Cold

Remembrance Day Story.

      It's dark, my elbows and knees are aching, and the cold water and mud are making my hands numb. Where is everyone? Why does my head hurt? What are these horrible, unfamiliar smells choking me and bringing tears to my eyes? When can I finally see my family, whom I've missed so greatly? The last question is the one that continually drives at my heart. No matter when and how I think of it, it wrenches tears from my eyes. I continue on crawling, knees and hands aching, and tears, tears making clean streaks down my dirt strewn face, and dropping gracefully into the murky waters before me. My quiet sobs cannot be heard as the sharp gunshots and howls of pain fill the air. I think of all the families that will not be seeing their fathers, I make a silent vow to not put my family through all of that grief.
       As I continue on I forget how long I've been doing this for, all I know is that night has befallen me. Everything around me is finally silent, save for the occasional groan and gunshot. I raise my head cautiously but surely, I see my comrades rolling an uncountable number of soldiers off of the field in a desperate attempt to keep them from any further mutilation, most of them were already beyond recognition. At that moment I am proud to know these people as they risk their lives to save the injured soldiers caught on the battlefield in the line of fire.
      I stand up to help, regardless that people are still being shot; it only takes a second for us to be bombarded with grenades spewing shrapnel. A sharp ring fills my ears and for a moment I think that I had miraculously avoided all of the flying metal pieces, and then I feel as if my body is on fire. Moments later everything goes numb and I am still left with that horrible ringing in my ears, the only way I can describe the sound is with the word white. Then I'm falling, falling to my knees, my body was betraying me. I hear screams all around me but they sound so distant, and everything I see is blurred beyond recognition. My mind begins showing me images of the ever sought and elusive future.
      My children are clinging to my to my legs and my wife is smiling brightly from the kitchen. The light is dawning upon her face and for a moment I truly believe that she is an angel. My eyes begin to well with tears as I realize this is solely my imagination, though I continue to hold onto that image of my family. With a delicate smile gracing my lips, I shut my eyes one last time.

Author's Note

This was done for my English class on Remembrance Day.