The inspiration:
A story:
Spring. We had been doing the laundry when the officers showed. Ma’s reddened hand had squeezed my shoulder, but she would not cry in front of them.
“We’re sorry, M’am. Pvt. Aseltine, your son …”
“Thank you, boys. I have some lemonade cooling on the back porch …”
“No, thank you, M’am.”
Ma even refused to take comfort that my brother, Ray, was only “MIA.”
“Millie, if the Huns have him, he’s not comin’ home.”
So I am surprised, hurrying home from school chased by an early Michigan winter, to see Ma bawling. I pull the letter from her hand.
Ray’s alive.
*******************************************
Now, your turn. And take a moment to find out the rest of the story …
This story is a little different. Next Wednesday is Veterans Day — which started out as Armistice Day – the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 marking the end of WWI.
My grandmother Mildred’s older brother, Ray Howard Aseltine, was a Marine serving with Pershing’s army in Verdun, France, when he went MIA in May of 1918. It was shortly after the war’s ending that his family got word he had actually survived. He wrote of his experience, horrors he endured at the hands of his German captors. Ray would come home to marry, have three sons and die at age 27 due to lingering effects of the war.
WWI was a very brutal war.
Then again, all war is brutal, even the necessary ones.
Next Wednesday, please take a moment to remember, with gratitude and humility, all our veterans and their service.
[…] of the dares of NaNoWriMo, is to insert a real life person into your story. Today’s inspiration had me sitting here looking at a nice antique photo and I thought to myself: My friend (while, I […]
From the future I was.
“Is that a stain on your couch?”
Flustered,they ninja moved in tandem,glanced quickly down,composed themselves and one spoke. ” I do believe you are lost Sir,in mind and in spirit.””Just mucking about fair ladies,just mucking about” I replied.
“Your dress is strange and your manners are not known to us.” One said as the other nodded in agreement.”Where art thou from stranger?”
“Gallifrey”
Oh look, Esther, the Spanish Influenza is coming to the door with the Mailman. Only look how he coughs and sputters, spewing blood and phlegm! Shall we go to greet him, and thus become statistics ourselves? Or, in the alternative, shall we wait for ObamaCare to come, and with it, our certain eternal deliverance?
Lawzy no Penelope, wait until some unborn half-nigger arrives to cure the ills of a nation we can’t even imagine? Catch your words young woman, pull them back within the fence of your lying teeth. Besides, he’s got a beribboned package there for us. Let’s scurry.
[…] Smitty/Darleen: Friday Fiction […]
[…] story is part of the fascinating “100 Word Challenge” project by Darleen Click over at Protein Wisdom. Her offering is a can’t miss, true story. Seriously, make sure you check it […]
Rubber Band
Mr. buttons! it’s autumn and here you are … the leaves have turned red like starbucks cups and the wind whispers promises of wintry weeks to come!
bring it on i say
but first somebody really needs to rake up all these damn leaves
you know who you are