Historical Fiction: Snapshot
The afternoon's golden rays shone through the open window, shedding plenty of light on my brother's face. He sat on his bed, forcefully guiding his eyes anywhere but in front. The room was enveloped in a subtle silence.
"Your letter..." I continued, "it only arrived today."
More silence followed.
"Only father, mother, and I have read it. " He nods in response, the blank expression on his face persisting. I opened my mouth to say more, but my mouth only hung agape.
"I thought I was dead, Ruth," his eyes shifted to the front, almost as if he was imagining how his large feet would have looked like through the bed sheets. Exactly like how they used to. I retreated back to the chair at the corner of the room.
"It was a blighty one instead." He paused, squinting through the September sun.
"Sometimes I would rather kick the bucket than walk with a cane." Taken aback by his words, I stood up and stepped towards him, index finger pointing.
"Eddie." I began sternly, "You were barely sixteen when you were recruited."
My voice began to tremble and my lip began to quiver.
"Father spent nights cursing himself for not being able to fight in the war instead." I released a shaky breath, a tear down my left cheek.
"...and I could hear mother weeping every night during your first year."
Another tear followed. Then another, and buckets after that. I sank to my knees, eventually to the floor, back leaning against the hard wall. The large jar that held my tears had been shattered, spoiling the contents.
Just as I started to collect myself, I heard Eddie's voice. I looked up. I saw him. I saw one tear. I heard one sniffle.
"I missed you all, too."
Works Cited
Anderson, Julie. “Wounding in World War One.” The British Library, The British Library, 17 Jan. 2014, www.bl.uk/world-war-one/articles/wounding-in-world-war-one.
Copping, Jasper. “Unseen Interviews with WW1 Veterans Recount the Horror of the Trenches.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 6 Mar. 2014, www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-one/10681656/Unseen-interviews-with-WW1-veterans-recount-the-horror-of-the-trenches.html.
Jones, Paul Anthony. “20 Slang Terms From World War I.” Mental Floss, Mental Floss, 11 Nov. 2018, www.mentalfloss.com/article/58233/21-slang-terms-world-war-i.
Mayhew, Emily. “How Would It Feel to Be a Wounded Soldier?” The British Library, The British Library, 2 Nov. 2018, www.bl.uk/world-war-one/articles/experiences-of-a-wounded-soldier.
“The Teenage Soldiers of World War One.” BBC News, BBC, 11 Nov. 2014, www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29934965.
"Your letter..." I continued, "it only arrived today."
More silence followed.
"Only father, mother, and I have read it. " He nods in response, the blank expression on his face persisting. I opened my mouth to say more, but my mouth only hung agape.
"I thought I was dead, Ruth," his eyes shifted to the front, almost as if he was imagining how his large feet would have looked like through the bed sheets. Exactly like how they used to. I retreated back to the chair at the corner of the room.
"It was a blighty one instead." He paused, squinting through the September sun.
"Sometimes I would rather kick the bucket than walk with a cane." Taken aback by his words, I stood up and stepped towards him, index finger pointing.
"Eddie." I began sternly, "You were barely sixteen when you were recruited."
My voice began to tremble and my lip began to quiver.
"Father spent nights cursing himself for not being able to fight in the war instead." I released a shaky breath, a tear down my left cheek.
"...and I could hear mother weeping every night during your first year."
Another tear followed. Then another, and buckets after that. I sank to my knees, eventually to the floor, back leaning against the hard wall. The large jar that held my tears had been shattered, spoiling the contents.
Just as I started to collect myself, I heard Eddie's voice. I looked up. I saw him. I saw one tear. I heard one sniffle.
"I missed you all, too."
Works Cited
Copping, Jasper. “Unseen Interviews with WW1 Veterans Recount the Horror of the Trenches.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 6 Mar. 2014, www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-one/10681656/Unseen-interviews-with-WW1-veterans-recount-the-horror-of-the-trenches.html.
Jones, Paul Anthony. “20 Slang Terms From World War I.” Mental Floss, Mental Floss, 11 Nov. 2018, www.mentalfloss.com/article/58233/21-slang-terms-world-war-i.
Mayhew, Emily. “How Would It Feel to Be a Wounded Soldier?” The British Library, The British Library, 2 Nov. 2018, www.bl.uk/world-war-one/articles/experiences-of-a-wounded-soldier.
“The Teenage Soldiers of World War One.” BBC News, BBC, 11 Nov. 2014, www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29934965.
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