Of Winners and Losers

 
Had he lost?

               Here he was, about to have another one of his fits. Only now, he would be sleeping for a whole lot longer than all the times before. He wasn't afraid though; soon he would be with his grandparents that he lost years ago, his fish in which he told all his childish secrets to, and be free from all the fears he had encountered on the dreaded island. Yes, soon everything would be alright. Never again would he have to watch another innocent pig be massacred, or have to witness the animalistic nature that was retrogressing all of his friends into unruly beasts.
               As he admired his last moments of life and the placid beauty of the world, though, a large and shadowed creature manifested itself in front of him. A sickening shiver ran through his entire body; this was it, the last obstacle he would ever face. The sky darkened as the ominous clouds spilt their last tears. "I told you, silly child. You lose." The Lord of the Flies grinned at him with the screaming eyes of his murderous companions. "Your own friends did you in; they never even considered you part of their tribe. Weakling!" The words burned worse than the claws and teeth of the boys. "No…" Simon pushed himself up, arms shaking weakly, so he could face his dreaded adversary; eyes flashing, jaws clenched. "No? Don't deny it fool! Your own kinsman ripped you apart, even Ralph. They were never your friends! You are all alone." The Lord cackled, yet Simon remained determined; he wouldn't let the repulsive monster triumph over him again. Shaking under the weight of utter exhaustion and rattling pain, Simon struggled to keep his voice audible. "You're the fool! It was you who inhabited them and caused all of this, not them. You are the true murderer; you are the one without friends!" The Lord stopped grinning and his laughing ceased; for the first time since Simon stared at  the revolting creature, it fell silent. "You…don't you dare turn this on me, you're the one suffering here! Aren't you mad? Because of them you'll never see another day." He thought for a while, pondering this phrase.
               How could he hate them? The littluns always looked up to him, their eyes full of igneous innocence as if he was their older brother. Ralph and Piggy (despite calling him batty) had been very kind and generous to him, always listening to what little words he had to say. Even Jack and Roger had accepted him into the tribe. They provided him with meat, they kept him alive.
               Taking a deep breath and locking eyes with the Beast, he answered. "Before I had a fit, you told me to go down to beach where the tribe feasted. I knew I would be killed, yet still I went. I sacrificed myself to save them, to open their eyes. They were only puppets in your scheme. It was you who made them what they are now. However, you failed. They WILL get off this island; they WILL survive." A desperate silence flooded the world for a quick couple of seconds."D...DAMNITT! HOW? YOU…?" It seemed baffled as the flames if realization scorched it. Sensing a moment of weakness, Simon filled his lungs with the last fragile portion of energy he had yet to utilize. "You lose…" A incredulous explosion of light seemed to set the earth and sky ablaze; the Beast was dead.
               Simon sat in quietness for a couple of moments, almost unable to believe the events that had just taken place. As he began to surrender to the exhaustion that had manifested itself with him, he noticed a gleaming blanket of light that seemed to float toward him; closer and closer it came. The pain from his wounds vanished as a wave of peace engulfed his entire being. Was this what it felt like? Was this death? So many years had brainwashed him into thinking that death was a horrible and painful experience; one that was to be always feared. This was kind of…angelic. Moon-bodied creatures gathered around him like tiny angels sent to escort him to the next world. His pain and fear seemed to abandon him as he took a final breath. Smiling, Simon let the waves hug his broken body as his spirit left the broken world.

He had won.