Lord of the Flies Epilogue
10 years after the rescue.
Ralph looks out of the window of his small flat with a mug of Earl Grey in his grip and observes civilization. He sees a small child holding a red balloon, a boy on a bike, and two girls reading books near a large, cobblestone fountain. He looks up at the unusually blue sky and daydreams about innocence and childhood as Jack, his room-mate and best friend, walks into the parlor. Jack sits down and looks at Ralph, who is lost, recollecting memories of the times on the island.
Jack has adapted to recognizing when Ralph is spiraling into his own thoughts and he knows that it can be dangerous; even though it had been 10 years since those dark times, both men know that they aren't ready to try to comprehend the loss of innocence and the darkness of man's heart that happened there.
"Ralph." Jack tries to softly catch the other man's attention without causing him a fright. Ralph seems unsettled and shuffles a little but doesn't look up. "Ralph," Jack says a little louder, finally getting Ralph's awareness. Ralph snaps out of his trance and gazes at him as he turns his body away from the window.
"Oh hey, didn't see you, I was just, uhm, thinking." Jack kind of nods his head as a signal for the other to tell him what's wrong. Ralph gets the notion and spills the tea in a rush.
"Well, I was glancing out of the window and sipping my tea and I noticed all the children outside. It brought me back to the times when we were like that - when we were only boys - pure, unadulterated children. I wish we could just skip it all, or at least just forget the harrowing memories on the Island. Nobody understands how much I've been messed up by the flashbacks, and the constant reminders of the littluns every time I see a child. I'm never content, and I'm always on edge, as if waiting for a signal or a voice or-"
Jack interrupts Ralph's emotional spout. "Hey, hey, calm down a bit, yeah? Listen, I know how it felt to witness those boys' minds deteriorate. How they and I all degraded to savagery. Almost every day I remember our petty arguments at the beginning of our isolation from humanity; I remember our fight over who got to be chief, and our agreement of my choir hunting and keeping the fire, and our debates of which was top priority: meat or the fire. My biggest regret on that island was being too hot-headed and stuck up in my own ego that I ignored the idea of the fire being significant at all and missed that ship, that opportunity to be rescued. If I'd have been responsible, we could have all been saved and we could have avoided the atrocities and murders."
Something in Ralph snaps when he hears the mention of murder. He has a flashback to the primitive chant and incircle of the boys around a small child: "Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!" The wild boys crowd around a fearful Simon, looking more and more murderous as they close in. Jack lets out a shout, and the pack of boys thrash and beat and push the small lad. He is beginning to respond less and becoming more limp as his body is abused. When he fully becomes a ragdoll, the clique stops and separates so that now Ralph can clearly see the obscenity before him.
"Ralph! Ralph, snap out of it! You're right here, I have you here." Ralph stops screaming and opens his eyes. He isn't on the couch anymore, but he has fallen to the floor and is cowering from an intangible threat exerted from his mind. However, the horrid memory is gone as he becomes aware of a stable pair of arms supporting him and protecting him from the invisible force.
Jack finally speaks as he notices Ralph is calm. "I'm here, and I'll always be here. I'm your best friend because I can relate. We understand what it's like to give in to the darkness in our hearts. Morals are corrupted and the values of humanity and civilization are lost; we were blind in our actions, and I feel guilty about every crime I committed on that island."
Jack lets a tear slide before he hides his face in Ralph's shirt. Ralph breathes in shakily and embraces the other man. Jack looks up and can tell that Ralph is weary about his memories and his psyche. Jack protectively kisses Ralph's forehead as a sign of fondness, and Ralph finally feels at peace.
