Chapter 8: Gift fof the Darkness

Dear diary,

I feel as if I am losing my power and hold on the rest of the boys and Jack is slowly starting to take hold of them. Since the news of the beast was confirmed, everyone is frightened by the fact that they were right. Jack calls for and emergency meeting of the boys with the conch and confirms the beast sightings and calls me, of all people, a coward! He also said that Jack should be the leader but the boys refuse to vote me out of power. Jack storms away and says that anyone who likes him can join in, that jerk Is just full himself! But I don’t know what to do anymore!! Simon says that we should return to the mountain and search for the beast but that other boys are way too afraid to do it. I DON KNOW WHAT TO DO!

Piggy tires to cheer me up by suggesting that we build a new signal fire on the beach rather than on the mountain, which makes me feel better because no one wants to get rescued more than me. We build the fire and some of the boys sneak away to Jack's group during the night and Piggy says that we're better off without deserters. On another side of the beach, Jack gathers a new tribe and declares himself the chief and they fall into a savage frenzy and kill a sow. Roger drives his spear through it, they cut off head and put it on a sharpened stake in the jungle as an offering to the beast. Since the head is dripping black blood down its teeth, the boys run away.

While Piggy and I discuss the deserters, Jack and his tribe steal burning sticks from the fire on the beach and Jack invites them to their feast. I could tell that some of the boys wanted to say yes because everyone in tired of eating fruit and want some meat. Simon slips away from the camp and returns to the jungle glade where he previously sat staring at the amazing beauty of the nature. He finds the sow's head impaled on the stake and sits alone starting at the head which is now smarming with flies. The sight mesmerizes him and to him the head seems to be coming to life, and the head speaks to him in the voice of the "Lord of the Flies", saying that Simon will never be able to escape him because of the lies within all human beings. Simon was so terrified that he passed out. I'm starting to get worried about whether or not we might survive.

Signed,

            Ralph