WILLIAM GOLDING

Lord of the Flies - fragments
 

Swearing, he turned off the trail and pushed his way through until the forest opened a little and instead of bald trunks supporting a dark roof there were light grey trunks and crowns of feathery palm. Beyond these was the glitter of the sea and he could hear voices. Ralph was standing by a contraption of palm trunks and leaves, a rude shelter that faced the lagoon and seemed very near to falling down. He did not notice when Jack spoke.
"Got any water?"
Ralph looked up, frowning, from the complication of leaves. He did not notice Jack even when he saw him.
"I said have you got any water? I'm thirsty."
Ralph withdrew his attention from the shelter and realized Jack with a start.
"Oh, hullo. Water? There by the tree. Ought to be some left."
Jack took up a coconut shell that brimmed with fresh water from among a group that was arranged in the shade, and drank. The water splashed over his chin and neck and chest. He breathed noisily when he had finished.
"Needed that."
Simon spoke from inside the shelter.
"Up a bit."
Ralph turned to the shelter and lifted a branch with a whole tiling of leaves.
The leaves came apart and fluttered down. Simon's contrite face appeared in the hole.
"Sorry."
Ralph surveyed the wreck with distaste.
"Never get it done."
He flung himself down at Jack's feet Simon remained, looking out of the hole in the shelter. Once down, Ralph explained.
"Been working for days now. And look!"
Two shelters were in position, but shaky. This one was a ruin.
"And they keep running off. You remember the meeting? How everyone was going to work hard until the shelters were finished?"
"Except me and my hunters-"
"Except the hunters. Well, the littluns are-"
He gesticulated, sought for a word.
"They're hopeless. The older ones aren't much better. D'you see? All day I've been working with Simon. No one else. They're off bathing, or eating, or playing."
Simon poked his head out carefully.
"You're chief. You tell 'em off."
Ralph lay flat and looked up at the palm trees and the sky.
"Meetings. Don't we love meetings? Every day. Twice a day. We talk." He got on one elbow. "I bet if I blew the conch this minute, they'd come running. Then we'd be, you know, very solemn, and someone would say we ought to build a jet, or a submarine, or a TV set. When the meeting was over they'd work for five minutes, then wander off or go hunting."
Jack flushed.
"We want meat."
"Well, we haven't got any yet. And we want shelters. Besides, the rest of your hunters came back hours ago. They've been swimming."
"I went on," said Jack. "I let them go. I had to go on. I-"
He tried to convey the compulsion to track down and kill that was swallowing him up.
"I went on. I thought, by myself-"
The madness came into his eyes again.

Dragos Ivan

William Golding
 

Ai apa?
Ralph isi ridica privirea de la impletitura de Frunze si privi incruntandu-se. Se uita la Jack dar fara a-l vedea.
- Te-am intrebat daca ai apa. Mi-e sete.
Ralph isi muta privirea de la adapost si socat, realize ca Jack este acolo.
- Salut ! Apa? Gasesti acolo, langa pom. Probabil ca mai e.
Jack ridica tigva de nuca de cocos, asezata printre alte coji, plina ochi cu apa proaspata, si bau. Apa i se prelinse pe barbie, apoi pe gat si pe piept. Cand termina de baut rasufla cu zgomot.
- Chiar aveam nevoie de o gura de apa.
- Mai inalt-o putin, vorbi Simon din adapost.
Ralph se intoarse spre adapost si ridica o craca plina de frunze.
Frunzele se desprinsera si incepura sa se prabuseasca lin spre pamant. In gaura creata, se ivi chipul nedumerit al lui Simon.
- Imi pare rau.
Ralph privy nemultumit dezastrul ce se intamplase.
- N-am reusit niciodata sa ispravesc adapostul.
Se tranti la picioarele lui Jack. Simon ramase pe loc, uitandu-se prin gaura creata in adapost. Odata asezat Ralph explica:
- Dupa o munca de cateva zile intregi. Priveste rezultatul!
Construisera doua adaposturi subrede. Dintre care unul dintre ele era aproape complet ruinat.
- Si continua sat raga chiulul. Iti mai aduci aminte de intalnire? cand s-a discutat ca toata lumea sa munceasca din greu pana ce adaposturile vor fi terminate?
- Toata lumea in afara de mine si de vanatorii mei…
- In afara de vanatori. In sfarsit, tancii sunt…
Gesticula, cautand un cuvant.
- nu poti sa faci nimic cu ei. Nici cei mai mari nu sunt mai utili. Vezi? Am muncit toata ziua impreuna cu Simon. Nimeni altcineva nu ne-a ajutat. Sunt peste tot pe aici, fie se scalda, fie mananca sau se joaca.
Simon isi scoase prudent capul.
- Tu esti seful. Da-le ordin.
Ralph sedea culcat si se uita cand la palmieri cand la cer.
- Intalniri. Cui nu-I plac intalnirile? Zilnic. De doua ori pe zi. Discutam. Se ridica intr-un cot.
Sunt sigur ca , daca suflu acum in cochilie, or sa vina cu totii in fuga. Si atunci, stii si tu prea bine, o sa fim foarte solemni, iar cineva o sa spuna c-ar trebui sa construim un avion, un submarine, sau un televizor. La sfarsitul intalnirii or sa lucreze cinci minute si pe urma or sa se risipeasca sau or sa plece la vanatoare.
Jack rosi.
- Vrem carne.
- Deocamdata n-avem deloc. Si ne trebuie si adaposturi. In afara de asta, vanatorii tai s-au intors de mai multe ore. S-au scaldat.
- Eu am continuat sa explorez, zise Jack. Eu le-am dat drumul. A trebuit sa ma duc. Eu…
Incerca sa invoce impulsul covarsitor de a depista urme de animale si de a le omora.
M-am dus sa explorez. M-am gandit ca singur…