Either the wandering breezes or perhaps the decline of the sun allowed a little coolness to lie under the trees. The boys felt it and stirred restlessly. 'You couldn't have a beastie, a snake-thing, on an island this size,' Ralph explained kindly. 'You only get them in big countries, like Africa, or India.' Murmur; and the grave nodding of heads. 'He says the beastie came in the dark.' 'Then he couldn't see it!' Laughter and cheers. 'Did you hear that? Says he saw the thing in the dark-' 'He still says he saw the beastie. It came and went away again an' came back and wanted to eat him.' 'He was dreaming.' Laughing, Ralph looked for confirmation round the ring of faces. The older boys agreed; but here and there among the little ones was the doubt that required more than rational assurance. 'He must have had a nightmare. Stumbling about among all those creepers.' More grave nodding. They knew about nightmares. 'He says he saw the beastie, the snake-thing, and will it come back tonight?' 'But there isn't a beastie!' 'He says in the morning it turned into them things like ropes in the trees and hung in the branches. He says will it come back again tonight?' 'But there isn't a beastie!' There was no laughter at all now and more grave watching. Ralph pushed both hands through his hair and looked at the little boy in mixed amusement and exasperation.

Childhood·Fear·Belief·Rationality