short stories of my OC's

A soldier

July the 28th, 1914 it was midnight. I was holding the ring that I will protect in my left hand as I looked around, The only thing I can hear are gun shots in the background making my ears ring.

The younger boys are standing and looking at the body In front of them as they are finding bullets to load into their Lee-Enfield's as I was looking at the turned over soil and all the bodies lying on the ground.

Three months before mother and I were in the back yard talking about what I was going to do for a better paying job, when we heard someone yelling from the front door. Mother got up from her red chair, walked through the house, and later came back with teary eyes. She came back with a letter in hand before passing it to me. She sat down and picked up the wool that was on the table next to her.

Looking at the letter, mother gave a shaky sigh "It- the letter is a sign-up sheet for the war, with the Germans, that everyone keeps on talking about, they want the eldest male of the house to go...or was it just all the males in the house?" she mumbled to herself as I opened the letter.

As I was done opening it, I started to read, and it said:

Dear Mr. James

We have sent you this letter of agreement for we are going on to war with the Germans, this letter contains a list of things you need for when you have signed the paper the list includes:

- The clothing you will be given

- Bullets (will come with the rifle)

- Lee Enfield (will be provided to you)

- Strong boots and gloves

- Food will be provided (we may only have a little amount to go around)

- We will give you other things too some include match sticks, first aid patch, shaving kit, etc

Please sign on the other page and post it by tomorrow noon. The page behind the agreement tells you what is going to happen in certain cases and what we will do.

Kind regards,

The British army

After reading, I wrote my signature on the bottom of the page, then started to run as fast as a car to the post office with mother chasing after me crying and yelling.

A week later I was given a package with my clothing in, as I picked up my olive-green hat and placed it on my blonde hair my pure blue eyes meet mothers. She started to tear up passing me my bag and rifle before giving me a kiss and wiping a tear from her eye trying not it look weak.

Walking towards the door I turned around to face her as I promised to be safe and get home alive, as I was saying this, I felt hands on mine. I looked down to see a little black box in my hands. Before looking up a little to meet mother's eyes she whispered "good luck" with a cracking voice as she pushes me out of the door. While waving goodbye to me as I followed the old and young going the same way as me.

When we got to the camp, we got put in to two groups: The west and The east, then we could spread ourselves across the border. So, they split us in half then we walked in our groups to our areas of the camp ready for training.

After a long day I was resting in bed as I looked at the little box that mother got me, picking it up, in my hands I asked myself "should I ..." as I looked at it, finally giving in. Slowly and quietly, I opened the box and inside was a ring that looked like mother's and under the ring was a piece of paper I could not see what was written, so I put it back next to my hat as I drifted asleep to the sound of windy trees.

A month later "WAKE UP" yelled an older man as he clapped his hands to get us out of bed. "GET OUT" he continued to yell us as we walked out of our tents,

"Is it porridge again" I heard one of the younger one's whispers to another as we all lined up outside.

It was night again, but now I wanted to see what the piece of paper said. I left it for a while, I was afraid, what would it say but also, I did not want to be reminded on what I left back in London.

Sleepiness consumed my tied body as I drifted off.

I was walking down the long path the path that was apart of my childhood home, the place I felt safe, as I turned around the tall oak tree that stood like a guardian, I saw my home and mother waiting for me outside the front door.

But something was off with the way she looked; it was like she was cached in a fire barely making it out alive. That was until I saw the house it was burning; Mother was just looking at me. "No, NO" I started yelling as I kicked around "She can't be not mother she-" continuous tears filled and fell from my eyes.

BANG it was a gun. Snapping out of the dream I ran out with my gun in hand then jumping into the drenches starting to fire as others joined the sudden attack.

Guns were fired both sides. I was looking in my pockets trying to find the ring. But the pockets were empty, I hissed looking around the ground. Looking around I noticed that it was on finger, "there you are" I whispered as everything turned black.

I'm in London now forever sleeping as mother's ring is on my finger, the paper on top.