The island...

a tale for starting

A lot of times ago, a plane in which the students of a secondary
school were travelling fell down in the see, in a far place on the Pacific
Ocean. Only about fourty boys and girls -the older ones, aged thirteen and
fourteen- were saved by reaching a beach. The story tells the problems
they had to solve in order to survive, very similar to those humanity had to
solve along the history.
The main characters are five: Ivn was a tall boy, !ind and very
popular among his mates at school. "e was not the best student, but he was
on good terms with everybody
#
. $l%as was very strong and he li!ed to boast
&
of being older and to play annoying 'o!es
(
on the other people. "e was
always accompanied by three or four friends, and he was not very loved by
the rest of them. )ar%a was the best student, reliable
*
and a little shy. "er
family had got few money and she had to wor! hard in order to help her
mother. +he was not used to bring any friends home because she was
ashamed
,
. -ina was the pretiest one and she li!ed to flirt with everyone.
+he had three or four friends who were used to follow her everywhere and
to tyranni.e them. These four ones were the most popular. The fifth one
was Omar, a me/ican inmigrant. "is parents were countrymen in 0hiapas, a
very poor region. 1hen his father died, they had to migrate. Omar was
very learning-disabled
2
, because in his land he had to ta!e care of the
animals3 but, on the other hand, he was very s!ilful
4
on the practical things.
$l%as and his friends were used to attac! him.
1
to be in good terms with: llevarse bien con
2
to boast of ing: alardear de,
3
to play jokes on: meterse con
4
reliable (responsible: responsable, formal
!
to be ashamed: sentir verg"en#a
$
learning%disabled: mal est&diante, retrasado en los est&dios
'
skilf&l: diestro, h(bil
1.It5s very easy to understand what did these guys were feeling on
the island. They were alone, they were afraid and didn5t !now if
somebody would find them sometime. They passed the first night
very close to each other. The older ones comforted
6
the younger
ones, who were crying. The sunrise encouraged
7
them a little and
they had to be engaged
#8
in urgent things. They couldn5t continue
complaining
##
any more. They were hungry and thirsty and didn5t
!now whether somebody could be living on the island. The way of life
they were used to live had dissapeared. They found out how hard
their situation was, but also the amount of resources they had for
surviving. They had to invent everything. A little group decided to
e/plore the place and everybody followed them. 9obody wanted to
be alone. The island was small and was uninhabited
#&
. They found a lot
of fruit to eat and much water. The sea had brought to the beach
some suitcases, in which they found some clothes, a pair of !nives, a
very lu/urious lighter, and some more things. They understood clairly
that they needed to organise themselves if they wanted to survive.
They had to !eep all together to help each other. They had to found
a little tribe, a town in miniature. :ut, how to start up; All of them
agreed about an idea: they had to !eep togheter and collaborate.
)
to comfort: consolar
*
to enco&rage: animar
1+
to be engaged in: dedicarse a
11
to complain: ,&ejarse
12
&ninhabited: desierto, deshabitado
2.Our friends had to face
#(
numberless
#*
problems. The first one was
to survive. :ut, if this was not complicated enough, some conflicts
among them sprang
#,
very soon, because it was difficult to agree
about what they had to do. $l%as started commanding
#2
, and his
friends and some of the smallest ones followed him. :ut the rest
started protesting.
<"ere must be done what I say, and if somebody disagrees, let
say to me face to face, if he dares
#4
.
There was a big silence. Then, Ivan e/claimed:
-=on5t be rough> "ow are we going to start arguing
#6
in this
situation;
-1e must organise an assembly, as we usually do at school-
)aria proposed-, and elect a representative
#7
.
$verybody agreed, and voted. Ivan was elected.
-9ow we have to decide what we must do, Omar said-. I thin!
the first thing to do is to light a neverending fire, in order to be
seen by the ships that pass close the shore
&8
. After that, we must
build a !ind of refuge where protect ourselves. And then, to loo! for
water and food.
-I5m going hunting, said $l%as, who had ta!en one of the
!nives-. 1hoever wants, follow me.
And he left the assembly.
13
to face: afrontar
14
n&mberless: n&meroso
1!
to spring (sprang, spr&ng: s&rgir
1$
to command: dar -rdenes
1'
to dare: atreverse
1)
to arg&e: disc&tir
1*
representative: representante, delegado
2+
shore: costa
3. $l%as and his friends only wanted to hunt and play. They didn5t
want to wor!. Pic!ing firewood
&#
, !eeping the fire alive, building
huts
&&
, cleaning up the camp... seemed boring tas!s to him. They
forced the smallest ones, specially the girls, to wor! for them. )ar%a
was worried about how the situation was. If $l%as convinced
&(
the
others, many of them would become slaves
&*
. -ina5s behaviour
&,
irritated him too. +he was supporting $l%as openly. +he boasted of
being ?his girl@. Things weren5t going on in a correct way. Ivan, the
elected leader, was reali.ing how difficult to lead was. "e convo!ed
an assembly to call everybody to order, and told in detail to them the
agreements that had not been done: no refuges had been built,
nobody was carrying fresh water to the camp, the area of toiletes
was not being respected... $l%as and his group didn5t want to accept
the assembly.
<Aules> <shouted Ivn-. Bou are brea!ing the rules>
<I don5t mind- answered $l%as.
Then Ivn called upon some prudence:
-Aules is the only thing we have>
-To hell with rules> <$l%as answered shouting- 1e are strong...>,
we hunt> If there is a beast, we will go in search of it>
$verybody went hunting. Ivn stayed with Omar, )ar%a and a
few of them. "e thought of giving up
&2
. Omar as!ed him not to do.
$l%as was used to tease
&4
him at school and he !new that if he
became the leader, he would treat him cruelly. "ow to convince $l%as
to accept whatever the assembly could decide; )ar%a and Omar
tal!ed with Ivn, but he was not able to find a solution.
21
firewood: le.a
22
h&t: cho#a
23
to convince: convencer
24
slave: esclavo
2!
behavio&r: comportamiento
2$
to give &p: rendirse
2'
to tease: meterse (con alg&ien

