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Dec. 1st, 2010 05:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cassievalentineSo, found this in my travels. This is THE ONLY piece of decent original fiction I've ever written.
I wrote it for an assignment in High School in Gr. 12. Figured I'd share it with you fine people.
Title Wars
Fandom None, original. (I KNOW!!)
Rating PG, I suppose.
Summary There are many wars. Some are at home, some are away and some are in the heart
Notes Set during WWII.
"Joe, you don't have to go. They're not drafting anyone," Ella pleaded with her husband as he put on his suit and got ready to head to the city to sign up.
"El, I don't have to go. I want to go. I wanna give my boy something to be proud of, have some one to look up to."
"He already does!" she pleaded with him as she sat down on the bed. "You're a good, honest, hard working man, Joe! He needs that kind of father, not some war torn stranger."
"Ella I'm going and that's all there is to it. Besides, I don't even know if they'll take me," he said as he smiled at her softly. "Don't worry, either way, I'll be home soon," he finished, kissed her and left the house, leaving her to watch him go.
"I just hope it's not in a wooden box," she whispered to herself as she watched his figure walking away from the house, down the worn dirt path.
***
"Ma! Ma help!"
"Harry, what on earth are you yelling about?" Ella asked as she left the dishes in the sink and went out to see her son.
"He shot me!" he exclaimed. "He shot me right on the knee!" She sighed and shook her head as she bent down near him.
"Who's 'he', Harry?"
"Hitler and his Nazis! They came up the path and shot me right on the knee," she sighed and looked at him.
"Harry, how many times do I have to tell you, I don't want to hear about Hitler and his Nazis coming to shoot you. I hear enough of that on the radio. And the letters from your father," she stopped there, not wanting to think about it anymore. Joe had been gone for months now. However, she was glad to get the letters from him, to know he was still alive, there were times she would rather not know what Hitler and his troops were doing.
"Say, when is dad comin' home?" Harry asked as he stood up, his imaginary wound now forgotten.
"I don't know, soon I hope. Will you go and find Abby and bring her home? It's almost lunch time," she said as she headed back into the house to finish the dishes and start lunch.
"OK, Ma," he said as he started running towards the old field behind the house. Abby was always playing there, buried in her daydreams of ponies, princesses and knights in shining armour. Why didn't she ever want to play good games with him; football, baseball and soldier. Those were the only good games weren't they?
Ella wandered back into the kitchen and took a moment to steady her nerves before starting the dishes again. It had been just about a month since she had gotten a letter from Joe and she was starting to get worried. Every time a telegraph truck drove by the house or stopped near by, she was sure it was one of the government officials coming to tell her that he was dead. She hadn't told the kids their father hadn't written in a month, she'd just pull an old letter out every now and then and make up a story about what it said and they'd be satisfied. Harry was starting to ask questions, but they were still ones she could answer with little white lies. All Abby ever wanted to know was when was daddy coming home and was he going to bring her a present. Every once and a while, before she went to bed, she would try and plan out the speech that she would give to Harry and Abby if she ever did get one of the telegrams, but she got as far as 'Kids, I have some bad news,' and she started to cry herself. But I'm never going to have to give that speech. He's going to come home in one piece. I hope. And with that last thought, she went back to finishing up her chores before the kids came in looking for lunch.
**
"You know, May, it's times like this I wish that damned war had never ended," Ella said as she and her neighbour, May, waited for the police to phone and say that their husbands were in jail until they sobered up. This had become an almost nightly affair. "I mean, when he is sober, he's snapping at me and the kids. It just never seems to get better. And Harry! He won't leave the poor man alone! Always hounding him for a story. I'm surprised Joe hasn't hit him yet," May's brow furrowed.
"He'd never do that! Joe? There's no way on the face of the earth he'd hit either of the kids," she said, not believing Ella.
