Sarah Jordan	
Lord of the Flies story
6/2/01

If you have not read Loard of the Flies you probaly will not understand 
this story... i had to write this story for an english assignment 
regarding the book.  please tell me waht you think at fortto@yahoo.com

Mr. Ralph Smith Greeting, 
You are hereby requested to report to the Selective Service Bureau on 
Tuesday April second at 11:00 am to honorably serve in the United 
States Army in the war to protect the American way of life and the 
American standard of living.  

Sincerely,
Uncle Sam

The letter fell from his hands.  It had only been seven years, less 
then half his life, since Ralph had returned from the island where he 
and the other boys had been stranded for countless months.  It was 
there that Ralph had some of the best and worst experiences of his 
life.  Adventure was the first word that came to mind.

<To go back to that> he thought to himself, <that island of adventure 
where we grew up and died. How can I go back to that?  I just started 
to live here.>

It was on that island that Ralph had gone from being a boy to being a 
man.  It was there that he learned to survive, and it was there that he 
had learned to kill.  Now he was being "requested" to help the army 
kill more people.  <At least these people won't be my friends he 
thought to himself, and maybe their bodies won't haunt my sleep and my 
mind as I see them every time I close my eyes.  For the past seven 
years, every time I close my eyes I see Roger pushing down on the lever 
with all of his strength and the rock falling towards the ground.  I 
hear the sound of the rock bouncing, thud, thud, all around me.  It 
haunts me.  I haven't been to a beach in seven years.  I used to love 
to swim, but now, instead of the blue water and the brown sand 
beckoning me to dive in a swim for hours. Now all I see is the brown 
sand with the blood red spot getting pulled slowly into the blood 
soaked water.  What if they want me to fight on a beach?  What if a 
friend dies like Piggy did?>  

<But Piggy would want me to do this.  It's the right thing to do. It's 
not only protecting this country that I have learned to call home, but 
also the friends that I have made in the last seven years.  This is my 
chance to protect my friends, Lord knows I failed last time.  I let 
Jack kill them all, well, not literally for some, but he killed 
Samneric's spirit, you can tell.  They are not the same since they came 
back from the island.  No one is.  But how could anyone be the same 
after that.  We committed murder!  But did I? Did I help to kill Simon? 
 Was the beast in me?  Am I the beast?  I didn't want to kill him, why 
would I?  He was my friend.  It was Jack, he killed him, he was the 
beast, it was in him.  But he wasn't the only one who did it.  We 
brought that on ourselves.  There was a choice.  But was it?  How can 
they expect me to chose?>  A single tear ran down Ralph's face landing 
on the letter.  

<I had a choice last time, but did it? I thought I did, but maybe I 
didn't.  I had no choice to get there, that was against our will.  I 
didn't want to land on that island.  Though we did have fun.  Until all 
hell broke loose.  But was that a choice?  I didn't choose Simon to 
die, or for Piggy.  I didn't chose to land there, but I was chosen to 
be chef.  So was it my fault that they died?  How could it be, I didn't 
want them to die, Jack did.  I could join the army to get back at Jack. 
 Use him as my enemy instead of the ones who are attacking us now.  But 
is that right?  Who knows what's right any more.  But Piggy wouldn't 
let me do that.  It's not in me either.  I like revenge, but not enough 
to make other people suffer as I have.  Jack would do it to me though. 
 He thinks the world is his for the taking and everyone and everything 
that does not agree with him should die.  And it has.  But I'm not him; 
I never want to be.  He would join up immediately, he wouldn't even 
need someone "requesting" him, he would already be in the army.  But 
I'm not him. Why would I want to go out and kill people?  I don't like 
murder.  That's why I sent him to kill the pigs, I knew he could, I 
knew he liked blood.  Jack does what he wants. On the island he killed 
as he wanted, the savages chased and attacked me because he wanted them 
to.  He killed the pig and left the fire to go out, a ship had gone by, 
we could have been rescued, Piggy could have lived, Simon too.  But no, 
Jack wanted to kill.  I don't want to kill, why would I?  But if I 
don't my friends could die.  I did nothing last time.  I let Jack take 
over.  I didn't try to stop him until it was too late.  But is it too 
late now?  What if it's not?  What if I could join the army and save 
lives, save my friends from people like Jack.   This is my chance; my 
chance to make a difference, my chance to be like my dad and save 
lives.  But who's life did he save?  He couldn't even save his own let 
alone mine.  Instead he shipped me off to that island.  That island 
where I became a man.  I became a man through murder.  How is that good 
and right?  Sucks to him, I'm not following in his footsteps, I'm not 
joining the army.  I will not help make another persons life as 
miserable as mine is.>  

Ralph picked the letter up off the table and ripped it up into tinny 
pieces.  "Sucks to them," he said out loud as he swept the pieces up 
and dropped them into the burning fireplace.