Lady of the Snakes

Chapter 8

While everyone was busy and distracted getting wood, Ralph said quietly to Nora, “Nice kick.”

“Thanks.” She glanced at Jack, who, with a red face, was talking with Roger. They moved further into the woods. “Did you know any of these boys before-”

“No. I mean, they all went to my school. But I didn't really know them that well.”

Nora moved aside a branch to be able to get to a fallen tree which had twigs and sticks in abundance. “What school did you go to?”

“The Military Academy.” Ralph snapped a long stick off the tree with a loud crack.

“You went there?” Nora thought of the rows of boys she had seen marching in time, drilling in the hot sun and pouring rain. Her aunt had shaken her head at how they were treated, and the food rations she had to work with as a cook. “I lived right near there. My aunt was the cook-”

“Miss Kelly? I knew her! She was the best cook we had, used to give us third helpings…” Ralph glanced at her. “Wait, you lived near there?”

“In the village. But that was only just this year. Before that, I lived in London. With-with my dad.” Her voice cracked.

They avoided looking at each other, both thinking of their fathers. Walking back to the fire in silence, they found a happy chaos as everyone was trying to cook the pig without getting roasted themselves. Anyone who hadn't been on the hunt, littluns mostly, had made their way up when they realized that no one else was around. Jack briefly withheld meat from Piggy, but when he caught Nora's eye he quickly gave in and handed Piggy a piece. Everyone ate, filling their stomachs, and when the fire died down, Bess asked Nora for one of her stories. Nora deliberated a moment and began to tell one about a poor soldier, a beautiful princess, and a dog with eyes as big as dinner plates.

Jack leaned back on a rock, satisfied. He glanced around at the entranced faces of the boys around him, at Ralph, at Roger, who looked bored. He looked at Nora. Ada and Bess were sleepily sitting at her feet. Her eyes flashed as she told of the battle between the soldier and the guards to the princess's tower, and her hair flowed around her like a lion’s mane. Looking at her arms more closely, Jack noticed something he hadn't before-a large, zigzag scar that ran along the pale underneath of her arm. He wondered where it was from. However, his tired mind was not at its best in the ways of organized thinking, and he abandoned his wondering.

All was peaceful, and all was dark, and all was quiet.

When the story was over, and the littluns eyes were drooping, everyone headed back down the mountain. They went together, in a tight clump, with Ralph at the head, Jack at the tail, and Nora in the middle, urging littluns forward whenever they began to get sleepy.