The birds were chirping as the salty waves crashed on the shore. The morning air was crisp and clean. Piggy stepped out of his hut and inhaled deeply, feeling the sea breeze cling to his tattered clothing. To be fair, he had outgrown his stingy button up shirt a long time ago, but he wasn't as confident in his body as the other boys. If he removed his shirt he wouldn't have muscles, he'd have a gut. He lowered his head in shame thinking about the guys laughing at him as he scratched his shirt, then began walking down the beach.
A few littleluns were out already, seeing as it was such a nice day. Some were sitting around the empty firepit swapping and scarfing down berries, while others were wading in shallow water. Some play fought with sticks, shouting out mocking savage cries and dramatically fake dying onto the sand. Piggy felt the overwhelming urge to begin scolding them and was about to, when a boy called Tim fell to the ground, wailing as a stick was stuck into his right shoulder. His friend Archie stood dumbfounded, and dropped his mock spear. He frantically tried consoling Tim, saying over and over again that he didn't mean it.
"Alright, alright! Move aside!" Piggy shouted over all the commotion. He was trying to move through a patch of littleluns that had gathered to see what was going on. After reaching the two boys, he helped Tim stand up. "There, there. Calm down. See what happens when you play rough and act savages? You get hurt!"
Tim gripped Piggy's button up, slobbering with ugly tears as blood trickled down his arm. Archie began crying worriedly as well. "I didn't mean to, piggy! I swear! We were just playing!"
Piggy shook his head, annoyed. "Acting like savages, foolish savages."
"Please, Piggy!" Archie cried. "Don't tell Ralph!"
"Don't tell Ralph what?"
Everyone's head turned to a familiar groggy voice.
Their chief climbed out from his small hut and stood tall, extending his tanned arms behind his head. He yawned widely as he stretched. He was shirtless, small grains of sand still visible on his muscular torso and defined calves. The sun illuminated his golden locks, giving off the illusion of a halo.
Ralph started life on the island as a small, frail, unsure boy who was thrust into the position of leader. They called him chief, but he did not feel worthy of their respect. He was constantly challenged and threatened by a fiery opposing force, never able to stand his ground. He felt shameful and spent every night either crying alone in his tent or worrying. But after nearly six long years stranded, he learned to fight back. He chased the savages back to castle rock and drew borders. He regained his tribe. He didn't command respect-no. They respected him willingly, without question. He had grown from a small boy to a golden, chiseled chief who stood 6'0. He was admired by all, in many ways. Many boys idolized him as a hero or big brother. Piggy, on the other hand, admired the chief in a different way. The pudgy spectacled boy blushed whenever Ralph helped him with the shelters or stuck up for him when he was being tormented by the other boys. Occasionally he also admired Ralph from afar whenever he went for a shirtless swim...but that was irrelevant. He was just in awe that his closest friend had grown to be such a hero and still gave him the time of day. Ralph was the only person who talked willingly to piggy. He was his only friend.
Ralph strode over to Piggy, Tim, and Archie. The littleluns cleared a path for him immediately, without being asked. Ralph's seafoam eyes glanced down at Tim's wound, the stick emerging from his sunburnt skin unnaturally. Something clouded over those seafoam eyes momentarily. Concern or disappointment, Piggy couldn't tell. But that look disappeared as soon as the spectacled boy started to speak.
"Chief, these two boys were playing savages with these sticks." As Piggy spoke, Ralph knelt down and grabbed Tim's arm. He examined the wound. "They were careless, utterly wild! Then-" Piggy was cut off mid rant.
"You're gonna be ok. Just breathe,'' Ralph took Tim's hands in his own. Tim gasped for air and hiccuped. He was still visibly upset. "I know it hurts, but you have to take deep breaths. You have to relax so I can help you, ok?'' Ralph smiled softly. "Can you do that for me?" Tim nodded, and began taking deeper breaths.
Ralph made eye contact with a random littlelun in the crowd. "You," Ralph said. All the other littluns backed away from the chosen boy. "Go fetch a bucket of water. Quickly." The boy scattered off to the ocean.
Ralph looked up at Piggy, who was watching in awe. "Piggy," The spectacled boy blushed at his name. "Can you grab my shirt from my hut? I think it's hanging up on something.'' Piggy nodded and scurried off into the hut. Sure enough, he found Ralph's tattered white button hanging on some wire. Piggy grabbed it greedily and looked around to make sure no one was watching. Then, he buried his face in the shirt and sniffed. How on earth it smelt like coconut and sunscreen, he didn't know. He exhaled dreamily and ran back outside to the awaiting chief.
Tim's arms were linked around Ralph's neck. Ralph was sitting cross legged, holding the boy like a mother does a crying child. He was telling Tim jokes and making him laugh. The boy who was crying merely seconds ago was laughing. Piggy couldn't believe his eyes.
