Wednesday, October 29, 2003

As the day fades into night, the young and the old both grow to appreciate the day, realizing that the minutes that seep away now are ones they will never regain. Somewhere on the other side of the earth, there's nothing more prominient in one man's mind. As he sits entrenched in the earth, his mind whirs with thoughts of forgotten activities. As he looks west, he notices the first rays of the sun crossing the now dark blue sky, and remembers the days when life was more simple. A time when there was nothing to do but sit under his favorite trees, and stare up at the stars at night, a time when he used his gun to hunt animals and not other humans. But here he was, face to face with a barbwire fence, and what seemed like an entire nation of enemies. A light stroke on his cheek served as a warning of the prick of the mosquito to come next. As he slapped at the insect, he noticed more and more of the sun beginning to peek over the hill. Somewhere out in the front of him, he could see the wind making the brush sway, dance. It moved like an awkward teenager, unsure of himself, as he tried to look "cool" during his first dance in public. A grin played across his face as he remembered the sweat that poured down his face that night, and how he'd hoped so much that he'd impressed her. Her. . .what was her name? He couldn't remember now, his mind had become so filled during his six months training, that it was as if it had entirely erased all of his previous memories. Her name had been all he could think for six months, but now it seems as if it were just an echo, growing more and more scant as time went by. Suddenly the brush moved unexpectedly, and time stood still as he raised his rifle, held his breath, and tried to steady his hands. The brush continued to move and then a green orb flew through the air and landed next to him. As he scrambled away, he could feel a force like he'd never felt before. It tore at his back and left heat in his shoulders, and as he fell to the ground he suddenly could remember her name. . . that name that had been in his head for so long he had forgotten it. As he felt black sweep over him, saw the boots that walked by his head, he could only think of one thing. . .Julia, that was her name. Julia.

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