"He's changed since he came back. He's cool, detached. Like he's runnin' on autopilot or something. I can't explain it. The only time he comes close to the man that left me is when he's drunk and I'm certainly not going to let him be drunk around Harry and Abby, just so they can spend time with their father," The phone rang and the same story came through.
"May, Ella, we have your husbands. We picked them up for public drunkeness. Would you like to come and get them, or let them sober up here?" Officer McNeill asked on the other end of the line. "Leave them there. I won't have a drunk father around the kids," May answered for the both of them.
"Alright. I'll send them home in the morning, " he said. "G'night ladies."
"Night Officer McNeill," she said as she hung up the phone.
"Thanks May. I had better get back to the kids," Ella said as she turned to leave.
"Let me know when you get home ok? This time of night, anything can happen," she said as she held the screen door open.
"Will do. Night May," she said as she started down the path. Ella pulled the sweater a little tighter around herself as the warm summer breeze had started to take on a chill. Fall's comin', she thought to herself. That meant new clothes, work books, pencils and other things for the kids. That meant they needed money and Joe was still out of work. He hadn't been able to hold down a job since he got home. He had been fired from the bank and then the accounting office and he hadn't been able to stay sober long enough to go out and look for more work. She could get a job this year though. Abby was starting school, that meant she could work part time, full time if she could get some one to watch Abby for free in the afternoons. But what would Joe think? she wondered. He had always told her that it would be a cold day in July before he let his wife start working.
To hell with what he thinks. He hasn't done a damned thing since he got home and I'm tired of it. His kids are gonna be fed and clothed if it kills me, she thought to herself. She entered the house and phoned May then went to get ready for bed herself. She checked on the kids before she went to bed and she then lay awake for some time wondering where she could get a job that would pay better then waitressing or being a seamstress that didn't need anything more then a grade 11 education. A secretary at a big office or with a lawyer, maybe a doctor, was the best she could think of. Well, tomorrow, the kids were going to spend the day at May's house and she was going to look for a job. That thing she used to call a husband could fend for himself.
**
"Where the hell have you been all afternoon?" Joe asked as he stumbled out of the bedroom either hung over or drunk, she couldn't really tell. "And where the hell are my kids? What have you done with them?" he asked as he grabbed her arms and shook her.
"I've been out getting a job and my kids are at May's house." she said as she shook him off and went to change out of her good skirt and blouse.
"I won't have any wife of mine out working. It's no place for a lady!" he said as he flopped down in a chair beside the radio.
"Then you stop drinking away what little money we have left and you go find a job! School's starting again and both of them need new clothes and supplies. I don't know about you, but I can't make those kinds of things out of thin air," she said as she came back out and started getting things ready for supper.
"Don't you boss me around! I know how to take care of my family," he said as he turned the radio on. Ella didn't say anything, she just laughed to herself, then marched back into the living room and turned off the radio.
"You don't want me to work? Fine I'll start pawning things. The radio will go first. Then your pocket watch, your gold pens and cuff links. Then I'll start in on your baseball cards, trophies and everything else you own worth a dime."
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Watch me! You got us into this mess, you're gonna get us out. You didn't have to go off and play soldier, you could have stayed here and you would have been manager of the bank by now. Instead, you're a drunk that your kids are scared of and I can't stand to have in my bed!" she yelled. Anger flared across his face and before he could stop it, he had slapped her and the house fell into complete silence. Joe stood in shock at the pain that radiated through his hand and at the red mark forming on his wife's cheek. Ella was holding back the tears of pain and sorrow that were threatening to spill. "Get out," she said calmly.
"Ella, I'm . . I'm so sorry! I, I didn't mean to . ."
"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!!" she yelled and pointed towards the door. "Get out and don't come back until you've got a decent job and your sober. Don't come near the kids or me."
"Ell . . ."
"Now!" she said as she stamped her foot. She watched as he slowly shuffled to the door, turning once to look back at her then continued on his way. She walked up to the door and watched his figure retreat down the worn path like she had months ago and she felt the same dread that he wouldn't return as she had before.
