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The loud booms of the fallen bombs made the shivering soldier look up from the cup of tea he held in his cold and shaking hands. He glances at the small family around him, who had their stares at the direction the boat was floating to. He followed their looks, realizing what the destination was they wanted to reach.
"Where are we going?," he asked with worry.
"Dunkirk."
"No, no, we are going to England."
"We have to go to Dunkirk first." Mister Dawson stayed very calm, he handled the man with a sweet voice so he wouldn't feel attacked by his words.
"I'm not going back."
The soldier was softly shaking with his head, mumbling the sentence over and over again. His wet hairs fell in front of his bright blue eyes, the cuts in his cheeks and nose were red and swollen. He looked as bad as he felt, no sight of rest on his face. The bombs he heard inside his head, were exploding far away.
"Look at it! We go there, we'll die."
Mister Dawson eyebrows raised on his face, his chin went down and he looked at the soldier. Thoughts were running through his mind, he didn't truly know how to handle the man that was clearly not himself anymore.
"I see your point, son. We will plot a course. Peter, is there a place for this man to lay down?"
The son was very confused, but didn't say anything about it, knowing well that his father was wise enough to understand what to do. He took the empty mug out of the soldier's hands and helped him from the small stairs, where he then leaded the man to the bed that was mostly covered with bright orange vests. He shut the door, giving the man some privacy and considered locking it but decided against it and walked to his sister who had the teapot in her hands.
"He is getting worse and worse by the minute," Mary stated.
"What do you mean?"
"He is shell-shock, Pete. He is affected by the traumas, doesn't really know how to handle himself or his thoughts. Some thought they were cowards, only fragile soldiers could have shell-shock. But no man is the same after fighting a war."
"Are you scared that it would happen to Tommy?"
"Well of course I am and I know that he must have changed during his time as a soldier. But I believe he will still be himself, just grown mentally in a way that isn't healthy for any man," she admitted, her answer to his question well thought and sounding very wise. It must have ghosted in her mind for a long time.
She poured hot tea in the mug that the soldier drank out of and handed it back to her bother. She patted him on the shoulder and smiled at him. Peter thanked her and turned away, slowly descending from the stairs and opening the door to the small bedroom again.
