The Summer Forest (A Short Story)

            It was a scorching summer in the countryside where the sun bathed the lands with its stinging rays. There was a clear pond adjacent beside a gravel path in a thick forest that I usually jog home from school. I would sit down beside the small pond and stick my feet into the cold glistening water trying to cool myself down. Fishes would swim so close to the surface that I can almost touch them, but I don’t because they know it’s me. It was my pond and it belonged to me alone.

            This was a special place, a place of calmness and a way out of the hard stressful life. The leaves rustled as a gentle breeze blew from the clear skies. The shadow of the towering trees cascaded over me like a giant standing in front of the sunlight protecting me. It was my home, a second home, which was way better than the one I had in reality. No one knew of this place in this forest, not even my parents. Time and time, I would tell them that I took the paved roads home a few miles beside the forest or that I walked home with some friends. The truth is, I didn’t want to walk in the middle of the road alone and I didn’t have much friends.

            Life was not easy for me, especially when I wasn’t the smartest in the class or the most athletic in gym. I liked the forest, I found peace and tranquility that helped me cope with the reality I had. It was a shame that I had no one to share it with until I met her…

           

            She was dressed in tight jeans with a purple hoodie walking in front of me across the pond. As she walked, her brown hair fluttered freely in the air almost as if they were dancing by themselves. I glanced at her and rubbed my eyes making sure that I was not in a dream. She noticed me sitting by the pond and smiled as she walked closer.

           

            “Hi.” the girl spoke briefly and sweetly.

            “Hello.” I reply.

            “What’s your name?” the girl sat down beside me.

            “Charlie.” I reply.

            “Kaitlin, but you can call me Katie.” the girl introduced by sticking out her hand.

           

            “Nice to meet you.” I shook her hand.

            There was something I remembered about Katie when I shook her hand. Her hands were warm and soft complimenting my cold feet in the pond. And her smile, I remember the smile when she saw me. It was a smile of openness and happiness that I sought for.

            “What are you doing here?” I asked shyly barely able to look at her face.

            “Oh, this is my place. My hideout is over there.” Katie pointed down the pond into a thicket of bushes.

            “Can I see it?” I stared at the bushes and slowly got up.

            “Sure. So, Charlie what are you doing here?” Katie asked me back.

            “I walk home from school through here. I haven’t see you around, are you new?” I replied with a blush and then look at my feet.

            “No, I’m home schooled. Dad lets me leave the house now that I’ve grown up.” Katie answered and blushed back.

            Katie grabbed my hand and then tugged me to her hideout. In the thicket of green bushes, I saw an opening. She led me inside and I saw a cozy little room she had made. A woven blanket was on the ground and a small knapsack settled beside the entrance. The hideout had a low ceiling, but a small gap overhead allowed some sunlight to shine inside and illuminate the interiors.

            “Sorry, it’s a bit small in here.” Katie apologized and reached into her knapsack.

            “No, it’s alright.” I ducked my head to avoid a sharp twig.

            “Here, have a snack.” Katie produced a granola bar from her knapsack and handed it to me.

            In my mind, I was thinking who this girl was and why she was here. I never had a friend who was this nice let alone, a girlfriend. So I graciously accepted her offering of food and slowly began to have a conversation with her. We talked and talked until the sun went down and that we had to go our ways. As I was walking back on the final mile towards home, I stopped and thought if I should ask her to be my girlfriend. She was a nice girl who shared similar interests that I had. I smiled and told myself that I would have to ask her the next day.

            “Hey Katie…” I mumbled trying to find the courage in my words.

            “Yeah?” Katie turned her head and smiled as we walked down the gravel path.

            “I like you.” I said it quickly and then turned my head away as I die from shyness.

            “Aww, that’s sweet. I like you too.” Katie blushed and grabbed my hand.

            This was a moment that I would always remember and dream of if I had the chance. Until that day, I had no purpose and no reason behind life, but now I had found it. It was her, it was Katie.

           Over the next few days, we developed more feelings for each other as we had make-believe adventures in the forest. There was a time, where we went climbing the tall trees and watching the sun settle down. And there was a time I was the prince who had to rescue the princess from a tower. Gosh, the memories lasted for a lifetime. She made me happy and I made her happy. I was a happy person back then and nothing was going to stop me, but I was wrong. Sooner or later, the summer break was over for her and she had to remain back home while I had more intensive studying.