I wrote it for an assignment in High School in Gr. 12. Figured I'd share it with you fine people.
Title Wars
Fandom None, original. (I KNOW!!)
Rating PG, I suppose.
Summary There are many wars. Some are at home, some are away and some are in the heart
Notes Set during WWII.
"Joe, you don't have to go. They're not drafting anyone," Ella pleaded with her husband as he put on his suit and got ready to head to the city to sign up.
"El, I don't have to go. I want to go. I wanna give my boy something to be proud of, have some one to look up to."
"He already does!" she pleaded with him as she sat down on the bed. "You're a good, honest, hard working man, Joe! He needs that kind of father, not some war torn stranger."
"Ella I'm going and that's all there is to it. Besides, I don't even know if they'll take me," he said as he smiled at her softly. "Don't worry, either way, I'll be home soon," he finished, kissed her and left the house, leaving her to watch him go.
"I just hope it's not in a wooden box," she whispered to herself as she watched his figure walking away from the house, down the worn dirt path.
***
"Ma! Ma help!"
"Harry, what on earth are you yelling about?" Ella asked as she left the dishes in the sink and went out to see her son.
"He shot me!" he exclaimed. "He shot me right on the knee!" She sighed and shook her head as she bent down near him.
"Who's 'he', Harry?"
"Hitler and his Nazis! They came up the path and shot me right on the knee," she sighed and looked at him.
"Harry, how many times do I have to tell you, I don't want to hear about Hitler and his Nazis coming to shoot you. I hear enough of that on the radio. And the letters from your father," she stopped there, not wanting to think about it anymore. Joe had been gone for months now. However, she was glad to get the letters from him, to know he was still alive, there were times she would rather not know what Hitler and his troops were doing.
"Say, when is dad comin' home?" Harry asked as he stood up, his imaginary wound now forgotten.
"I don't know, soon I hope. Will you go and find Abby and bring her home? It's almost lunch time," she said as she headed back into the house to finish the dishes and start lunch.
"OK, Ma," he said as he started running towards the old field behind the house. Abby was always playing there, buried in her daydreams of ponies, princesses and knights in shining armour. Why didn't she ever want to play good games with him; football, baseball and soldier. Those were the only good games weren't they?
Ella wandered back into the kitchen and took a moment to steady her nerves before starting the dishes again. It had been just about a month since she had gotten a letter from Joe and she was starting to get worried. Every time a telegraph truck drove by the house or stopped near by, she was sure it was one of the government officials coming to tell her that he was dead. She hadn't told the kids their father hadn't written in a month, she'd just pull an old letter out every now and then and make up a story about what it said and they'd be satisfied. Harry was starting to ask questions, but they were still ones she could answer with little white lies. All Abby ever wanted to know was when was daddy coming home and was he going to bring her a present. Every once and a while, before she went to bed, she would try and plan out the speech that she would give to Harry and Abby if she ever did get one of the telegrams, but she got as far as 'Kids, I have some bad news,' and she started to cry herself. But I'm never going to have to give that speech. He's going to come home in one piece. I hope. And with that last thought, she went back to finishing up her chores before the kids came in looking for lunch.
**
"You know, May, it's times like this I wish that damned war had never ended," Ella said as she and her neighbour, May, waited for the police to phone and say that their husbands were in jail until they sobered up. This had become an almost nightly affair. "I mean, when he is sober, he's snapping at me and the kids. It just never seems to get better. And Harry! He won't leave the poor man alone! Always hounding him for a story. I'm surprised Joe hasn't hit him yet," May's brow furrowed.
"He'd never do that! Joe? There's no way on the face of the earth he'd hit either of the kids," she said, not believing Ella.
"He's changed since he came back. He's cool, detached. Like he's runnin' on autopilot or something. I can't explain it. The only time he comes close to the man that left me is when he's drunk and I'm certainly not going to let him be drunk around Harry and Abby, just so they can spend time with their father," The phone rang and the same story came through.
