In Chapter 2, Ralph tells the boys that they can have a good time on the island while they wait for their parents to come rescue them.
At some indeterminate time, a group of boys is stranded on an island during a nuclear war. Their plane crashes and the pilot is killed. There are no adults, and only boys. As far as they know, no one is aware of where they are and there is no plan for rescuing them.
This conversation with the boys happens near the beginning of Chapter 2. They are discussing how much fun the island can be without any adults around. It can be like an island adventure in a book.
“It’s like in a book.”
At once there was a clamor.
“Treasure Island–”
“Swallows and Amazons–”
“Coral Island–”
Ralph waved the conch.
“This is our island. It’s a good island. Until the grownups come to fetch us we’ll have fun.” (Ch. 2, p. 32)
At this meeting, the little boys push forward one of the littuns, the one with the mulberry colored birthmark. He tells them there is a beastie on the island. The beastie turns the island from a safe, parent-free amusement park to a place of potential danger. It also adds some potential excitement. Now it really is like a storybook!
“Tell us about the snake-thing.”
“Now he says it was a beastie.”
“Beastie?”
“A snake-thing. Ever so big. He saw it.”
“Where?”
“In the woods.” (Ch. 2, p. 33)
The beastie becomes the secret fear for the rest of the book. No one ever really sees it, and it is a manifestation of the boys' doubts and fears. They are a bunch of boys stranded alone on an island with no adults, undependable leadership, and slim chance of rescue. They certainly have a lot of unknowns to fear. The beastie gives them something specific to worry about which is also vaguely supernatural.
Please note that different book editions will have different page numbers (these page numbers are from the 2005 paperback), but this incident occurs near the beginning of Chapter 2.
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