This is War [ONC 2021] // Honourable Mention

Chapter Seven - Daniel

They arrived at the training ground just before dark. Daniel and George clambered off the back of a bus and tucked their rolled-up blankets under their arms. Men called out orders and directed the new privates to the barracks - large white tents - that covered the entire area. Daniel looked around and watched the men file off the bus and went off in search of their tents. George placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and nudged his head to the left.

Together, they moved through the crowd of people in search of their own tent. Eventually, they found the tent they had been allocated and the two of them ducked through the entrance. Inside, three other men had claimed the beds in the tent and one of them had already started up a game of cards, but it looked like two were ready to throw in the towel and the other had a large grin on his face.

Daniel dumped his rolled-up blanket on one of the spare beds and took a seat, pressing his elbows into his knees and watching the card game unfold.

"I don't know why I agreed to play, you're a cheat," one of them said, throwing his cards down.

"Want to play?" another one of them said, peering around and looking at Daniel.

"I wouldn't, he's a cheat. He'll have your money before you can even look at your hand." the boy with the pack of cards tapped him lightly on the back of the head. "Name's Tommy. The card shark is Arthur and the quiet one in the corner is Henry, he hasn't said two words to me since he got here."

"I'm Daniel, that's George."

George offered a small wave and instantly jumped into a card game, despite the warning Tommy had given him. Daniel surveyed the other men in the room. Tommy and Arthur looked to be the same age as him but Henry looked a little too young to be in the same tent as them. He had yet to lose the baby fat from his cheeks and, with his hat off, it looked like his mother had combed his hair for him.

There had been stories, stories of those far too young to be putting their name down lying on their enlistment form to go overseas. He had heard that George's mother had to lock his younger brother - only fifteen - inside of his room to stop him from signing up. Several times he had been caught trying to escape only to be dragged back yelling loud enough that the neighbours must have heard him.

"How old are you?" Daniel asked. He didn't expect Henry to answer, after all, Tommy had said he spoke very little.

"Sixteen," Henry said.

"You're sixteen? How'd you pull that one off? My mother wouldn't take her eyes off my brother and he's seventeen," Arthur said.

"I snuck out when my parents were in bed, signed up and then stayed in a friend's barn until it was time to leave."

"Good man."

"Why?" Everyone turned to look at Daniel. "Why sign up, I mean?"

"The same reason you did."

"His father guilt-tripped him into it," George said.

Daniel glared at him, but he didn't say anything or try to dispute the fact that it had been his father's comment that made him sign up that day. Had it not been for his comment, Daniel was more than certain that he would still be working the farm with his father and annoying Ruth. The comment, that one comment about how he would prefer a dead son over a coward had made him do the one thing he never wanted to.

It wasn't as if he disliked the idea of fighting for his country, Daniel just didn't think it was what he wanted to do. Everyone else could have glory and he could work on the farm and be with his family, the way it was supposed to be. He didn't want the glory or the fame that came with being a soldier, he didn't want to be known for killing people, people he had never met before who could be just like him.

Maisie Thornton might have been there to see him off in the village square, but that didn't help the guilt that had been eating away at him. He could shoot a cow to put it out of its misery, but shooting a person? They were two completely different things, especially since the person on the other side of that gun had people who cared for them, people who loved them. Both sides were just doing what they could to defend their country, they all thought the same, felt the same, to Daniel, killing a person just didn't feel right.

"So Henry lies about his age to join up, but you're of-age and don't want to be here?" Tommy said.

Daniel shrugged. "I'm all for defending the country and protecting my family, just not the actual war part. I'm a farmer, not a soldier."

"Just you wait, it'll be over by Christmas and we'll go home as heroes. Everyone will know who you are and what you did on that battlefield; you won't have to be a farmer all your life."

"You really think this is going to be over by Christmas? Be done and dusted in just a few months?"

"That's what my father thinks. He thinks the Germans will pack it in all together once they see how strong our army is. You'll see."

With that, a loud bell rang and a voice rang across the training ground calling them all to supper with a lights-out degree issue for nine. The other men climbed out of the tent, laughing and joking with one another. Daniel just watched them, his mind spinning through endless possibilities about how many of them would make it back home. It would be a miracle if any of them did.

Still, Daniel tried not to think about it and instead followed them through the tent and out onto the grass. He looked around at all the other men who emerged from their tents, wondering how old they were and how many others had lied on their enlistment forms.

He wondered how many of their parents would get the news that their son had died at war. He wondered whether his family would too.

Everyone seemed so enthusiastic about war, but Daniel just wanted to go home.

~~~

First Published - February 15th, 2021