Written: 24.05.13
Words: 556
NFF, Dark
Dear Ma and Pa,
How are things back home? Home… wow. I haven’t thought of that word in a while. There’s so much terror and hate here, ‘home’ feels like nothing more than a distant memory now. If it was ever real to begin with.
Are y’all reading this from your favourite chair? Freezing rain is pouring down on us, turning our small little trench into a mudslide…
How’s Tommy been at trying to keep the firewood stocked? I tried to chop as much as I could before I left so he wouldn’t have to try, but this rain doesn’t seem to be letting up. I’m sorry if y’all run out before I return.
Oh, crap. Sorry, ignore that stain. It’s not my blood.
There’s no tables out here, so I’m using a soldier’s back to write to you. He’s been decomposing for a while, so he’s not the most stable surface. The pen poked through the paper there. I’ll try to be more delicate. Don’t want this letter to get torn to shreds before it reaches you. I think this used to be Ben, but the rats have almost completely devoured the face so it’s hard to tell.
Not that knowing who it is would make it any better.
These were my friends. Now? They’re just make-shift furniture. Walls, tables, mattresses… we were grateful at first to finally not have to sleep on the cold, hard ground, but now there’s so many piling up, they’re mostly just in the way. They’re making it difficult to move.
At least the screams of pain have slowly quieted with each day.
I apologize if that sounds callous to y’all, but with the explosions and gun-fire already aching your ears, any other high-pitched noise is just agony. My right one actually started bleeding yesterday. At least, I think it was my ear… either that or the cut on my temple re-opened. There’s so much mud and blood caked on everyone, it’s hard to tell where it’s coming from.
Like back when Baby Rose had her cold and she screeched through the night for a month. Only here we don’t have pillows or cotton to cover our ears with.
How is Baby Rose? I suppose she wouldn’t be ‘baby’ anymore, eh? Must’ve started walking and talking by now…
I bet she looks just like Shelly. Golden hair and big, brown eyes.
Maybe it’s good I haven’t been there. I doubt I’d be able to tell her ‘no’ if she were to ask for a toy or candy before dinner. That girl had me wrapped around her finger before she was even born.
Can you tell her Daddy says he loves her? I’d promise to be back soon, but I don’t want the first words of mine my baby girl’ll remember to be a lie.
If we did have cotton, it wouldn’t be used for our ears. It’d definitely be used as nose plugs for the smell.
Ma, the smell is so bad even the flies have left.
Only other time I’ve smelled something even close to this was back when that wolf torn into that horse in winter, and we weren’t able to move the body because it’d frozen to the ground.
Oh, hold on.
Sarge is yelling, but I’m too far away to hear him. I’ve gotta go see-
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