            One day, when we finally got a chance to see each other in the cold harsh winter when the pond was frozen with ice. I held her in my arms and cuddled inside her hideout and smiled.

            “I wish this moment could last forever.” I smiled and gaze dreamily into her eyes.

            “Me too.” Katie smiled warmly.

            I saw the opportunity as she looked into my eyes and I planted a kiss on her cold lips. It was divine and it was perfect. We continued to make out until we had to go before the temperature dropped below zero.

            The next following days before the New Year, I was informed that I was moving into the big city and going to start a new life. My heart was torn because I had to leave Katie in the countryside while I was off exploring the horizons. One night, I stormed off into the windy night with a letter that I had written for her. It was a promise to come back for her and take her with me. I knew I wouldn’t be able to tell her in time, so I placed the letter in her hideout where she usually sat and ran home with tears streaming down my face.

            It had been four long years since I left the countryside for the city life. Four years I held on to the promise I made for Katie that I would come back for her. When I drove my car to where the forest was, it was no more. The rich green forest that I remembered was now replaced with a residential area. My memories, my home, and my Katie were no more. I sighed and walked into the row of townhouses and to my surprise the pond was still there. The builders had turned it into a small park and a play area for children. I sat down on the bench to look at the children play as I held onto a bracelet that she made for me. The words of her name were worn off, but I could still make out the letters by touch. As I examined the bracelet and felt nostalgic, a person tapped me on the shoulder. I turn around and saw her.

            “Hey, it’s me.” Katie gave me the same smile on the day she first saw me.

A Ship Sailed (A Short Story)

“Are you sure about this?” I asked with an expressionless face.

“Yes.” she replied firmly.

“Ok…babe I’m going to miss you.” I embraced her tightly.

“I’ll miss you too.” she kissed me.

“I wish this would last forever.” I felt a tear trickle down my face.

“Are you going to be alright?” she looked deeply into my wet eyes.

“I will. I’ll be waiting for you to come home ok?” I whispered in short breaths.

“Ok.” she smiled with a nod and tightening our hug.

“It’s time to go ma’am.” the officer interrupted.

“I love you so much, remember that.” I kissed her passionately and sealing my words of promise.

“I love you too.” she kissed me lovingly in acknowledgement.

And there she was, leaving me by myself as she walked past the two giant metallic doors where two bulky security guards stood watch. I didn’t have a choice because the choice was hers to make.

“Did I do something wrong? Or did she?” I thought as the doors closed.

In the back of my head, I knew I wasn’t going to see her for a few years nor have any contact with her whatsoever. But what could I do? It was her decision and it was her life. Whether I thought the decision was good or bad, I was going to support her and wait for her until it was all over.

A couple of weeks ago we were unstoppable, we were in control of the world and our joyous lives. Money wasn’t going to be a problem until a few days ago when we discussed about it. We all wanted more in our lives and we knew that, but it wasn’t going to happen with the amount of money each of us was making.

“Hey babe, I think we should consider our options.” I flipped through the newspaper section where the jobs were listed.

“Yeah? What is that?” she looked at me with a raised eyebrow while sipping on her morning coffee.

“Something…business related…” I glanced at the ads without looking at her.

“Honey, if it involves money…it’s all business related.” she placed the coffee down and crept up beside me.

I placed my newspaper down on the marble counter and looked into her adorable brown eyes. She flashed a smile and then kissed my cheek unexpectedly when I was about to talk.

“Don’t start…” she placed her finger over my lips and grinned.

“Fine…” I murmured.

“Don’t forget work.” she pressed my nose with her index finger and walked away from me back to her seat.

I looked at my watch and jumped up from my chair. I was five minutes behind my regular schedule to work and now I was in a hurry to get out of the house. I grabbed my blazer rested on the back of my seat and slung it over my shoulder.

“Honey, when you come home from work I’ll tell you the solution to our money issues.” she shouted as I walked to the front door.

“Alright, sounds good dear.” I hollered back and slammed the door shut heading for work.

The day at work was usual mainly because my desk job had nothing interesting happening each day. I filed some paperwork for the upper management and then went to a long meeting about company financials. After that, I headed straight home on time eagerly waiting to find out what my girl had to tell me.

When I went down the intersection where I make my turn right to go home, I saw a military jeep parked at the driveway. In the back of my mind, I was feeling uneasy and nervous because I had never seen the military enter such a rural part of town. I rushed out of my vehicle and ran towards the open front door where a soldier dressed in combats guarded the entrance.

