Blog 11- The Cry of the Children

"Remember, just go in, get the civilians; and get out. We have a schedule to keep, and who knows what you'll find if you decide to go exploring. Stay on the beach at all times." My captain says to me, heaving me onto the rowboat. I cannot believe that I'm the one doing this. Isn't there someone more junior than me? Why don't they go? I try to stifle these thoughts for the sake of my job. The captain would kick me out of the Navy if he ever heard my opinion. A naval officer never complains, and does everything he can to serve his country. And I must be a proper officer, just like my father.

As I stumble onto the shore, I begin to hear strange ululations coming from the jungle. Are there natives? What have they done to the civilians? As I take a step towards the jungle, I stop myself. The Captain asked (no, demanded) that I stay on the beach, and that's what I plan to do. So, I call out "I am a Naval Officer! If you have been stranded on this island, please come to the west beach. We are standing by.". After a couple rounds of these shouts, I give up; and head back to the rowboat. Then I begin to hear screams. I once again struggle with duty vs heroics, but decide to sit on a rock and wait patiently. I try to busy myself by playing with the sand on the beach, drawing patterns with a stick. I hear more screams and tribal noises, but try to block them out. It doesn't work. I cower at my visualization of what is going on in the mysterious jungle.

The tribal noises have stopped, and all is silent. Then, I begin to hear the cracking of leaves and twigs. Is someone coming? How many are there? I stand up and straighten my cap, awaiting a grateful damsel in distress. But what crawls out of the jungle on all fours is a little boy, merely thirteen. I begin to ask him questions, like where the others are, what happened, that sort of thing. To my terror, he tells me that there are only boys on the island; and two have been killed. What sort of savagery have they given into? When I ask him to elaborate on his story, he breaks down; sobbing uncontrollably. Many others come out, decked in face paint with blood all over them.

How could schoolboys act so bizarrely? What had happened on this island? How long have they been here?