Повелитель мух

           ThelittlunPercivalhadearlycrawledintoashelterandstayedtherefortwodays,talking,singing,andcrying,tilltheythoughthimbattyandwerefaintlyamused.Eversincethenhehadbeenpeaked,red-eyed,andmiserable;alittiunwhoplayedlittleandcriedoften.

           Thesmallerboyswereknownnowbythegenerictitleof"littluns."Thedecreaseinsize,fromRalphdown,wasgradual;andthoughtherewasadubiousregioninhabitedbySimonandRobertandMaurice,neverthelessnoonehadanydifficultyinrecognizingbigunsatoneendandlittlunsattheother.Theundoubtedlittluns,thoseagedaboutsix,ledaquitedistinct,andatthesametimeintense,lifeoftheirown.Theyatemostoftheday,pickingfruitwheretheycouldreachitandnotparticularaboutripenessandquality.Theywereusednowtostomach-achesandasortofchronicdiarrhoea.Theysuffereduntoldterrorsinthedarkandhuddledtogetherforcomfort.Apartfromfoodandsleep,theyfoundtimeforplay,aimlessandtrivial,inthewhitesandbythebrightwater.Theycriedfortheirmothersmuchlessoftenthanmighthavebeenexpected;theywereverybrown,andfilthilydirty.Theyobeyedthesummonsoftheconch,partlybecauseRalphblewit,andhewasbigenoughtobealinkwiththeadultworldofauthority;andpartlybecausetheyenjoyedtheentertainmentoftheassemblies.Butotherwisetheyseldombotheredwiththebigunsandtheirpassionatelyemotionalandcorporatelifewastheirown.

           Theyhadbuiltcastlesinthesandatthebarofthelittleriver.Thesecastleswereaboutonefoothighandweredecoratedwithshells,witheredflowers,andinterestingstones.Roundthecastleswasacomplexofmarks,tracks,walls,railwaylines,thatwereofsignificanceonlyifinspectedwiththeeyeatbeach-level.Thelittlunsplayedhere,ifnothappilyatleastwithabsorbedattention;andoftenasmanyasthreeofthemwouldplaythesamegametogether.