chapter 5 - LOTF

chapter 5 - LOTF

chapter 5- beast from water
perspective- simon

PERCIVAL WEMYS MADISON. THE VICARAGE, HARCOURT ST. ANTHONY WEMYS MADISON, HANTS-

When Ralph rang the conch, just as he instructed us, we all met down by the meeting place. Tonight, it was dark and erie. In Ralphs eyes, you could tell that this time, the meeting was ordered and going to be serious. When all of us boys, biguns and littluns, all took our seat along the 6 logs that we designated as our meeting triangle, I sat to Ralphs right along with Jack and Maurice while Piggy on the other hand, stood on the outside of the logs which I could clearly meant that he would only listen. Ralph held the conch close in his hands. He made it clear about the rules and what was not allowed. First of all, Ralph started out with the subject of taking short. "We've all got to use the rocks again. This place is getting dirty." Ralph said. I agree. Its been dirty enough around here without all those littluns going near our only food suppply, or by where our shelters should be. Second, any sort of fire will be on the top of the mountain where our signal fire is right now. The fire wouldn't go to the food, the food would go to the fire. "Then there's huts and shelters" Ralph said. As he said this, I was already thinking about my secret place. Which also brings me the the third rule, we needed more than 3 shelters built. Ralph had a point. Everyone needed to pitch in and get our huts built so that if it were to rain, then we would have some sort of cover above our heads to keep us covered from the storm. And then last, the water situation. Some of the kids were expected to bring water over in coco nut shells, with water from the falls. You could tell that Ralph had tried to plan this meeting out, but how far could he go without being intterupted? I waited, listening intently as to what the reactions would be around the group if something got out about the beastie or us dying. My own thoughts scared me. I continuesd to listen. "All this I meant to say. Now Ive said it. You voted me for chief. Now you do what I say." Ralph said with not an inch of resentment in his voice. "We need an assembly. Not for fun. Not for laughing and falling off the logs." Right before Ralph spoke this, the littluns pretended to fall off just out of boredum. To be honest, Ralphs long and "prepared" speech was making me quite bored myself, but I felt like it was important to listen to what Ralph had to say. After all, he'd come so far with keeping his head held high, and his chin stuck up, making sure everyone knew the message was clear as to who was chief this meeting. Jack stood up intterupting Ralph but all Ralph said was "I haven't finished yet." And then of course Jack had to crack a joke and make it clear to Ralph how bored everyone was by him. "But youve talked and talked and talked-"I just hung and shook my head so slightly that no one even noticed how stupid I thought both of them were. Jack is making it terribly difficult on all of us, here on the island, and you could just tell the Ralph just about had it with Jack. He was on edge. This is when I went silent. "Ive got the conch" Said Ralph sturnly and Jack just sat back down. When Ralph said that he wanted to talk about something different, he immediatly had my attention. I really wanted to tell the rest of the group about my secret place and where I dissapear to sometimes, but Ralph already had a subject up his sleeve. Oh no.. The beastie. When Ralph brought up the beastie, all the littluns went wild and Jack just started yelling at them and telling them how ignorent they were to surviving and the fact that we NEEDED to survive or that they NEEDED to do the work theve been putting off in order to survive. Typical Jack.. Talking about survival skills. Ralph laid the conch on the truck beside him as a sign that the speech was over and then brought attention to a littlun who, apparently, was walking in his sleep, and made him stand. "Whats your name?" Evedently his name was Phil. I thought I remembered seeing him somewhere. Maybe one of those days when the littluns were bothering me to help them get their fruit. Yea.. that was it. "Phil here was walking in his sleep. I got up and was about to wake him up until his eyes popped open and his whole body began to shake" Ralph then asked Phil about what his dream was about, and he said about the creepers and how one minute they were sort of dancing or twined together somehow and then when he opened his eyes, they dissapeared and saw a shadow creeping away. Uh oh.. I remember that night. I just couldn't fall asleep fast enough and decided that once all the boys fll asleep, I would go get away from them and go to my secret place. And that I would just have to remember to get up erly and make sure I did my fair share of chores. "Who was out in the forest at night!?" Ralph asked the circle. I felt like he was demanding a confession for a wrong doing of sin. Unsure if I should lie to the group, I decided that it wouldve been wrong for me not to tell them about my discovery, and here was a great opportunity to. I stood up slowly. "I wanted- to go to a place- a place I know" I said couciously not sure as how to phraze my words together without sounding corney. Ralph looked at me through the little light that was left and said "Well don't do it again. Understand? Not at night." I thought that they would be eager to hear about my get away/hide away place. But no, so I just sat back down. The conversation went on about peoples thoughts on the beastie and what it really is. Piggy took the conch in hand and decided to share his opinion. He started out about how another littlun, this time the cousin of the birthmarked boy who first brought up chatter about a beastie, who saw it; the beastie. Piggy shouted out for him to speak his name. He did after a few gulpes. I felt so sorry for the littlun. I would have hated it if I were put in that situation. I debated on wheather I should ve gone over to confort him, but I chose not to, since lately Jack had been noticing my kind giving and generous offers, that gave me the title (in his mind) 'Fatty helper'. "Percival Wemys Madison. The Vicarage, Harcourt St. Anthony, telephone, telephone, tele-" Poor Percival. He had been cut off by his own break of sobs. I could tell that he was in pain. Pain and harship of loosing a loved one because of this island. Because of the way things are being ruled around here. Because of the stupid plane crashing us onto this island that is on no map ever written. Maurice, a couple ways down from me, pretended to fall off his log and onto his butt. of course it made everyone laugh. Even poor Percival craked a smile. Ralph asked Percival where he had seen this beast or where it lived because certainly Jack would have been everywhere on this island already. "It lives in the water" said Percival muttering it only once as if he WAS declaring himself to a sin. Once Jack said the words "going to hunt down the beastie", the littluns and the hunters took off and away as the dark grew heavier and heavier. Soon it was pitch black and I found myself reaching towards where Piggy and Ralph had just been. It was all quiet when I found Piggy and Ralph, but then we were surrounded by a shriek so high pitched and terrifying that had me clutching for them, but then realized, it wasn't just the roars of the winds. It was Percival. Near. Close. Dead? But the beast.. in the water.. Percival. The black engulfed me then. I couldn't see. Percival Wemys Madison?