Journal 11: Fire Finding

Is that a signal fire? Possibly one of our crew... we should go see. I steered the boat toward the lit island. I could smell the disgustingly sweet smell of burnt foliage, making my nose wrinkle up.
I saw brown ashes rise from the sky scraping trees that towered above the island. My crew lowered the anchor as we came to a halt. I put my cap on and brushed my uniform so I could look a bit presentable. Then I walked off of the ship and onto the grainy sand. I heard a cry coming from the left of the boat. It sounded as if it were pleading for mercy. I wonder what could have happened here. I heard a ululation coming from him again and noticed the youth in his voice that made it seem he was only a boy. I stepped closer, trying to get a better glimpse at him. The boy was lying on the floor, cowering. He was squirming nonstop and yelling out random things. I thought I heard something about a piggy thing or something like that. I couldn't tell what he was shrieking about. I cringed as I stepped closer to him and I smelled a strong scent of someone who hasn't bathed in months. His face looked as if one of those army dogs tore his face apart or something to that effect. Either way, he looked like he had just been in war with someone or something. I wasn't sure which.
I stood there for moment and looked at the squirming boy. Then, he stood up and looked at me, quivering from the adrenaline he had just witnessed. He glanced at me with an unconvinced look that seeped across his face. He blinked twice, I mimicked. "Hullo," I said in a questioning voice. The boy looked closer to me as if he were examining if I were real or not.
"Hullo," the boy answered in an unsure voice. I nodded at the silent question that I think he asked in his mind...Is he real?...
"Are there any adults- any grownups with you?" I said desperate, hoping that there were. Then to my disgrace, there was none as he shook his head slowly.
I heard a stampede of animals of some sort coming from a small trail that led out of the daunting forest. Then there was savage like boys running out of the forest with spears and painted with mud that covered their body. The boy that stood in front of me shuddered at the sight of them. I couldn't help but blench at the sight of their savage look as well. This was stupid though... how could I, a naval officer, be afraid of little English school boys? I was far superior to them. I cleared my voice and stood up straighter, looking the boy that didn't stand in the semi-circle like the others.
"Fun and games," I spat. I grinned at the boy, "We saw your smoke. What have you been doing? Having a war or something?" I laughed a bit as I visualized little boys having pure wars. I bet the worst injury they had was the scars they had on their faces and sunburn tanned bodies. The boy nodded. I joked, "Nobody killed, I hope? Any dead bodies?"
"Only two. And they've gone," he informed me honestly. I stood there, still, wondering how long they had been on the island for. How far did they go to insanity? I mean that just crosses the line for killing. I wanted to elaborate a bit more but I was afraid to ask. I really didn't want to know.
I leaned down to whisper to the boy.
"Two? Killed?" I asked astonished. He nodded once more. I peered out at the group of boys, astonished by their behavior. I wondered if that was what the others were going to do to him. Kill him? Torture? Imprison him? Then there was a flow of more boys coming out of th4e forest like a river of boys of all ages. One came up to me.
"I'm, I'm-" he said confused and let down. Had he forgotten his own name? Or was it that he was awestruck by my existence?
I asked more questions. This reminded me so much of Coral Island. Only that seemed happier... I remember when I was just a little boy like all of them and I dreamed to be stranded on an island with all of my friends. I think it would be a great adventure full of glory. To this day, I still dream of going back to those days and finding treasure on what we thought was deserted and being gone from home and coming back with loads of treasure. I sighed and smiled a little at the thought of it. I didn't seem like their adventure was as pleasant as my dreams had been. I wonder what they did when they weren't fighting... Probably enjoying the sun, having no worries all day... fresh fruit... no work...nothing... This will be an experience that the boys will never forget. I wish I had something like that when I was their age. I glanced out at my ship, the only thing that gave me excitement in my life. I was proud of what it could cause. It was a great ship.
The boy was trying to tell me how it used to be organized but it never came out of him so I interjected, "I know. Jolly good show. Like the Coral Island," I said, going back to my thought about Coral Island. Then all of a sudden, the boy that stood right before me started to break down and cry. That caused a domino effect when all of the other boys broke down in to earthquaking sobs. I looked down at them, feeling a tingle of embarrassment come across me. What was a naval officer doing here with a bunch of wimpy kids? I was about to heave him up from him knees but stopped as I started to actually feel a bit sorry for the kid. Who knows how long they have all been here for. By the reek of their body, it smells like millenniums. I shall bring them all home as soon as I can. I'm sure their family will be more than ecstatic to see them once again.
It must have been more than ten minutes until all of the tears stopped rolling down the boys dirty faces. When they stopped, I took them all aboard my ship and started to sail back, none of them looking back at the slowly burning island....