War

“So, I guess that means we’re going home then?” asks Charlotte Wallace.

“Yeah, I guess, unless we can find somewhere else to go for summer vacation,” Charlotte’s mom, Stella, replies disappointedly.

“No, I refuse to stay home this summer. We can go to, uh, Florida!” proposes Alyssa, Charlotte’s other mom, “We can take you to Disney World sweetheart!”

“Yay!” says Charlotte, “I’ve wanted to go to Disney World ever since my friend went last year, and-”

“Wait a second sweetie, Alyssa, did you hear that?” asks Stella. She turns the volume up once again: “BREAKING NEWS: FLORIDA HAS NOW BEEN DEEMED TOO DANGEROUS TO GO TO; ALL FLIGHTS ARE CANCELLED. TO THOSE IN FLORIDA NOW, STAY SAFE,”. She lowers the volume again and says Stella “Dang, so there goes our plans of just going to Florida instead, home-”

Alyssa suddenly interrupts Stella’s sentence before she is able to finish, “No! No, we aren’t going home. We can go somewhere else, just not back home.”

“But where? We can’t even go to Disneyland in California because it’s being renovated at the moment,” explains Stella disappointedly.

“Mommy, why do you want to travel so badly?” asks little Charlotte, reluctant to answer her daughter’s question and turns to Stella.

“Charlotte, your mom really wants to travel because she has always wanted to see the world. Your mom is very adventurous and staying here is tedious to her,” says Stella. Alyssa is having a harder time dealing with the war than Stella. The current war is affecting large numbers of people and their lives drastically. People are gathering food and supplies for their war shelters. They’re also attempting to get out of The Americas altogether.

“Oh, I didn’t know you wanted to see the world mommy. Where can we go then?” asks Charlotte.

“Paris! We can go to the Disney World in Paris, and while we’re there we can sightsee!” suggests Alyssa excitedly. They agree to travel to Paris for a during the summer. As they’re driving, they pass a building on fire, Alyssa sniffles. Then the news comes on: “BREAKING NEWS: THE WAR OUTBREAK-.” Alyssa turns the radio off before her daughter can hear. She looks in the back and sees her sound asleep.

They reach the airport, take their luggage out of the car, and advance to the front desk. Luckily they are able to buy tickets to Paris, France at the last minute. They proceed through security, which happens to be longer than usual because of the war. Eventually, it’s time for them to take off. They sleep the entire flight due to the fact that it is 2 a.m and they’re all worn out.

Finally, they land, it’s 10 a.m later that day. They get their luggage and take a taxi to a cafe because they’re all hungry, especially Charlotte, after that flight. While they are at the cafe they not only eat but also begin looking for hotels to stay in. As they are looking, they realize all the hotels in Paris are booked as a result of the war. Alyssa and Stella decide not to give up, and they keep looking for hotels. Then finally Stella declares, “I found one! This hotel says ‘Rooms available’.” They then rush out of the cafe to the hotel.

When they arrive, there is only one room left in the hotel and they go to war with a couple over it and don’t end up getting it. The Wallaces leave while they try to figure out a temporary living situation. They notice many people at war for the last room in hotels, the remaining food in stores, and many other items. The population all over the world is growing dramatically, another result of people from the Americans moving and making resources scarce.

Then right then and there, Stella realizes they really have nowhere to go. They stand there on the sidewalk thinking of what to do, where they should go. Then Alyssa remembers that they can stay with her aunts that immigrated to Paris a few years ago. They unexpectedly show up at their house and are welcomed with open arms. They are glad that being around family has been able to save their summer break.

Diamond, Des. War Background. Diamond, Des. War Background. 

The Two Americans

The Two Americans

https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/ww2-pictures

        