"May, Ella, we have your husbands. We picked them up for public drunkeness. Would you like to come and get them, or let them sober up here?" Officer McNeill asked on the other end of the line. "Leave them there. I won't have a drunk father around the kids," May answered for the both of them.
"Alright. I'll send them home in the morning, " he said. "G'night ladies."
"Night Officer McNeill," she said as she hung up the phone.
"Thanks May. I had better get back to the kids," Ella said as she turned to leave.
"Let me know when you get home ok? This time of night, anything can happen," she said as she held the screen door open.
"Will do. Night May," she said as she started down the path. Ella pulled the sweater a little tighter around herself as the warm summer breeze had started to take on a chill. Fall's comin', she thought to herself. That meant new clothes, work books, pencils and other things for the kids. That meant they needed money and Joe was still out of work. He hadn't been able to hold down a job since he got home. He had been fired from the bank and then the accounting office and he hadn't been able to stay sober long enough to go out and look for more work. She could get a job this year though. Abby was starting school, that meant she could work part time, full time if she could get some one to watch Abby for free in the afternoons. But what would Joe think? she wondered. He had always told her that it would be a cold day in July before he let his wife start working.
To hell with what he thinks. He hasn't done a damned thing since he got home and I'm tired of it. His kids are gonna be fed and clothed if it kills me, she thought to herself. She entered the house and phoned May then went to get ready for bed herself. She checked on the kids before she went to bed and she then lay awake for some time wondering where she could get a job that would pay better then waitressing or being a seamstress that didn't need anything more then a grade 11 education. A secretary at a big office or with a lawyer, maybe a doctor, was the best she could think of. Well, tomorrow, the kids were going to spend the day at May's house and she was going to look for a job. That thing she used to call a husband could fend for himself.
**
"Where the hell have you been all afternoon?" Joe asked as he stumbled out of the bedroom either hung over or drunk, she couldn't really tell. "And where the hell are my kids? What have you done with them?" he asked as he grabbed her arms and shook her.
"I've been out getting a job and my kids are at May's house." she said as she shook him off and went to change out of her good skirt and blouse.
"I won't have any wife of mine out working. It's no place for a lady!" he said as he flopped down in a chair beside the radio.
"Then you stop drinking away what little money we have left and you go find a job! School's starting again and both of them need new clothes and supplies. I don't know about you, but I can't make those kinds of things out of thin air," she said as she came back out and started getting things ready for supper.
"Don't you boss me around! I know how to take care of my family," he said as he turned the radio on. Ella didn't say anything, she just laughed to herself, then marched back into the living room and turned off the radio.
"You don't want me to work? Fine I'll start pawning things. The radio will go first. Then your pocket watch, your gold pens and cuff links. Then I'll start in on your baseball cards, trophies and everything else you own worth a dime."
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Watch me! You got us into this mess, you're gonna get us out. You didn't have to go off and play soldier, you could have stayed here and you would have been manager of the bank by now. Instead, you're a drunk that your kids are scared of and I can't stand to have in my bed!" she yelled. Anger flared across his face and before he could stop it, he had slapped her and the house fell into complete silence. Joe stood in shock at the pain that radiated through his hand and at the red mark forming on his wife's cheek. Ella was holding back the tears of pain and sorrow that were threatening to spill. "Get out," she said calmly.
"Ella, I'm . . I'm so sorry! I, I didn't mean to . ."
"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!!" she yelled and pointed towards the door. "Get out and don't come back until you've got a decent job and your sober. Don't come near the kids or me."
"Ell . . ."
"Now!" she said as she stamped her foot. She watched as he slowly shuffled to the door, turning once to look back at her then continued on his way. She walked up to the door and watched his figure retreat down the worn path like she had months ago and she felt the same dread that he wouldn't return as she had before.
