Chapter 6: Beast from Air

Lord of the Flies

Chapter 6: Beast from Air

It Came at Night

Perspective: Jack

[The sign from the grownup world that William Golding sent to the boys at the beginning of the chapter was a man who fell from the sky after his plane was shot down in a dogfight. Unfortunately the boys thought he was a beast that came from the sky.]

They same it came in the night, and that it chased them through the forest. The beast had giant wings, with claws, teeth, and it nearly touched Eric. This would be an excellent hunt! Ralph was frightened by the thought of us hunting it, and he told me that the spears were made of wood, and that I shouldn’t be silly. I asked him if he was frightened by the thought of hunting it, he asked me who wouldn’t. It agreed with him to some degree, the thought of hunting a beast was quite frightening after what Sam `n Eric. Ralph said that someone needed to look after the littluns while we were hunting. Ralph decided that Piggy would stay with the littleuns while the big kids would go out and hunt the beast. It makes me so mad. He always sticks up for Piggy. “Sure. Keep Piggy out of danger.” I replied sourly. He asked what good Piggy would be with one eye, he had a valid point. Piggy asked about him and the littluns. Ralph gave him the conch. He asked what would happen if the beastie came if while they were hunting, and that he was scared. He is always scared! I blurted it out at him, and I got the usual retaliation from him, “I got the conch! I have the right to speak!” I am so tired of that response. “Conch, Conch! We don’t need that anymore!” Ralph backed him up on the stupid conch subject, he told me to sit down. It is always annoying how he always sticks up for him, but it doesn’t matter. We decided to eat before we left. We left for the rock point that was the only place on the island that I hadn’t been. I led the way, and when we got there, Ralph went on by himself. You could tell he was trying to get his dignity back, so he said that because he was the chief he would go first. The time passed and I felt guilty for letting him go on by himself, so I ran after him. We explored, like the good old days when we first got here, and we were younger.

The rock would make a great fort, and we declared that there was no beast on the rock. The kids immediately broke cover, and they were climbing all over the thing like a jungle gym. They were throwing huge rocks off the huge ledge and making big splashes. Ralph wanted to find the beastie, but no one would listen to him. He called me for help, but I had been swept away by the crowd of kids. I eventually made it back to him and I led the way back into the forest toward the mountain where Sam n` Eric had seen the beastie while tending to the fire earlier this morning. Eventually all the kids fallowed, and we were on our way to the top of the mountain.