4. -iving together on the island started being very difficult.
There was a continous confrontation between $l%as and Ivn. 1orst
of all was that $l%as was getting more and more followers. +ome of
them were 'oining his group because they li!ed his violence3 others
did because they were afraid of him. The hardness of the situation
had toughened
&6
their hearts too. $l%as called a new assembly to vote
a new leader. "e won. Ivn, )ar%a, Omar and ten more mates were
against. $l%as shouted:
% 9ow I am the leader. 1hoever doesn5t follow me, is against
me. +o you !now what are you gambling
&7
.
% That5s not fair
(8
<)ar%a said-. Bou can not threaten
(#
in that
way.
% I decide what is fair and what is not fair <$l%as shouted.
% 9o, you don5t. 1hat is fair is fair, although you don5t say it <
answered Omar.
% +hout up> Bou has got neither voice nor vote. Co bac! to your
country, if you don5t agree <$l%as said laughing.
% -oo!, $l%as. All of us are similar, we all have got same rights.
=on5t cross the line.
% Dorget it> That happened there. 9ow we live in another
different world. "ow can we all be similar; 1ho go hunting;
1e. 1ho can face a dangerous beast; 1e. This is the only
important thing now.

2)
to to&ghen: end&recer
2*
to gamble: j&g(rsela
3+
fair: j&sto, limpio
31
to threaten: amena#ar
5. $lias5 group started using the name ?the 1ilds@. They !new
how they wanted to be: strong. violent, tyrannic, ready to force
themselves on the others. They had managed to divide the group into
two: on the one hand, they who were following them, who belonged to
their party and who blindly obeyed $l%as3 and on the other hand, the
rest, who were becoming an obstacle. They were free3 the rest only
deserved to be slaves, to be controlled by them.
Ivan5s group, which started being called ?+amurais@, thought
that they had to be different. Of course, they had to be strong, but
not to be violent, but fair. )ar%a had called the group calling so,
because she had watched a 'apanese movie where a samurai woman
struggled
(&
to release
((
her people from the in'ustice.
32
to str&ggle to: esfor#arse por
33
to release (to free: liberar
6. Our friends had very serious problems because of their
situation: how to survive, how to organise peaceful
(*
ways of life3 but
they had their own personal problems. They were teenagers, they
were e/periencing
(,
a lot of changes. Omar li!ed to tal! with )ar%a.
They both were worried about same things.
<Actually, I don5t !now how I am <)ar%a said-.
+ometimes I am very glad and suddenly I feel very sad and I
wouldn5t li!e to meet anyone.
-I have been in charge of many things always. I passed
my whole childhood in 0hiapas, in a very poor place, living in a
hut. 1e were used to live very badly, but I was not afraid. )y
father died and I had to bring money home. I !new whatever I
had to !now. I can light
(2
a fire, mil!
(4
a cow, fish. 1hen I
entered the school, I started being afraid. That was not my
world. They usually valued
(6
things I was not able to do. I had
helped my mum a lot, but maths was a very difficult sub'ect to
me.
<9either I feel very well. I would li!e to be succesful, as -ina
is3 but, at the same time, the silly things she does to atracct
boys ma!e me furious
(7
. Anyway, I really don5t !now if I feel
