguns' from the island.
"Sure, the littluns may get a better chance to reconcile themselves from this reputation, because they'll be viewed as the ones who were innocent on the island, and can overcome their problems. We'll be the ones who are regarded as barbarians with low intelligence levels, no morals, and lacking regular virtues. Can't you see it?" Jack continued.
Ralph nodded, his empathy for Jack growing. He never recognized how well of a grip Jack had gotten on reality.
"But I think that's something we can't deal with now," Ralph finally spoke up. "What we do need to deal with now is where you're going to live."
Jack nodded, but then shrugged, replying, "I already told you-- I'll be sent off to some orphanage by my family."
"Where that vicious cycle will begin, hm?" Ralph muttered.
Jack nodded, "That seems to be the way it'll go."
"Well, you're not going to the orphanage," Ralph grinned.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Jack demanded.
Ralph laughed, "You're acting like you want to go to the orphanage."
"Hell no!" Jack exclaimed. "But where to you propose I stay, then?"
"Right here," Ralph beamed.
"You're off your rocker!" Jack laughed.
The tone in their conversation had grown considerably louder, and had sparked a bit of curiosity from Ralph's parents, who peeked into the room.
"I'm serious!" Ralph grinned.
"And when did you become your parents' authority?" Jack smirked.
"Mom!" Ralph called.
"I'm already here," Ralph's mother replied softly, stepping further into the room.
"Oh, well, then you've heard our conversation?" Ralph inquired, somewhat sourly.
"Certainly not enough of it," Ralph's mother said, in an uncertain tone.
"To make it brief, my parents died," Jack interjected, -- and meanwhile Ralph's mother gasped loudly-- "and your son, here," he continued, motioning with his hand toward Ralph, "has his mind set on making me stay here, instead of going to my family, who'll end up sending me to an orphanage."
There was a silence in the air, but its tone was not as deafening as it had been, previously. No longer was there a thick layer of sorrow in the atmosphere, for luckily, the two boys had managed to lighten up the mood. Both Jack and Ralph seemed to be realizing that factor, as they grinned at each other somewhat smugly. Now, that was the Merridew that Ralph knew.