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The long guns are firing again. I crouch a little deeper in my narrow trench, between Harry and Murphy and a new kid who's been here ten minutes and is scheduled to die in twenty more.
I've never seen the long guns firing - but I've seen pictures of them. Monsters the size of trees, next to men the size of ants. Shells the size of houses. And when they fire, that hollow roaring bang echoes through the valleys and the plains. I shiver, and Harry pats my shoulder. He knows what it's like - he's been through five attacks, I've been through three. Don't really know why - by all the laws, we were supposed to end up like the new kid - dead the moment we jump out of the trenches.
I'm not a poet - not even a particularly good writer. I expect they'll read these words when they find my journal on my cold, dead body after one more cold, pointless battle.
The enemy lines are two hundred yards away. Just close enough that we can shoot at them, yell at them, and sometimes wave nervously. I sometimes wonder what poor devil is in the other trench, shooting, yelling, and waving nervously back. I suppose I'll never know.
I feel sorry for the new kid - nobody wants to look at him, nobody wants to talk to him. Nobody wants to touch him. Why? Because he's a dead man. He probably knows it too. Nobody wants to get Death on him - it's bad luck. And nobody wants to lose any more friends.
"Writing again?" Murphy asks me as I scribble. I nod at him. We all have ways of getting rid of stress, waiting for the long guns to stop firing. That's the signal, you see. The signal that we attack. The signal that a lot of us are going to die.
Harry's flipping a coin, and catching it. The new kid is just staring at the Enemy's trenches. He'll get used to it. He'll be seeing a lot of it, no matter which side of the mud he finishes this fight on.
I write a lot in my journal. Sometimes I write to my loved ones. Sometimes I write about what it would be like to have loved ones. Not much time to found a family, in the army. I wrote a silly little poem the other day. I read it to the company, and everyone laughed. Blackpool threw his head back and caught a slug in the throat.
I don't write poems anymore.
The forest is quieting down now - the long guns are ceasing fire. I'd better put this away someplace safe.
Recovered from the body of an unknown soldier. 23 July 2341, 19th Battle of Galosfor.
(This message has been edited by ElGuapo7 (edited 09-24-2003).)
Good stuff, man. You keep writing, I'll keep reading.
------------------ You need only two tools in life: WD-40 and duct tape. If it doesn't move and it should, use WD-40. If it moves and shouldn't, use the tape.-unkown
I liked it. Short, to the point, yet bitter, with some WWI nostalgia. The characters could have been deeper, but they didn't detract from the story.
------------------ Man have pity on man
(quote)Originally posted by Jas86: **:)
Wonderful.
Nobeard: thank you. I appreciate it.
Cheers, Guapo (I'm just full of smilies today!)
------------------ "Quote it, paraphrase it, soak it in peanut oil and set it on fire. I don't mind in the least." - forge Founding Member of WORRPBOITAMPSH (url="http://"http://guapohq.jonpearse.net")GuapoHQ - for all your Guapo needs(/url) (url="http://"http://insanekp.tripod.com")The Insane Klown Posse Website!!!(/url) **
I particularly like these short war stories of some poor dog face's troubled life (and a lot of times, death too.)
Good job, I enjoyed it thoroughly.
------------------ Ie amh thuh ilitterit rietur.
Sad story. Short, yet beautifully rendered :).
Does this go along with anything else (a plug, a sequel, an aforementioned story)?
------------------ (url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/ue_rd")Fatal Alliance- an upcoming quasi-TC for EVN.(/url) Secret Project: In intermediate planning stages. (No links available) Visit the (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/ubb/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&number;=20&SUBMIT;=Go")Chronicles(/url) today! Be sure to read the short story ' (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/ubb/newsdisplay.cgi?action=topics &number;=20&forum;=*EV/EVO+chronicles&DaysPrune;=100&article;=000262&startpoint;=")Fiery Descent(/url)'! (url="http://"http://forums.tildesoft.com")Oblivion:(/url) An upcoming TC for EV:N
Very well written. Thanks.
-The Rawz
------------------ Werd.
(quote)Originally posted by UE_Research & Development: **Sad story. Short, yet beautifully rendered:)
Cheers, Guapo
Wow! I'm cool! Yeah!
I'm still trying to get done with Chapter One! I have the slowest speed imaginable.
(quote)Originally posted by Spaceiscold: **Wow! I'm cool! Yeah!:p
------------------ Man have pity on man **
(quote)Originally posted by Jas86: **Make that gerbil on the wheel run its little ass off.:D
(quote)Originally posted by Jas86: **Make that gerbil on the wheel run its little ass off.:p
------------------ Ie amh thuh ilitterit rietur. **
(quote)Originally posted by ElGuapo7: **THis is better than your OTHER suggestion regarding that gerbil on #ev3....:D
Jeez, Guapo what is this, like your seventy-eighth story? I've been away from the chronicles quite a while and haven't been keeping up. So were there more peices to this entry or what? Will there be more? Is this World War III? Anyway great work, very well written.
------------------ "Never let an obstacle grow higher then your goal." ~Princible of Martial Arts
Quote
Originally posted by Alvin: **Jeez, Guapo what is this, like your seventy-eighth story? I've been away from the chronicles quite a while and haven't been keeping up. So were there more peices to this entry or what? Will there be more? Is this World War III? Anyway great work, very well written.
**
Heh...thankee. It's not my seventy-eighth story...at least, if you're counting published pieces. Lessee...(mental math, gears grinding)...it's actually my fifth. I mean, Yesterday's Frontiers, #ev3 in the 23rd Century, and Darkest Hour were/are longer works, and it's not fair to count individual chapters as separate stories. Well, the first Yesterday's Frontier was supposed to be a standalone, originally...so you COULD count that at story number six.
Now, if you count the words gathering dust on various regions of my hard drive...well, that's a few more.
------------------ "Quote it, paraphrase it, soak it in peanut oil and set it on fire. I don't mind in the least." - forge Founding Member of WORRPBOITAMPSH (url="http://"http://guapohq.jonpearse.net")GuapoHQ - for all your Guapo needs(/url) (url="http://"http://insanekp.tripod.com")The Insane Klown Posse Website!!!(/url)
(quote)Originally posted by ElGuapo7: **Rawzer, space: you dudes are cool.;)
-The Ever-Kidding Rawzer
------------------ Werd. **
(quote)Originally posted by Rawzer: ** Weeee...
Do I get karma?
I never get karma. Maybe it's because I'm Neutrally Satisfying.
Ok, maybe I'm wrong...
(This message has been edited by Spaceiscold (edited 10-21-2003).)
Originally posted by Spaceiscold: I never get karma. Maybe it's because I'm ** Neutrally Satisfying.
Satisfying?
Originally posted by ElGuapo7: **Rawzer, space: you dudes are cool.:)
Oh, I see how it is, Guapo! Just forget about that really uncool kid Jas86, why don't you. Jas86 was always a frickin' loser...