Theresa George

My name is Ralph. After the soldiers came they asked us a lot of questions. No one answered the men's questions. I tried to speak but I couldn't. Tears were running down my cheeks like a clear running stream. Finally, one of the men took me and brought me away from rest of the crowd. He sat me down on the sand and asked me if we were the only ones on the island. I said we were, and then he asked me how we got on the island? I sat there for a minute trying to remember exactly how we got to the island. My mind was just a blur so I told the man I couldn't remember. He then asked me why the rest of the boys had marks on their faces and I didn't. I started crying again, remembering Piggy and Simon's death. He then told me to take deep breaths and to calm down. I did as he told me too, fearing what he would do if I didn't obey what he said. After calming down, he asked me the same question. I told him it was a game we were playing. He asked me if I was sure and I told him I was. Then the last question he asked was how long we were on the island? I told him I couldn't remember. He then told me that I could go back to the rest of the boys while he talked to another man. I told him I wanted to stay near him. He looked down at me and asked why. Trying to come up with a reason to stay, the only one I came up with was to examine his badges. He called one of the other men over and took him a little ways away from where I was standing. I couldn't hear what they were talking about. The only part I heard was getting the food from a water-proof bag. Then the man who was asking me the questions came over and asked me if we had anything to eat. I told him the forest had burned down, so did the fruit trees. He told me that we should go over to the other boys. So I followed behind him wondering why he didn't ask how the forest burned down, and hoping he wouldn't ask.

When we got back to the others Jack and his crew were whispering. Then they fell silent. I looked up and met Jack's eyes. His eyes were full of hate and his expression was different, like he had something planned. I turned away, Just as the other man brought the canvas bag and sat it down on the sand. The guy who was asking the questions opened the bag and took some food out and lay it upon the sand. He then turned to us and told us that we should have something to eat. I took a couple of steps before realizing I was the only one going towards the food. I turned and saw Jack and his crew watching me with hateful eyes. I shivered and my whole body felt cold. The man looked at me curiously, wondering why I'd stopped. I then looked down, not realizing the man had come up to me. He looked down at me and asked why I stopped. I looked up into his eyes, a tear rolling down my left cheek. He asked me what was the matter. Choking on my tears, I told him we had not eaten real food in a long time. We were silent for a minute then he took me by my shoulders and walked beside me to the food and told me to eat. I sat on the sand by the food and ate as much as I could. Paying so much attention to my food, I didn't hear the man and Jack talking. Soon I heard Jack's harsh voice saying, no! I turned and saw the man and Jack talking mean to one another. I heard Jack telling the man to get off of their island, saying it belonged to Jack and his hunters. The man must 've said something to make Jack mad because Jack then fell silent. "Oh god, please don't let anything terrible happen," I muttered to myself. Jack's eyes grew narrow, and he looked quickly at his crew and back at the man. Then in a flash Jack speared the man in the chest and took off. The food I was eating dropped, and I froze, not moving a muscle.

The men ran after Jack and the other boys but they were too fast. Then one of the men came over to me and tied me up. I was wondering what was going on because I thought they knew I wasn't part of Jack's group. I looked up to the man who was tieing me up and asked him what he was doing. He told me that he was tieing me up. But I told him I was on their side. He then accused me of being one of Jack's crew. On hearing that, tears roiled down my cheeks. When he asked me what was the matter, I told him the whole story, about how Piggy and Simon had been murdered and how Jack and his crew were out to kill me when we bumped into the men, and about how the forest burned down. I looked up into his eyes and I could see he believed what I was saying. He asked me if that was why I was the only one without any paint on my face, and I said yes. He took his knife and cut the rope, then called the other men over and told them my story.

The man who had been speared by Jack had died instantly, so everyone got ready to leave the island as soon as possible.They weren't going to bother looking for Jack and the rest of the boys because they had killed a man. The police would have to take care of it from here on.

After reaching home I was very happy to see my parents. They told me they had been looking for us for so long they had almost given up hope that they would ever see me again. I still have nightmares of what happened, and I know I will continue having the nightmares for quite some time.

The men who had come to my rescue told the police where the rest of the boys were, and when the police went to the island they found that Eric had also been murdered. Since Jack and his crew had no food to eat, they killed Eric and ate him. The last I heard was that all the boys were put in a mental institute and being treated for schizophrenia.