Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It wasn't only him they had to bring back, it was 400 000 men who wanted to return home. It wasn't only him they were going to rescue, it was for all of them who risked their lives. It wasn't only him she wanted to see, it was everyone she wanted to greet with a smile on her face, to show them they were going back, to show them brighter days were floating closer to them.
"Absolutely not, you are not coming with us," Mister Dawson said to his only daughter.
She sat on the railing on the side of the boat, her left leg rested on the other one, her one feet dangling in the air. The young girl was wearing a long beige dress, a small sunhat positioned on top of her head. She had her blonde hairs in soft curls that flew over her shoulder to her, with fabric covered, back. The sun casted a shadow on her beautiful face, the pattern of the accessory sculptured her thin features.
"I didn't even say anything yet," Mary smirked, her eyes glistening through the casted shadow.
"I already know what you are going to ask and my answer is no. You aren't coming with us."
"Yes I am. I'm not letting you go alone." She brushed her hairs behind her small ears and followed her dad closer to the boat, still determined to join him on the journey.
"He is not alone, Mary."
Peter's head popped from behind his father's back, his pinkish lips curled in a smile. His short locks waved with the strong wind, all falling to one side. He was wearing one of his red knitted sweaters, the color Mary believed he looked his best in. Peter looked a lot like his older sister, the same blonde lock, the same face structure. But, his blue eyes contrasted deeply with hers.
Mary squinted at him and slapped her brother on the arm. She told him to shut up since the girl believed he could ruin it with his remarks. Peter only laughed and jumped in the Moonstone, starting to prepare the boat for their adventure. He knew his sister would join them on the trip, she's a great speecher and always ready to fight for her goal.
"Dad, come on. I can be very helpful! I know how to work this boat, I know how to swim and I know how to handle annoying men who don't like to listen."
"It's war, dear. Not just some fun trip after a couple of soldiers. This isn't what you learned, it is far worse than any of that. These soldier aren't men anymore, they are the ghosts that is left of them. You can't go with us, it is too dangerous."
The father brushed through her long hairs and placed a fast kiss on her temple. Mister Dawson knew what was happening inside her mind, he knew how she laid in her mother's arms, almost every single night, only to cry about the letters she hadn't been receiving anymore. He remembered how she completely lost herself after the death of her older sibling, how much time she needed to place it and see her memories as a great thing, not a curse. Mister Dawson had promised his son to look after the two and wasn't going to break that promise. Mary needed to protected from those nightmares happening on the other side of the sea, happening on the beaches of Dunkirk.
"But Peter is allowed and he is younger than me."
"He is a man."
"A boy you mean. Dad, why are you being like this? You are telling me I can't come because of my gender, that isn't something you would say."
Mary noticed the brooch her father had pinned on his grey jacket, the sun hitting on the silver plane.
"Jack made you promise to protect me, didn't he?," Mary asked but already knew the answer, her older brother made her pledge to do the same thing but about Peter.
"I had to make sure you were safe, that there isn't safe."
"I can't let others lose their brothers, dad. I can't allow them to go through the same thing. We can help these soldiers and I can help you."
But Mister Dawson kept on shaking with his head, still not agreeing with his daughter.
"Papa please, I have to come with you. I can't stay behind any longer. These men have homes to return to, I can't sit here and hope that you'll bring them. And what if something happens to you or to Peter, how will mom and I know? I know you don't want me to get hurt, but something might happen to you while you are away. You shouldn't leave me behind, it would be too terrifying for mom and I."
Mary's voice was soft but shaking. She didn't struggle with her sentences, it was her throat that felt dry. Her stomach hurt badly, she always felt this pain when she became stressed. Her fingers were slowly shaking, not too much but still clearly visible. The young girl kept placing one strand of her long blonde lock behind her ear, but it returned back to its place and fell in front of her eye.
"You can't leave your mother alone," her father answered.
"My mother told me to come with you, she told me I should if I really wanted to."
"You're only doing this for him."
"That's a lie and you know that! He is one of the reasons, yes. Maybe the biggest reason, but not the only one. Every girlfriend, wife, mother, sister or friend is waiting here for them. They are terrified for the person they love and we can help, not only the soldiers, but also the woman that stayed here. You have to let me go with you because I can't stay here and do nothing at all."
Mary took her hat of and held onto it in her hands, her skin brushing over the fabric. She was biting on her lips but stopped the moment she realized that she was doing that.
"There is only a slight chance you will see him."
"But when we return back home with husbands, fathers or brothers, the joy that we'll see in their eyes will replace my pain. He might not come home to me, but we have to bring others back, for themselves and for the women. I might not see my Tommy, but I'll see the love in the eyes of the families."
"Fine, but you'll listen to everything I tell you, even if it means that you have to let him go. Your own safety will be your first priority, alright?"
Mary jumped into her father's arms and whispered many thankful words. She held him so tight, her embrace strong and loving. This was important for her, maybe one of the most important things in her life. Her dream to help, her dream to rescue them was now becoming a reality she never thought she wished for.
