Ralph struggled to keep his composure as he boarded the ship. Jack followed the officer, as if he were still the leader. Ralph slowly walked behind the group with the memory of Piggy and Simon still lingering in his mind. The sailor led them to a room.
“Stay here. I’ll be back shortly.”
The boys all stood there looking around the room and at each other. Ralph sighed and turned away from the group. He sighted a wooden chair in the corner of the room. As he walked towards it, he noticed the scratched up arm rests and legs. Keeping his head down, he sat. The rest of the boys turned and went to the other side of the room and sat on a bench. No one said a word. After a few moments of silence, they heard footsteps of the clean white shoes the officer had been wearing. He came around the corner with blankets, water, and pillows.
“Uh...” the officer hesitated, “If you boys need anything you can come up to the deck.”
Ralph looked up at the officer. His eyes were glossy and red, his face was full of dirt, and he clenched his hands around the arms of the chair. The officer could see he was falling apart.
“You, boy, what’s your name?” The officer said firmly.
“Ra-Ralph.”
“Come with me.”
Ralph slowly pushed himself out of the chair. He stood still for a moment then took a step towards the officer. He grabbed Ralph’s hand and led him up a white metal staircase. The sun was shining in Ralph’s face as he climbed over the edge. It was so bright and beautiful to him. Ralph looked