Image courtesy of Jiimm of FreeImages.Com
The rain turned the trenches of the western front into a
hell of muddy immobility. Edward Royce,
returned from leave, stepped back into real life. Back home he’d worn a mask made of pre-war
life, but every conversation, joke and smile was something he’d simply worn.
Back home they said the enemy was monstrous, barbaric, guilty
of vile atrocities. He’d nodded, but
knew that in the trenches Death was impersonal. Moral high ground was a precarious perch
easy to slip from.
They said the war would be over by Christmas but nobody here
believed that. One sergeant in B
platoon had planted daffodil bulbs on the lip of the trench so that if the war
lasted till spring they’d have some colour and even a bit of cover.
Private Royce was a clearer thinker. He’d
brought back a dozen acorns to plant on the muddy edge between life and death.
(inspired by a prompt from Studio30Plus to incorporate the phrase Precarious Perch)
Beautifully observed and well described. Lyssa M
ReplyDeleteThanks Lyssa
DeleteAh but acorns would take a lot longer to grow than daffodil bulbs, right? Nicely written.
ReplyDeleteYears and years longer - he was in a pessimistic mood I fear
DeleteNice juxtaposition of real life and back home. Powerful imagery. This is a very strong piece of writing. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback - much appreciated
DeleteI like the idea of daffodils, but being a pessimist I would probably be with the acorn planter LOL!. I liked your story.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tessa - I would have tended toward hoping for oak trees myself - these things are never over as quickly as people hope.
Deletewow, the feelings and images you convey even in your short pieces just inspire and at the same time leave me in awe.
ReplyDeleteHow life at home was the "cover" and the battlefield was the 'real life" is such an incredible analogy. This reminded me of my father and so my heart lost a beat of so remembering how it must have felt to "come home".
powerful.
Thanks Kir, I always appreciate your feedback and I'm glad you like this piece. I've read some accounts of life in the trenches recently and one thing that struck me was the difficulty the men had when on leave and back home in England for just this reason
DeleteThis feels real, like a vivid memory. You do so much with so few words. It's really quite impressive. And that bit of hope for the spring - powerful in both its promise, and in its potential futility. Wow.
ReplyDeleteThanks Joe, I'm glad you liked this - and I really appreciate the feedback.
Delete