Sealed With Ink

Twelve

Celestia, I found a purpose here...
10 July 1945

Leste, I hope you know that after this war you will not be going back to that little farm. I refuse to let you waste your one and beautiful life on something that brings you no joy. You deserve all the joy in the world, my love, and I plan to give it to you. We will travel the world and be someone.

But as for your demand, Leste, I will tell you of my letter. Though, it wasn't as happy as yours.

I waited until night to open my letter. I snuck out of the barracks well past midnight, with a candle in hand, and sat on the dirt behind the shelter. I couldn't place the nerves that floated around in my stomach. The envelope was thicker than normal, so I had guessed there were two letters concealed. I was right. There was one with my mother's elegant script, and one with my brother's boyish lettering. It didn't make sense to me at the time why both letters were together if August was still deployed.

I read my mother's first. It was dated 16 July 1944.

She started by telling me how much she loved me. Then how angry she was with me for taking advantage of her grief to enlist in this hell of a war. Then she told me how brave I was and how she was glad August hadn't been alone. I thought she didn't know that we got separated.

Most of the letter entailed how lonely the house was, how much she missed father. The parchment became stained with my tears at that. She even told me of our strawberry gardens and how well they did that year. She also let my kitten sleep with her; she had grown fond of it.

The end was her telling me she loved me once more.

I read that letter multiple times, tracing my fingers over her writing, knowing that her fingers touched the same parchment mine did.

Finally, I moved onto my brother's letter. It was dated 1 August 1944. My stomach dropped at its contents.

He was out of the army.

He was in a hospital, to be exact, before he was sent home.

He had been shot in the leg and the wound got infected.

The doctors had to amputate.

My whole world stopped spinning. It was happening again. My brother was the next thing the war was going to take from me. I almost couldn't continue reading.

He told me he was fine now, home safe. He wanted me to come home.

I can get you out, Bella. It will be easy since Archer is not real. Just say the word and consider it done. I will have you home safe and we can be a family again, he wrote. I almost said yes.

I almost gave up. On this war, on my country, on us. However, since enlisting, it had become so much more than I ever thought it would be. Fighting--or rather, training to fight--gave me a purpose. I could make a difference for everyone who had lost everything.

So I said no. I wanted to stay. If not for my country, but for you, Leste. I was in love with you, if you didn't know. So no, I couldn't leave, I couldn't give up. I stayed.

For you. Always you.

————

Current reads: 179
Current votes: 43

Wiki's Wattpad!
@wikiiif

Follow us on Instagram!
@wikiiiwrites
@swrites05

Check out Wiki's other stories!

The Scrapes of Me

Check out Syd's other stories!

The Point of A Dagger
A Glimpse Into My Mind
Moth: A Short Story
A Girl By Any Other Voice
My Divergent FanFic Series