War Times Ahead (V.Short)

Tommo and his Horse

Tommo and his horse

I remember when I was only a boy, all I wonted to do was fight with my horse Richard by my side. We would be unstoppable! As I grew up I forgot my dream.

I became a farmer instead, I still loved horses, more than anything, but my ambition to be a war hero had vanished. That's when it happened, when I thought it was all over, little did I know it was only the beginning. 

It was a cold, winter night when the men came. Knocked on the door asking for more horses, I took them out to the barn, wide-eyed with amazement! I had no idea who they were, but they suddenly seemed famous, and I realized that I wanted to be like them, I wanted to fight for my country. They took some of the horses; left the old ones! I remember going to the pub with father that night, that's when I found out about the war, how all of the young lads where signing up. I told my parents that night I wanted to join the army; they said I was too young and little! I suppose I should have listened, but I was young then, thought I knew everything, thought I was invincible! I signed up the next week, told them I was 18. 

They looked at me a bit funny but I knew they needed the men. I left 2 weeks later, the training was hard and I hated every second of it! By now everyone knew I was only 15 but they didn't say anything. Even though I was younger they all treated me like an adult, they were my friends. There was one that really took me under his wing, Charlie, he became like the big brother I never had! He helped me when I got too weak to clean my kit, lent me water when we were on patrol when I'd run out, I don't think I would have got through the training without him.

 After weeks of training we were sent out to our 1st dug out. It was strangely quiet where we were, the only sounds you could hear was the boom of shells going off further up front. All the time we thought about how that will be us soon. After 2 weeks of waiting, jumping at every shell that went off nearby some of us where getting bored. I know, bored! Here we were, the lucky ones, complaining that we are still alive!!

After 2 weeks of nothing, we were suddenly plunged into the deep end, shells fell around us, too many to count, some so close you could feel the full force of the explosion!

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Don't know why this one never got finished. Maybe my underdeveloped brain at the time thought that was a good place to stop? Who knows.

Yes, Richard was a pony I had. One of the very first actually... Well the third one I had.