Until we meet again (A war romance) (#Wattys2015)

Matthew and Diana

Matthew:

On the boat, we waited. The silence that hung over us like an unwelcome fog hung in the air for the duration of almost the entire journey. I had no desire to talk to any of the young men around me. What if what had happened to Will happened to them? I honestly didn’t think I could ever live with letting another friend die in front of me. Some of the men here were clearly new soldiers, you could tell by the excitement in their eyes and the smiles that longed to show on their young lips. The others around me had clearly been where I’d been, seen what I’d seen. Their eyes were dead, just like they were inside. They had seen too much already. The men sat around me were no more than empty shells of the great men they had once been. I knew that my eyes were slowly dying too. Some parts of me were still as bright as ever, like my love for Di, and my mother, but the darkness was snuffing out those lights as easily as blowing out a candle. They say that the eyes are the gateway to the soul. My gate was slowly closing. I tried to block out images of what I knew was yet to come, and focussed on the wedding I had to be there to see. I could see Di in a beautiful elegant dress flowing behind her, smiling and laughing beside me. The vows creating an everlasting bond between us, until death do us part…

A tear slid down my cheek, but others on the ship were doing worse. Some were sobbing hysterically, and others were shaking, staring into space. The young soon-to-be soldiers had lost their smiles, their eyes mirroring their confusing  faces. How could the brave soldiers they had heard about, who had tackled the job first hand, who had been on such an incredible adventure, be scared? These men had such a lot to learn.

We reached the dock, and we got off. I ignored the pain in my legs from having sat for too long, I was too numb to notice. My mind was dull. This was it.

Diana:

I wanted to stay in bed forever. I was awake but it still felt like a horrible dream. My body felt like lead, and I could barely lift my body. I felt so tired and I didn’t know why. I decided it was because I had cried myself to sleep last night. No matter how long ago it was, I could still feel his warmth around me, his lips on mine two nights ago. That was the only thing that kept me from breaking down completely. Mum, of course, didn’t know about what had happened that night, but she was very curious as to why I didn’t come home.

“We all just talked together and had some drinks. They let me stay over, so I slept downstairs!” I insisted, and Mum had nodded, though I suspected she doubted me.

I eventually got up, because I just needed food. I felt the sudden need to have something sweet. I threw on an old dress, pinned up my hair, and plodded downstairs.

“You’re up late,” Mum remarked, “Breakfast is on the table.”

I yawned and wandered over to the table. There was an egg on the plate, accompanied by ham. I sat down and poked at the egg with my fork.

“Something the matter?”

“No, I’m just not hungry,”

“But you love eggs!”

“Not today. Can’t I have something sweet?”

“Just eat it, I’m not making anything else!” Mum snapped. I rolled my eyes, and put a forkful of egg into my mouth. I gagged, as the slimy egg slipped down my throat.

“What’s wrong now?”

I swallowed, “Nothing.”

“What was that face for then?”

“When I was swallowing… I yawned,” I decided, “sorry. I’m going down to the shops to get something sweet,”

“But what about your breakfast?”

“You can have it!” I called, as I shut the front door behind me. I loved eggs, so why did I suddenly hate them? This day had been so confusing so far. My stomach rumbled; I needed something sweet! When I reached the bakery, there was a large crowd outside. Everyone was shouting and grabbing at the last few items on display. The poor baker‘s wife was shouting at them to ‘behave in an orderly manner!’ but everyone continued to fight. Suddenly the crowd cleared, and the baker‘s wife was left, standing in the doorway of the empty bakery. I rushed over.

“What was that all about?”

“Everyone wants to get what they can, I’m afraid I’m going to have to close early,”

“Haven’t you got anything sweet left?”

“I’m afraid not, my dear, things have been a bit like this for the last few months. Damn this war.” She smiled, “Try again tomorrow, dear.” I nodded and turned to walk home. My stomach rumbled louder than ever. Damn this war.

***

Author's note:

I know I've updated this in the morning instead of the evening today, but I'm really into this story now, as I hope you are! I'm so proud, over 250 views already! This is amazing because I never thought ONE person would want to read this, let alone 250! Thanks to all of you for making me so happy. The best part of this story is yet to come, so keep reading! Let's try to get to 300?

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