Break the Sky

The next day, the men sat around, eating their breakfast or smoking. The night before had been relaxing, but now it was time to get back into character. They were soldiers: No longer boys who dreamed of being rich, or hit baseballs and broke windows. They were different now.

Their commanding officers were again huddled in tents, most likely listening to the Morse Code sent by Intelligence. While they decoded messages, the soldiers told stories. Merrick went first.

"When I was younger, I'd get teased, and my younger sister and I were called 'sheenies*'. I really hated getting teased about what religion I belonged to. Once we moved, the teasing went away." Merrick played with his necklace; the pendant was in the shape of the Star of David. "I was sick of Southerners saying I'd give their kids the 'Sheeny Curse**' when I obviously didn't practice witchcraft." He reached for a cigarette. Merrick nodded to Dawson. "What about you?"

"Coming from California, my parents had a hard time making a living during the Great Depression on the farm my grandparents gave to my father." Dawson sighted, finishing up his breakfast. "The Dust Bowl really messed us up. But, after FDR came into office--" some of the men started cheering wildly, "--we were better than when we started." Dawson turned to Alex. "What about you, Gaskarth?"

"My parents have financial issues. so after school, when I was going to school, I would go work at the factory downtown. It wasn't fun, especially because I was unable to be with my friends." Alex reached into his coat pocket and fished for a picture. "I have a girl back home." Merrick lightly punched Alex's arm. "...And I just hope that I'll live long enough to see her again."

After "aww"-ing and teasing Alex, more of them shared their stories which ranged from silly farm anecdotes to serious hate crimes. Some Southerners talked about burning down the houses of Negroes, setting crosses on fire. Some even spoke of lynching. Some told stories of trying to run away to Canada. Their friends did, and some were serving a life sentence in jail. Any of the men who ran away from their civic duty was to be jailed for life if he came back into American soil.

Kepler, along with the other leaders, emerged from the tents. Their men stood up, saluting them. Kepler waved an arm: At ease. "The town above us will be bombed. We will evacuate the remaining civilians." Kepler paused. "We have already dropped a note stating when the bombing was occurring." He nodded to his men. "We're moving out."

Once again, they grabbed their packs and folded up the tents. They sprinted to the trucks and hopped in. Once each truck was loaded, they took off, heading up the hill. Merrick was excited, finally getting to be a hero, saving these villagers from a bombing. Dawson and Alex were not nearly as excited as their friend.

The farm houses, barnyards, shacks, and stands seemed abandoned for the most part. A few chickens scurried around. Cows mooed. Dogs barked, growling at the passersby. They made sure each place did not have any human being left. So far, they had found an elderly couple and an abandoned little by. Merrick, Dawson, and Alex were on their fourth house. They rummaged through the kitchen in search of children in the cupboards.

Nothing.

"I'm going upstairs," Merrick announced, creeping up the steps. Alex looked at Dawson, who shrugged. They decided to follow their comrade.

A scream.

Alex dashed towards the noise and found Merrick trying to calm two young women. He pointed to himself. "American," Merrick said slowly, taking a step towards them. They clung to each other for dear life. Alex placed his weapon on the floor gently. Merrick and Dawson followed in suit.

Dawson started to speak in German, which Alex could not comprehend. It seemed to relax the women. Dawson motioned for them to follow him, and slowly and surely, they filed out the door. Alex and Merrick picked up the firearms and made their way back to the vehicles.

"We don't have any more room on our convoy, so you guys take 'em," Tanner said, his look grim. "We'll be dropping them off at the closest village."

The trio nodded, coaxing the young women to follow them. They loaded up the convoys and set off down the hill.

One of the women was blonde, the other a brunette with wavy hair. Both were in the group of women the night the men were bathing. Merrick had become friendly with the blonde. Her name, according to Rian, was Miranda. She giggled at Merrick's words, glancing down at the floor occasionally. As for the other girl, she leaned her head back onto the canvas shell, sighing. Her eyes wandered to Alex, who grinned sadly.

"You remind me of someone back home," he shouted, the roaring engines making every word incomprehensible.

Rian translated for him. The girl shouted something back, smiling. "She says, 'Thank you. My name is Ismene.'" Rian raised his eyebrows.

"...My name is Alexander."

}{

Dear Alex,

Zachary and Rian seem darling. I would love to meet them when you arrive back home. I cannot wait for your return.

I am well, and my new friends have been praying for you. I pray that you are well and alive. Home has not changed a bit since you were gone. And Jack and I have been meeting lately and talking. I'm so glad that he's here.

Your parents are well. Mrs. Gaskarth is under some distress, but no worries. She and Mr. Gaskarth are just worried about you. No matter how many times you tell them not to worry, they shall. They are your parents after all.

Jack is just wonderful. He's doing very well in law school and is getting very high marks. Mr. Barakat is very proud of his son. Lately, Jack has been interning somewhere, but I don't remember the name of the place. I think it started with a "D", but I guess that's not awfully important.

I hope you are in good health, and I miss you dearly, love.

Sincerely,
Rose

She licked the envelope closed, writing the address on the front of it. She read Alex's letter again, smiling slightly. Rose waltzed out the door and placed the letter in the mailbox. She stepped back into the house, counting down the days until Darren's birthday.