Lord of the Flies: Journal #12

Chapter: Cry of the Hunters

Perspective: Ralph

The Hunt and Rescue

I'm being hunted. Jack and the boys are hunting me down to kill me. I'm not sure why. At first, I thought it was a diddle. But then, I went to go see Samneric to see what was going on. They said that Jack was planning to kill me by surrounding me. They said that they would make a cordon and move along the island until they found me. Also, they would give a ululation if one of them found me. That would tell the others that they were ready to kill. They said that Roger had a spear. But not any spear, one with both ends sharpened. That frightened me. It sent a shiver down my spine. I thought about what that meant. Maybe that he was going to use it both times. I wasn't sure, and that's what made me worried. There was a small idea in the back of my mind that scared me the most- using it to do what they did to the sow- put my head on the top of that stick. Samneric suggested that I hide to attempt to keep myself alive. Then Roger came and I had to dive under a bush. Right before Roger was upon us, one of the twins gave me a chunk of the pig to eat. I grabbed it and started eating. It might have been my last.

When I started running, I was worried. I was frantically looking for a good hiding place. Somewhere where they wouldn't find me- so it had to be good. But once they set fire to the whole entire island, things changed. I had to get out of the forest and onto the beach where it wouldn't get me. I was worried that they would be waiting for me there, but most of them were following me. I had to be to the beach and stall, or hide, or run some more.

I got to the beach and collapsed on the sand. I looked up and saw a pair of shoes. None of the boys on the island had shoes anymore. We'd used them to make other things, shoes were'nt a nessecity anymore. I looked up some more to see that there was pants that weren't ripped or stained. They looked like they were made of drill. I looked up one last time and saw a man. He was in a military uniform and had epaulettes on the shoulders.

I immediately started sobbing. Sobbing, and sobbing and sobbing. I realized that there was no reason now that we weren't going to be rescued. And that we would be returned home, and that the next time i slept, it would probably be in a bed. With sheets, and a mattress, and a pillow. Not on the ground with the stars as a blanket. The military man said something, it sounded like, I saw your fire... I have a... I'll take you home... but that was all I got out of it. My tears and my sobs were so loud in my ear I couldn't really hear anything else.

Then Jack and the boys got to the beach. They saw the man in the uniform and did exactly what I did. Cry. Let it all out. We all knew one thing.

We were going home...