... expedition to explore the island. When they return, Ralph declares that they must light a signal fire to attract the attention of passing ships. The boys succeed in igniting some dead wood by focusing sunlight through the lenses of Piggy's glasses. However, the boys pay more attention to playing than to monitoring the fire, and the flames quickly engulf the forest. A large swath of dead wood burns out of control, and one of the youngest boys in ... the group disappears, presumably having burned to ... ...

• Word Count: 11237
• Approx Pages: 45
• Grade Level: High School

... fun but this all seems like a blur now in comparison to what happens next. I arrived home at 1:00 in the morning. I went right to the bathroom and showered off the sweaty night of dancing. I remembered that my father was away on his annual vacation down south golfing with his friends. I decided I ... in some alternate universe. Where was I? My dad assured me this was real life. The next couple of months were the hardest. I couldn't sleep; scared I was going to fall into the sudden dark abyss of death. I was scared of ghosts. I left the light on when I slept and I felt like a small child ...

• Word Count: 2579
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School