Wednesday, XXXX
I know, in all the letters I have actually sent you, I have talked a great deal about all the things you should not do at your training. I know, I have spoken much about how not to get in trouble, and how to handle those who want to land you in trouble. But - I entirely forgot to tell you - these rules are only for the training. Look pretty for the superiors, say "Yes sir" or "Yes ma'am" or "Of course, thank you" and you will be fine. On the field, no one cares what you do. We have this one guy, who carries a black muffler everywhere – no matter summer or winter, and no one even looks twice at it. And people trade cigarettes and socks all the time, and make all sorts of dreadful bets – ones that they have no chance of winning – and no one gives a shit. Unless, you land up with that one officer who is the divine incarnate come to rescue us lesser mortals , that is. (On that note, BRING MORE SOCKS. You need them more than you think you do.)
Why am I saying all this now? Have I finally gone mad? No, I haven't. What's the occasion then? Well... you see, there's this slip of a guy, he is older than me but he is so small, anyway, he keeps thinking this is the training camp, and whenever people do something he remembers is against the textbook, he comes and complains to me. It kind of doesn't help that I partake in such vices myself. So, thing is, do not do that. It is a surefire way of making enemies out of everyone in your unit. Believe me, unless someone is giving away state secrets or trying to get you killed, or acting as a double agent, leave people be. Golden rule number one for military service.
Rule number two, anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and usually in the worst possible way. I'm feeling all sorts of generous today, so I think I might actually send you this.
Oh, and rule number three, always come before time – because on time is late – and never volunteer for anything, no matter how beneficial it seems. Trust me, shit hits the ceiling whenever you do that.
Sincerely yours,
The Soldier
YOU ARE READING
At War
Romance"Revenge by young men is considered victory, but old men who stay at home in times of war, and mothers who have sons to lose know better." -Chief Seattle This is an anti- war epistolary novella written for ONC 2022. Prompts 5 and...
