O Fortuna

The Soldier

The year is 1940. The bombs hit the ground outside, and the gunshots are heard amid the sandbags that cover the trenches. As I lay down and prepare myself to continue to fight, I feel my wounds and legs ache. It is warm outside, however the rain falls down heavily and attacks the Earth around me. The mud splashes into my face as I hit the ground trying to take shelter from the bullets that continue to fly. I cannot determine where the bullets are coming from anymore, are they coming from behind me or from in front of me? Everything is a constant blur. I have been out in this field for over a day, losing the ones I have trained beside and the ones I went to school with. I sometimes dream about the times I used to be a schoolboy, playing football amongst my friends, learning and hoping for a bright future. How suddenly this was snatched from me, as I was given a gun and a helmet to protect my loved ones. To protect this nation that I held dear. My beloved France.

I remember the way the boys and I used to tease the girls from the neighboring school. How dearly I wanted to hold my love again, to tell her I loved her, to tell her about the future I had planned for us. I can no longer think about my future, only my past. I only look at the brightness behind me, to be woken up again to the sounds of the dark present. I am terrified to fight more in this battle that cannot simply be won. If only the angels could grant us a victory at last. I know, could not fight anymore. With one final glance I see the Nazi flag rise up above my city. One final scent and I smell the smoke amongst me. One final touch I feel my body on the cold dirt floor. One final taste and I swallow dirt. One final noise and I hear the bomb that went off beside me. One final thought, and I think of my lady, my school days, my family, my nonexistent future, my nation. Fortune fades my light out, as I fall into a deep sleep that I cannot be awakened from. Good night France, may we rest in peace.

ORD