I could hear the sound made by the heavy leather shoes hitting the grass like loud drums. My hands were shaking uncontrollably. My left leg was getting sore from sitting in the same position. Suddenly, I heard a dull voice coming from behind me: “Sergeant Schneider, when are we moving?” I stood there and made him a sign to keep quiet. The Americans were still climbing up the hill and our artilleries were being taken down by the F6F Hellcats. I was the commander of the 243rd infantry division and our mission was to retreat back to our lines. As we were preparing to get out of our underground bunker, I remembered my daughter’s words before I left the house. She wanted me to bring her a souvenir from France; she always dreamed of visiting France one day. Unfortunately, with the political condition that we had with France at the time, we couldn’t take her there. As I was the commander of the division I had to stand in front of the pack and open the door of the bunker. The old wheel that I had to turn to be able to lift the bolt and unlock the door was full of cracks and, as soon as I placed my hands on it, the paint peeled off on the ground. Before getting out, I picked up a blue rock that was down to my right and placed it in my pocket for my daughter if I ever saw her again one day. I climbed up the ladder to reach the hill. Suddenly I heard a loud gunshot which stunned me and I fell flat on the ground. I recall feeling the hot sand touching my face at the edges of the hill. I can’t remember how long I stayed there for, but when I slowly opened my eyes again, I was on a medical bed. I could feel the balancing of the bed when the two men were walking. The sun was hitting right on my face so I couldn't see them very well. The soldier in front of me was wearing the standard issue American army uniform. The man also had an armband with a cross to show that he was a doctor. I could barely move my head, but the two soldiers carried me away as far as possible from the fighting area. I didn’t understand why or where the Americans were taking me, but all that mattered is that they had saved my life. After walking for a while, the two American soldiers bandaged my left arm which was slightly injured near the elbow and placed a bandage over my right ear which was bleeding from the gunshot earlier. As soon as they place the bandage on my ear, I heard a loud humming as if I was getting shot near the ear all over again. The two men were talking to each other but I couldn’t understand what they were saying. They were sweating heavily and one of the men had only four fingers. We continued walking for another 2 hours until we arrived at a small river. They placed the bed on the ground and motioned me to stand up. When I stood up, I realized how tall the two men were; they were about 6 feet tall. One of the men took off his helmet and started rearranging his hair, which was all straightened from the helmet; he had short bright yellow hair. The man opened his bag, gave me a cup of water and a piece of bread. Then, the two Americans waved at me and said with a funny deep accent: “go dat wey” pointing at a direction and left. I had no idea at the time what they told me, but all that mattered was that they had saved my life. I went next to the river and poured some water on my face. At the time, I didn’t realize what had just happened to me. I was one of the few German soldiers to have survived the Normandy Landings on this day July 6, 1944. I spent the next 10 months hiding in France and trying to survive until the war was over. I went from farm to farm sleeping with cows and stealing their food. I also met a farmer who told me I could stay and sleep at his house until things came down. France was a beautiful country. I felt unhappy when I knew I was in a beautiful country but I had to stay hidden at all times. Almost a year later, the war ended. I returned peacefully to Germany to see my family again. A week after I returned to Germany, my daughter was turning seven. I told her the story about the rock I took in France but lost on my way to Germany, she laughed. After the war, I decided to give up my position in the army and to become a writer. I also changed my name to Wilson, so that people wouldn’t think anything bad if they would find out who I really was. Two months later, My family and I moved to France in a city called Nice. My daughter Elisa was really happy when I told her we were moving, she started crying of excitement and told me she was happy to go to France but sad to leave Germany. I answered: “Leaving Germany doesn't mean we will never go visit again!” She smiled. After two years in France, I already knew how to speak French. We were in love with this country. One day however, my wife wanted to go visit the place where I was saved by the American soldiers. I wasn’t sure If I wanted to go back but we went anyway. We walked along the coast for hours looking at the ruins of the British boats on the sand and the destroyed bunkers by the F6F planes. All these dark memories were coming back to me but suddenly, under a brown oak tree, I see a rock. The rock looked exactly like the one I had lost three years ago. I picked it up and analysed it carefully. The rock had a touch of blue with really sharp edges. I placed it in my pocket thinking about the two Americans who had saved my life. I looked at the clock it was 3 A.M. I put the pen down and stopped writing, closed the book and went to bed.

Coats

That was it, a final kiss, a final hug and accompanied by 24 other men, he left cramped in the back of an army truck. Neil had always been a fighter; he had been suspended 18 times for starting a fight at school. It only seemed logical for him to go on and join the army. As for me, the psychiatrist had always told me I was “mentally unfit” or too “unstable” in my head to go fight or even leave the asylum where I lived. They would come in my room, five times a week, and would talk to me for sometimes hours at a time. It was always a comforting part of my day, away from the cold looks I was given by the other patients outside. I would recognize my doctors by their white lab coats; their faces were irrelevant, just the sight of the clean white fabric would bring me comfort. But for Neil, that was it, he was really gone.

 The days went on and the doctors kept coming by every day. Their voices would fade away while I was sucked into wonderful dreams. I would imagine peaceful worlds far away from the horrors of our own. Simultaneously, the news about the war worsened. Neil’s letters described the enemy groups slowly closing in and every day the morning radio would divulge to me the names of the fallen men. While the doctors kept coming, their coats strangely slowly started to deteriorate. The pure and innocent white gave place to a dirty greyish color and the previously meticulously placed stitches loosened and tore, revealing parts of the black jacket worn underneath. I felt less and less safe and the coats seemed to symbolize it.