Ralph turned away from giggling Tim and spotted piggy. "Ah. Thanks man." The blonde smiled that lopsided smile that made piggy melt. "Hold onto that for a minute." Piggy stood beside Ralph awkwardly, gripping the shirt.
The littlelun returned with the bucket of saltwater. Ralph grabbed Tim's injured arm and continued telling his funny story. "So anyway, the postman stops fighting the barman," He took the stick and pulled it swiftly from Tim's skin. The boy winced but didn't cry. Blood began to ooze out, but no one seemed to notice. They were all focused on Ralph. "The mailman looks him in the eye and says...'Mate, all I wanted was a bloody beer.'" Ralph poured the bucket over Tim's wound and ripped a piece of his shirt off to clean it. He mopped up the blood, and threw the dirty rag off to the side. He took the remaining half of his shirt from Piggy, and tied it like a bandage around Tim's shoulder. "Then the barman says 'Next time don't ask me if I wear a skirt!'"
All the littleluns burst into laughter. Even Tim, who was a babbling mess mere minutes ago, was laughing hysterically. Piggy silently marveled at Ralph's healing aura and control of the tribe.
"Alright. Good as new." Ralph smiled as Tim jumped up from his lap and ran to join Archie in the crowd. The chief stood up and brushed the sand off his shorts.
The littluns were about to run off and continue playing, but Piggy wasn't going to let them get off that easily. "WAIT! Before you go off playing rough and stabbing each other! Listen to me!" he snatched the conch off of its pole and stood on a rock.
Littluns sighed and rolled their eyes. "Everyone listen to piggy. He has the conch. He has the right to speak." Ralph crossed his arms.
"Thank you, Chief. Before you run off acting crazy and playing savages, remember what our tribe stands for! Peace and tranquility! We're the civil ones! If you act like savages, you belong with the Savages!" Piggy pointed across the beach. All the littluns turned to look at the ominous castle rock, sitting atop a sharp ledge as waves crashed violently against the exterior. It was a few hundred yards away and sat so high up that it overlooked the entire island. "Do you want to go to Jack? Do you know what he does with his littluns?" the boys shook their heads, frightened by Piggy's tone. Ralph's face was blank and emotionless as he stared at castle rock. "He beats them with whips! Do you want jack to snatch you up and have ol' Roger beat you?" the littluns cried out and grabbed one another, shaking their heads no.
"Woah woah woah," Ralph took the conch from Piggy. "Listen, Jack's not snatching anyone from here. Me and the biguns fought Jack off years ago and he hasn't crossed us since. We drew a border in the sand and made an agreement not to cross it. And no matter how sneaky Jack is, he would never break that promise. You're safe here as long as you never, NEVER cross the border. understand?" Ralph looked at the crowd seriously.
The boys nodded.
"Ok. carry on." Ralph hung the conch back up. the littluns scurried off in groups, returning to their morning activities.
"Chief," Piggy began.
"Piggy," Ralph turned around. "How many times do I have to tell you? Call me ralph."
"Uh..Ralph," Piggy stumbled over his words. "It's important for them to take what happened seriously. If they get violent..."
"Piggy, it's fine," Ralph laughed. "They're kids. They fool around and get hurt sometimes. It's not a big deal." Ralph paused, his smile fading. The two stood in silence for a moment. "I don't appreciate how you talked about Jack and the hunters snatching them. You know we haven't had a problem with them in years."
Piggy stood still for a moment, the sound of the waves crashing behind them. "Well, we may very soon."
"What do you mean?" Ralph asked.
"Ralph, we're approaching your 18th birthday."
"How did you know that?" Ralph smiled lopsidedly.
Piggy felt a crimson flush creeping onto his cheeks again. "I've been counting the days since we got stranded all those years ago. I know how old everyone is. You also told me your birthday..."
"August 6th," Ralph sighed. "Is it really august?"
"August 1st tomorrow," Piggy smiled.
"What does this have to do with the hunters?" Ralph asked.
"Not with the hunters. With him." Piggy grimaced at the last word.
"Jack?" Ralph whispered.
Piggy nodded gravely. "You're going to be 18. He's 18 too. He's gonna try some dirty trick. Try to win you over. Fool you into a peace treaty so he can hurt you. I know it."
Ralph smiled sadly and patted Piggy on the shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it. I can take care of myself and this tribe. Things between me and him are going to stay the way they are right now. Non existent. Now go watch those littleluns for me.'' Piggy nodded and bade the chief farewell.
Ralph stared at the towering rock across the beach. The rock that used to taunt him when he was 12. He stared at it and thought about the other world that existed within those stone walls... beyond the border line. He wondered how, just how, badly they had messed up when they were first stranded. How much they screwed up to end with two worlds and one island.