"A Bath of Heat"
(From pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 12,15,17,18, 48, 49, 50, 58 of Lord of the Flies by William Goulding)

Beyond the uncivilized uncommunicative forest
there were crowns of feathery palm.
There was only the faintest indication of a trail.
Palm trees stood a hundred feet up in the air
their green feathers leaned against the light.
Flower and fruit grew together on the same tree.
Everywhere was the scent of ripeness.

White surf flinked on a coral reef.
Granite, thrust up uncompromisingly,
the glitter of the sea dazzles the eyes.
The lagoon of blue, shadowy green and purple
Lays in the silence of the forest,
More oppressive than the heat.

Beyond the forest where sunshine fell
a great tree has fallen across one corner.
The high jungle closed in.
Tall trunks bore unexpected pale flowers.

Fire growls on the brown earth,
While the blue forest stand still and listen.
Silence shatters and echoes in a harsh cry.
Heat returns with warm air,
Hardened by the grey feathery palm.

A boy began to pick his way toward the lagoon.
A blur of sunlight was crawling across his hair,
His ordinary voice sounded like a whisper,
The water was warmer than his blood,
His face was dark with the violent pleasure.

The shouting in the forest was nearer.
The sounds of the bright fantastic birds were fainter.

The honey-colour sunlight deceased
Raindrops fall pattering.
The beach scatters with broken trunks.
There is endless jungle and sea,
drawing to the point at infinity.

The storm isn’t over.