“Hey!” I shouted as pushed through him to get inside my house.

In the living room, another soldier stood in the kitchen with his back towards the sofa. A military officer of some sort dressed in an olive green attire sat beside my girl with a folder and a laptop down on our sofa.

“Babe, what’s going on?” I looked around the room and then back at her.

“You were not supposed to see this.” she looked at the folder in front of her.

“Pack your things ma’am. We’re moving.” the officer stood up and grabbed the folder.

“What? What’s going on?” I demanded impatiently.

“I’ll let you folks talk it out. We’ll wait outside.” the officer waved at his men.

“Did you do something wrong? Why is the military here?” I questioned her and waved wildly.

“No…” she spoke quietly.

“Ok…ok…tell me what you did please.” I said softly lowering my tone of voice.

“I…enlisted. They needed combat medics on the field. Pay is great.” she answered with uncertain eyes.

“Oh, but why?” I whined.

“Money is good and I’ve got relevant experience which they require immediately.” she placed her hand on mine.

“And they want you to leave now?” I asked and held onto her hand.

“Yes, paperwork’s signed.” she pointed at the officer standing outside the door.

“Babe…I…” I was lost for words.

“It’s okay. I’ll be back before you know it.” she assured me with a light smile.

“How long will you be gone for?” I asked with a frown and brushed her smooth hair.

“Four year deployment, but with breaks in between.” she stood up and walked to our bedroom.

The next few hours, I watched her grab a small suitcase and pack her belongings into it. I was in some sort of trance because I was in a state of shock from what had happened. I asked the officer if I could come and bid my farewell before she left for good. He was understanding and allowed me to hitch a ride in his jeep to the local airport.

“Here we are.” she looked at the metal doors leading to the security screening.

I remember that specific moment when we held on to each other and I gave my word. She did not have a single drop of tear on her face that day. That day on, she became a fighter.

The Silent Disease (A Short Story)

            It’s neither an infection nor a gene; in fact, it’s a disease. Let’s face it…it’s not going to go away. You can hide as much as you want, run as far as you can, or lie to yourself, but it is always there. Once you have caught the disease, it forever changes you for the remainder of your life. You are no longer yourself or in control of your thoughts, actions, and emotions.

            Your mentality is screwed up and you feel alone. Everyone is out to get you, trick you, defame you, and belittle you. That’s just the beginning of the symptoms because there’s more. Not only do you feel a strong hatred for the world, you start to hate yourself, your existence, and your whole meaning of living.

How did it start? How did it spread? How did you get to here? So many questions to ask, but no one is there to answer them. The world is cruel and is not a place for the weaklings to thrive. You are a nobody and nobody cares about you. Let’s face it, if you disappeared off this planet for a day, a week, a month, or ever forever, the world still turns with or without you.

The first signs of the disease start somewhere internally. Not your organs or your insides, but as in your psyche. You feel the sense of loneliness after you contract the disease. And in that time frame of your loneliness, you have deep reflections and think about everything. Things on why this is happening because you have no idea what’s going on. You are afraid to seek help because it’s a sign of weakness and that’s not allowed our society. Only the strongest and fiercest survive and by going for help, you know you will get torn to shreds. So you keep quiet and tuck all of it into the deepest darkest corner of your mind. Pretend it never happened and that you are okay, but in fact you are not.

Next, the disease evolves to the next stage where you start to feel alone and in a state of denial. That loneliness has turned to make you think that no one is there to help you or cares enough anymore to help. So you decide to seek help, but you meet the wrong people. There are the two groups of people that you find which are practically of no use and causes more distress. They are the ones that exploit your cries for help and laugh at you and the ones who help in the beginning, but later leave you stranded by yourself. Now, you tell yourself that everyone out there is nothing but trouble and more pain for you.

From that stage, you begin to shut away from everyone you know and everyone you see. You can’t trust them because you’ve been hurt and left for the wolves to finish you off. It’s understandable because our mind is protecting ourselves from the unnecessary pain. But that pain intensifies and disconnects you more from our world. Trust no one, everyone is there to hurt you, and you are alone. Those three simple mindsets strengthen the disease and you start to lose control. You begin to think of the uncertainties of living. Is there a god? Is it fate? What’s after our lives?

