LOTF: Before and After

Phase 3: Chapter 7

"If you had to make an approximate guess, Ralph, how long ago would you estimate Simon Bennett's death occurred?"

"I don't know, maybe a month, maybe two. I really have no idea."

"What happened to Simon's body after he was killed?"

"It happened right on the shore of the beachfront. His body was washed up by the tide."

"You didn't make any attempt to keep his body from drifting off?"

"I was in shock. I still couldn't remember how to move."

"Were you the only onr who wasn't carrying around a hunting stick that night, Ralph?"

"No, Piggy didn't either. Or, Pieter I mean."

"Are you referring to Pieter Kingston? The other boy who was killed on the island?"

"Yes."

"What was it the other boys were doing prior to Simon's death; specifically the last few minutes that led up to it?"

"They lit a fire, and had a feast. They hunted a pig earlier that day. They were singing songs and playing games around the fire."

"That all occurred before they saw Simon approaching with the glowstick and presumed he was a monster of some sort?"

"Yes. Everyone went to bed after... it happened."

"Do you know what would've led the other boys to think Simon was the monster?"

"Everyone was on edge after one of the boys in Jack's camp said he was attacked by the monster. Some of the kids in my camp were scared too, and kept telling me we had to do something about it, to protect ourselves. It put people at odds, and maybe 'em scared almost everything."

"They were scared. But you weren't?"

"Like I said, I don't believe in monsters."

"If you didn't believe in the monster, why didn't you try and stop the others from doing what they did?"

"I don't know... I wasn't thinking straight, I guess."

"Okay, that's all the detail we need from you for now. We just have one last question regarding Simon Bennett before we move on, okay?"

"Okay."

"Having been present when he was killed, would you describe the circumstances surrounding Simon's death to have been accidental or intentional?"

"Accidental."

"Thank you, Ralph. That's as far as we need to go with that. Let's switch gears now, shall we? Tell me about your squadron."

"What about them?"

"What was your relationship like with each of them? And what were their relationships like with one another? Anything you think is important."

"Well we all had been training together at Bainbridge for three years. So I knew most of them pretty well. I wasn't as close or super familiar with all of the younger boys, but I did mentor each of them at least a little bit before the island. Just like in any large group, not everybody gets along perfectly with everybody, but there was nothing significantly alarming. We were just ordinary, stupid kids."

"You never noticed any repeated incidents of conflict or bullying? Nothing like that among your squad?"

"Well, there were sometimes when some of the older boys would mess with the younger ones. People argued sometimes. We didn't all always see eye to eye but we tended to work things out."