Brick of Coventry

PRESENT DAY

Sheffield

"Why is this charred brick in a glass enclosure, Grandad?" the chirpy, 15-year old asked as he repeatedly poked at it.

George looked up from the crossword that he was so accustomed to doing on Sunday afternoons. His grandson was a welcome change from the boring routine that the retirement home brought with it.

His eyes settled on the only illuminated part of the room; never had Cameron seen his Grandad's eyes turn so misty so quickly.

"Are you feeling okay, Grandad?" he enquired.

"Cameron, come here my boy. I am going to tell you a story about how, even when logic dictates otherwise, certain things have to be done for the greater good. You must be willing to make hard choices and take difficult decisions if the circumstances beg for it." He took a breather as he choked back tears. "You will question your superiors, your country, but most of all, you will question yourself. You will look a little child in the eye and say everything will be okay, when you know its not. But tread on."

"What?"

SEPTEMBER 17, 1940

London

"It has been noted that the Germans have tread forward. Uhh, General Simmons, Sir?"

The young recruit stared intently at the General, expecting a response.

But the General was not in that room. As a matter of fact, he was in his dining room in Manchester, sharing roast beef with his family. Or at least, he thought he was.

"General Simmons, Sir?" the recruit asked again.

"I need to stop taking this medication. The doctor didn't mention that free memory recaps were an added bonus," he thought to himself before his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. The only source of illumination was a gas-fueled light. And what was the source of that noise?

"Go on, Private." It took a while for the General to compose himself.

"As I was saying, the Germans are periodically encroaching on Coventry through systematic raids. With 238,000 people and England's biggest munitions factory being situated there, it is of paramount importance that we keep it from Nazi hands. Over 100 tons of bombs have already been dropped, with over 100 dying because of it. We need to up the air defenses in the city and our efforts to intercept their communications." The private concluded.

The General was feeling groggy no more. All he could imagine were the numerous families destroyed in the wake of the attack. In fact, a resolve had started to form.

"Those bastards have it coming. I will do everything in my power to make sure that unnecessary lives, along with the city of Coventry itself, isn't lost. I swear by it!"

PRESENT DAY

Sheffield

George looked down at his crossword. It had one blemish. His tear.

NOVEMBER 12, 1940

Warwickshire

General Simmons had been leaning intently over the battlement plans, trying to ascertain other opportunities for the British bombers in the area to counter-attack. But it wasn't called the Blitzkrieg for nothing. The Luftwaffe, or the German Air Force repeatedly hammered multiple industrial and port towns for months on end without respite.