Simon Sat Quitetly Next To Ralph. They Were Both, Naturally, Quite Exhausted After Wroking Hard On The

simon sat quitetly next to ralph. they were both, naturally, quite exhausted after wroking hard on the shelters with no help. the distant hope of rescue remained prevalent in their minds, even after jack's mishap.

simon looked up at the older boy, whose golden hair was long, and after only a week in the sun, was lighter than his tanned, slightly burnt skin.

"ralph?"

"yeah, simon?"

"if- when you get out of here-"

"what do you mean, when i get out of here? what about you?

"i- yeah, yeah. when we get out of here," although he says this with less conviction than before, "will you remember me?"

ralph looked at him with a scrunched face. "of course i will. how could i forget?"

simon nodded quietly. "i think, when you ge- when we get out," he seemed to forget that the two could make it off the island together, "i'd miss you a lot if you forgot about me."

ralph let out a puff of air, not quite a sigh. "simon, of course i'd remember you. you're the only one who helps any, anyways." he looked to simon with a reassuring smile on his face.

simon smiled silently to himself. they already were sitting so close, and this was toeing the line, but simon put his head of shaggy hair on ralph's shoulder.

surprisingly, ralph did not protest. in fact, after a few moments of hesitation, he touched his head to simon's.

several minutes later, simon took his head off ralph's shoulder and examined him closely. his head tilted ever so slightly to the side.

ralph took in his fluffy black hair full of twigs, and scraped knees, and dark chapped lips.

looking at simon, he pinked ever so slightly.

"simon... c-can i..."

simon's big, dark eyes looked up at him, round and full of warmth. he nodded silently.

in the dark, underneath a crumbling hut, their lips met.

simon had never done this before, girl or boy. neither had ralph, but neither boy let on.

simon's eyes closed, savoring the moment.

ralph, too, closed his eyes, to let himself escape his body and live, for only a second, in a fantasy where this was okay.

when their lips parted, ralph looked at the sand in the floor of the hut, away from simon.

when he regained the confidence to glance back at him, he found him drawing patterns in the sand on the floor, the biggest smile he had ever seen splitting his face.

ralph couldn't help but let out a puff of amusement, then giggles, and eventually devolved into cackles, which he stuffed in his knees.

simon gazed at his short light hair that shook with laughter, pale teeth that shone when he grinned, and scraped knees.

was there anything more beautiful?

Ralph stared at the scene before him. The hunters continued to run about maniacally, cackling, and punching each other.

Jack raised his stick in the air. "WE'VE KILLED THE BEAST!"

The hunters cheered wildly.

Ralph didn't move.

Piggy stood next to him, but could not get him to leave.

Ralph just kept watching the ocean.

In it, floating away, dripping blood into the pure white wash, was Simon's dead body.