 A few weeks later, the morning news stopped broadcasting. Many had already fled the city, but as patients of the asylum, we never got the choice. Kept in our dorms when the sirens rung, we never got out. My days were spent sitting on my bed, waiting for my doctors; the boredom didn’t help my moral. Their visits became scarce and their now almost completely black coats only reminded me of my loneliness. After 16 dreadful days, the coat worn on the shoulders of the doctor that came in appeared red, a bright dazzling red. Armed with a 2.5 inch needle he walked towards me while a black figured appeared in the frame of the door. The figure extended his arm to me and placed his long bony fingers over my eyes. A bright light appeared in front of me and it was over, they had decided we weren’t worth the effort saving.

Mudie, Luisetta. A file photo of a patient suffering from mental illness. Digital image. Rfa. Radio Free Asia, 27 Aug. 2012. Web. 23 Jan. 2015.

   

Dreaming

"Exercise or Sleep?" Exercise or Sleep? The National Personal Training Institute of Northern Virginia, 3 July 2013. Web. 21 Jan. 2015.

I was in a deep sleep when I woke up from a crazy war nightmare, dreaming through the eyes of a soldier. I was killing and saving soldiers of all ethnicities, I felt distraught. I was put into another body and I had no clFue how I was to get out and go back to reality. Once I killed what felt like more than 10 bodies, my body trembled as I woke up to my mother hovering over me in worry. She told me to take deep breaths while she softly pet my hair. I told her it was just a bad dream and that I'm going to go back to sleep, and that I'm fine.

   The next morning I woke up with blood covering my hands. I had no clue how it got there. I wasn't bleeding so how could it just appear? I was confused. I couldn't wrap my head around it. How could my hands be covered in blood if I wasn't bleeding? I washed my hands and continued  with my daily routine.

  That night I didn't wake up in the middle of the night and my dream was mellow and clear. I was on a beach walking by the water and I felt light and airy. I woke up and felt a weight off my shoulders. It was like all my problems went away and I was back on that beach again. I looked down and found next to my bed  an puddle with sand and a starfish in it. It was the mid- winter in Oklahoma, the closest beach was more than 1,000 miles away.

  The next day my mother asked me if I was fine, because she said that I was making noises that sound like waves crashing against rocks. I was really confused as to how all of this was happening. I was once normal, but now I just feel strange.For two days in a row mysterious things have happened, hopefully tomorrow it will end. That night when I fell asleep I felt I was falling out of the sky. I couldn't breathe because I was so high up. I was gasping for air. As the Earth was getting closer, I could make out streets and buildings.

  I was slowly dying as I got closer to land. I was probably 10 feet above earth, ready for impact and trying to scream, but only heard silence before I woke face down in my bed in the same position as my dream. That morning on the news a girl my age that looked similar to me was found dead crushed in the next town over from mine. My mother and I were talking about it and we both agreed that it was fairly creepy how this dead girl looked like me. It was like she was my doppelganger. I couldn't wrap my head around it. I felt a connection with her, I found myself crying for her. After breakfast I went to my room and I felt her pain from her injuries.

  I sometimes just fell to the floor and lay there because my arms, legs, and feet wouldn't work. I was screaming at the top of my lungs because I thought I had become a snake. Once my mother came I could feel my body again. So I  just went to take a nap because my brain was starting to hurt too much and I was spacing out a lot. During my nap, I saw myself as a toddler with my parents at the park. I saw my parents go sit down at the benches while I went down the slide. It was like it is the past; everything was the same as I remembered it.

   The only thing that changed was some man came up to me and showed me this doll I wanted at the store, but my parents wouldn't buy it because I already had a lot of toys. They said. I followed the man because he said he has all three versions of them. I just saw myself go into that man’s car, while my parents just sat there and talk to each other and not watch me. I couldn't believe before my eyes that my parents weren't doing anything, and that I was too far away to stop it.

   When I woke up I was in an all white room, confined to a very uncomfortable bed that you can feel each and every spring on your back. There were pictures of baby animals with cheerful quotes. For a moment I thought the animals came out of pictures and were talking to me. Then a man in all white came in and forced pills in my mouth.When I spit them out towards him, he injected a needle into my right arm vein. Then it went black.