Fred Alstrom

I'm Ralph. I was just sitting there crying, looking at the officer and then at Jack. Jack and the others stood with a look like they didn't know what was going on. Other military men started coming to shore as the officer stood there dazed and confused. At last the man asked how the fire had started and why we were acting like a bunch of savages. The other men were shocked too when they got to the officer standing next to us. I froze and couldn't say a thing. The ship was hove to outside the reef of the island. The officer then asked how many of us boys were here? We didn't say anything but when I looked at Jack he seemed to be a little scared and confused.

The men put us on board their small landing craft to take us to their ship after they put out the fire. When we got aboard the ship the officer who seemed like he was the captain questioned us. We told them our names and what had happened to us. But we didn't tell them about Piggy and Simon. For a while I didn't know how to act since we were around civilized grown-ups. Jack had calmed down a bit but Roger was still acting like a savage beast. I really didn't keep track of the little ones but they looked like they'd gone into a state of shock. One moment they had been running around like hooligans and the next moment they were with civilized people. It was all too fast for them to understand.

It took us a couple of weeks to get to an English army base somewhere in Africa. On the way we took hot relaxing baths and were given fresh new clothes and a hair cut. Two days later we were on an airplane back to England.

When we got to London, my parents were at the airport to greet me. They were so happy to see that I was alive and doing well. Most of the other kids' parents were there to greet them too. From London my parents and I drove out to Dover. It felt great to be home, but at the same time it felt odd, like I didn't really belong here any more, like I belonged more back on the island. My dad said that I would be finishing off the

school year at my present school, then next year I would transfer to another school. My dad still had to fight in the war that was going on, but I wanted him to stay with us.

"What if we lost you?" I asked.

"Don't worry, the war with Germany is drawing to an end," he replied.

True, the war with Germany was nearly over but I heard that another war between America and Japan had just started up. Time passed slowly for me, even though school was coming to an end. Then the school board made a new policy that during the war students could not travel.

Being stranded on that island changed my life forever. I kept in tough with the boys who were on the island with me. Jack would never be the same again. It was like he had been brain washed. It seemed like he was the quiet type now and he didn't want to talk about his problems with anyone. I guess killing Piggy and Simon changed his ways.

After school was out for the first year I mostly stayed in Dover and hung around with my friends. But I still kept in touch with the little ones and Jack. I didn't talk to Roger much because he had killed Piggy right in front of me and I couldn't forgive him for that. Jack and the others were doing good. Last I heard, Jack was going to a boarding school somewhere in America. The little ones attended the same school I did and Roger went to a public school where he lived.

After my first year in high school the war ended and my dad came home. I still attended the boarding school because there was a lot more discipline and the quality of the education was better. I guess the reason for Jack going to school in America was because the police found out that Simon and Piggy had been killed. Jack and Roger had a choice between the charge of manslaughter or attending a boarding school out of the country. Jack chose America and Roger chose to stay in England and face the charges. He only got probation and served no time.

Throughout my high school years I kept in touch with Jack. We discussed our mutual problem, and I began to trust him again. We were open to each other but didn't discuss our problem with anyone else, except my parents, that is. Jack said he was doing great in school, and that he was one of the top students. As for me I was an A student and got a scholarship to go to a fine college. Jack also got a scholarship to go to one of America's finest universities.

At college I studied to become a professor of history and math. Jack and I still communicated, and he said he was going to become a lawyer because of what had happened on the island. After graduating I got married and had two children of my own. To this day Roger leads a life of crime. Just last year he killed someone and was put away for life.