'ealous.
One day in the morning they found out a child !neeling
*8
and
loo!ing at the sunrise.

<1hat are you doing; <one of the smallest as!ed him.
<I5m praying in order to somebody find us.
Then the child !nelt beside him.
34
peacef&l: pac/fico
3!
to e0perience: e0perimentar
3$
to light: encender
3'
to milk: orde.ar
3)
to val&e: valorar
3*
to make (somebody f&rio&s: irritar
4+
to kneel (knelt, knelt: arrodillarse, estar arrodillado
7. 1hat can we do if we have to stay here forever; <)ar%a as!ed
one day in the morning.
This idea made everybody sad. Thin!ing about they were not
going bac! home made many children cry. Those things which they
had complained
*#
so much against Etimetables, order in the room,
foods they didn5t li!eF now loo!ed li!e a part of a paradise they had
lost. They started spea!ing about their families, the problems they
had had, separations and collisions
*&
, but also about happy lifes and
parents who love each other.
$l%as and his followers continued doing what they wanted, but
their power was so unfair
*(
that more and more boys and girls
became interested in the group of Ivan, )ar%a and Omar.

41
to complain against: ,&ejarse de
42
collision: disg&sto, disc&si-n
43
&nfair: inj&sto
8.The situation changed because suddenly it started raining really
furiously. The fire faded
**
and they weren5t able to light it again.
The huts they had built with branches
*,
and leaves
*2
collapsed
*4
.
They too! shelter
*6
in close caves. $l%as, who was still the leader,
didn5t !now what to do. The night without fire became threatening
*7
.
They were afraid again.
<I !now how to light a fire <Omar said-. And I !now too
how to build a house without being swept
,8
along by the water.
<0ome on, stupid, light it now> <$l%as shouted.
<I won5t do until you finish being so brute
,#
.
-I5m going to smash your face in>
,&

Omar came bac! with his mates.
-=o you reali.e you elected a bad leader; Instead of
ma!ing everybody to collaborate, he only threaten everybody.
Thin!
,(
of it well.
44
to fade: apagarse
4!
branch: rama
4$
leaf: hoja
4'
to collapse: h&ndirse
4)
to take shelter: ref&giarse
4*
threatening: amena#ador
!+
to sweep (swept, swept along: arrastrar
!1
br&te: r&do, br&to, bestia
!2
to smash the face in (phr: partirle la cara a alg&ien
!3
to think of: pensar en
9. The fire started lighting
,*
the new assembly up. They decided
to set rules
,,
for the community which everyone promised to respect.
The first rule was nobody to be able to abuse
,2
the others. They had
found out that the only salvation they had was their own group and,
if the group behaved
,4
bad, the worst mates would ta!e the power.
They elected )ary as the new leader. The first thing she
proposed was to build a house for everybody, where they would feel
protected. After that, she said a strange thing for everybody:
-1e have to organi.e a school. It5s very important not
to forget all the things we learnt during our former life, as
Omar did, and to tell it to everyone. All those things that
seemed useless or boring to us are a real treasure we musn5t
forget.
A new community had been born.



!4
to light &p: il&minar
!!
to set r&les 1 to determine r&les: fijar normas
!$
to ab&se: ab&sar de
!'
to behave: comportarse