A War's Tale

“Come back soon Daddy”

His words barely a whisper in the howling winds. Those blue eyes that held pure innocence gazed upon him. Outside the weather was brisk. The force of the wind was scraping his face.

Michael hugged him once again and willed himself not to cry.

“I will, son. I will” he promised.

He pulled away and kissed his forehead.

“Take care of your mom, okay?”

“Okay” the boy replied.

It was cruel to part a father from a four year old child. But he had to go. He picked up his bags from beside him and turned around to face his destiny.

These types of farewells always pained him. It was the 3rd time he was leaving his family like this. But his job requisite him to. After all he was a soldier. And his country needed him.

********

He gazed out of the window. The sun was setting, painting the sky with shades of red and pink.

His friends, Matthew and Albert, were sitting across from him.

“Do you see these colors?” Matt asked in a comforting voice. “They are symbols. Each one showing you the good tomorrow could bring.

He wanted to tell him that soon these colors will be hidden behind the black despair of night, a color of suffering that tomorrow could bring. Instead he stayed silent. It was better to suffer alone than to inflict pain upon others.

He woke up due to the abrupt shaking of his shoulder. He hazily opened his eyes and peered through them. It was the early hours of dawn. Albert was hovering over him with a parachute in his left hand. His doe eyes wide with alarm.

“C’mon, we need to jump.” He shouted over the roar of the engine.

It was always like this. They had to enter into the enemy’s territory without being seen, in the eerie darkness of night.

They were about 14 more soldiers with him in that plane. All lined up to jump. Sometime there could be some complications while jumping. But they had been instructed to always continue with their duty first.

He was drawn from his thoughts by a voice calling out his name. It was his turn to jump.

He stood near the edge looking over. He took a deep breath and jumped. Once he got controlled of his breathing he looked at his surroundings. It was pitch black outside. The silver moon high in the sky was giving off the only light. The grey clouds were swirling beneath him. He took a deep breath and jumped.

The air felt cold against his face. His lips were beginning to get chapped. He felt dizzy for a second but regained himself. He had done this hundreds of time.

When he reached the optimum height he released his parachute. The parachute opened with a jerk. It was black, to camouflage them with the sky.

As he descended his thoughts took him elsewhere.

The water was calm as he waded through it, the sunset like orange paint on a blue canvas. The water was clean and soft, almost gentle.

A sparkle caught his eye and he leaned down to find the source for it.

“Dad!” he shouted, “look what I found”

He picked it up excitedly and ran towards his father. He was trying to start the fire but failed each time when the wood won’t ignite. He handed the shell to his father.

“It looks like that thing from little mermaid, right?” he asked.

His father stared at him with a blank expression.

“Well, I don’t know this ‘little mermaid’ thing. But what I do know is that it is an oyster.” His father replied

He thought for a moment then added, “I suppose you can actually eat this thing”

Michael’s horrified expression was enough for his father to burst out laughing.

“Don’t worry though, we won’t” he deliberated.

A buzz in his ear pulled him out of his thought. He was so engrossed in the memory that he didn’t realize he was getting close to the ground.

The microphone buzzed again. He answered and prepared himself to land. His shoes made contact with the soil beneath and he landed with a soft thud. He took a second to recover and immediately scanned his surroundings.

The smell of gunpowder and metallic blood was lingering in the air, overpowering his sense. The houses alongside the streets were long abandoned. Some reduced to rubble while the other still with the burden of what to come about.

They only had one mission. To defend the territory until further aid arrived. The A-3 team was already there and had secured the area 2 days ago, but not before having a full scale battle with the adversary. Many of their soldiers lost their lives with a great many injured.

The opponent hadn’t attacked after that so there was a high risk of an assault.

Only after18 hours did the foe made their first move.

It was midnight. While most of the soldier had gone to rest after a relentless day. Michael, his friends, and the commander where keeping watch.

It all happened in blur. One moment they were sitting by the fire, making strategies and the next sound of gunshots had cut though the eerie silence of night.

He rushed to his feet with his rifle in his hand and ready to shoot. His heart was thumping loudly in his chest. Beads of sweat covered his forehead. Adrenaline was coursing through his body at a rapid speed.

From the corner of his eye he saw something being thrown near him. The grenade exploded midair as he fell on his stomach. The hard stones digging into his skin. He stood with a slight ringing in his ears.

He caught 2 men with a red band around their left arm trying to sneak into his lair with explosives. He shot them at sight.

He scanned the area again. There were too many of them. They were overpowered 3 to 1. He now only hoped that help would arrive soon.

He saw a group of enemy’s soldier advancing towards the battlefield. He started shooting towards them. Soon enough Albert and a few other soldiers joined him in. He saw as one after another they fell to the ground with only more to replace them. They had now also gained the attention of them too.

“I’m going in” Albert inform.

He tried to protest but he had already taken off.

“I’ll cover you” he shouted after him.

Albert fought bravely, just as a soldier should. He shot row after row of bullets until he ran out of them. Then he started throwing the massive grenade at them, all this time Michael covered him.

All of a sudden he felt a sharp pain in his back. Then another one even worse than before. His rifle landed on the ground with a dull thump. He turned around and all the color drained from his face.

Sure enough he had to be hallucinating. Matthew, his best friend, couldn’t do this to him. He could not betray them to the hands of their enemy.

But he was right there. In all flesh and bones, with a red band on his left arm. He was a spy. He had betrayed his friends and this country.

He fell to the ground, not being able to endure the pain anymore. It was a fatal wound. He glanced sideways and wished he hadn’t.

Albert was lying in a pool of his own blood. His once green eyes full of life were now empty and soulless.

He closed his eyes and remembered all the blissful memories he had encountered in his life. He remembered his son, and the promise he made. The promise which now could never be fulfilled.

He was slowly fading away. He let the darkness consume him. He did not fight against it but hoped it will take him to someplace better. Someplace without the bloodshed, without betrayal, and without death.