It’s natural you start to think like this because you want to get away from this desolate place where you are uninvited. You question your purpose in life, why you were born, why you are being treated like this, but it’s not helping. So you resort to religion or even pick up religion along the way hoping that if there was somebody out there protecting us, watching us, and guiding us, they would come and hear your cries of help. You pray and wish things to get better and go back to how they were before the disease, but you never get heard. All the tears you cried for help praying begin to take its toll on you. You realize that perhaps there is no god to aid us and that fate never really existed. As a result, you decide to make your own destiny by thinking about the afterlife. Can you start over? Will you be in someplace better? Will there be peace in the end?

The final stages of the disease are beginning to develop as you consider taking control of your life. Of all the things that you try to create to make your life better, it’s not working. The only way you have control is how you die and put an end to all of it. A getaway from the living hell and you are not afraid. You know there is no god to aid us, nor heaven or hell to go to. By now, you are certain of one thing. No one is going to miss you if you are gone. Oh yes, they might be sad for a few days…weeks if you are lucky, but in the end, they still carry on with their lives. They’ll forget you sooner or later like everyone. Suddenly, you think about the people who have taken control of their lives and saw the media attention they received after. And that’s when people finally care and decide to make a difference in their community. Every now and then, people forget about why people took control. And every now and then, we see the media hungry for this kind of sad twisted news like vultures circling a deceased corpse. That’s when people decided it mattered to them. At least you started something after you took control. At least you made a difference, but not for long because people always forget the fallen and the causes.

Depression is a disease and it spreads fast within you and to others. Once you contract it, don’t underestimate what it can do to you.

UNSCDF3 Chapter 18- Into the Wasp's Nest

Erazi, Kandahar, Afghanistan

Russian Communications Outpost

May 15, 2001

1100 Local Time

            “Are the UNSC nearby or not?” Dimitri shouted at a soldier monitoring the RaidComm channel.

            “I don’t know sir. We dispatched two teams to search for them, but it appears to be a wild goose chase.” the soldier gulped.

            “Look, did you or did you not intercept a transmission soldier?” Dimitri demanded.

            “Yes we did sir.” the soldier replied nervously.

            “Then find them before they find us.” Dimitri hit his hand on a table.

            The chatter in the room reduced to nothing as the soldiers stopped to look at Dimitri. A second later, everyone resumed to their duties and the noise level was back up.

            “Dima!” Dimitri waved.

            “Sir?” Dima walked up beside Dimitri briskly.

            “Relocate all prisoners as a precaution.” Dimitri ordered.

            “Where to sir?” Dima asked.

            “Hmm…somewhere the UNSC would not find them if they are still alive. I don’t care where, just move them.” Dimitri replied in annoyance.

            “Understood sir.” Dima walked out and waved at two soldiers sitting nearby at a desk.

           

*          *          *

            Carroll sat on the ground fiddling her cell lock with a paperclip she had found. Being tired and dizzy from the lack of nutrition she had been getting as a prisoner was beginning to take a toll on her. Everson had already passed out a couple of times and she had become submissive to the Russian captors.

            “Hey Everson, wake up. You have to strong.” Carroll whispered.

            “Uh huh.” Everson nodded blankly.

            To Carroll’s surprise, the door suddenly swung open with two soldiers.

            “No more…no more.” Everson begged.

            “Dima…” Carroll stared as Dima walked in.

            Carroll had a hatred for that man because Dima had no heart. She begged for mercy, but instead he brought more soldiers to harass her.

            “We’re going, let’s go.” Dima shouted.

            “What’s going on?” Carroll questioned.

            “Shut up.” Dima slapped Carroll across the face.

            One soldier picked Everson off her feet and slung her to his back while the other dragged Carroll out of her cell. Everson was not even struggling as she had become almost frail. Carroll, however, was putting up a fight with the remaining energy she had left.

            “Look, obey and I won’t punch your face.” Dima squeezed Carroll’s cheeks tightly together.

            Carroll nodded and gave in to Dima with a sigh. She’d rather stay awake and conscious if she found the opportunity to escape.

            “Dima, what about the others?” a soldier asked by pointing down the hall.

            “No orders from Dima so I’m guessing the Captain and the girl is staying behind.” Dima yanked at Carroll’s arm to keep up with their pace.

            Carroll had overheard their conversation and began to think if the Captain that Dima was referring was Blake or someone else. One thing she knew was that the only surviving marines were Everson and herself so it was unlikely that it was Blake. AS the Russians led the prisoners out of the hall and into a service corridor, Carroll had a quick glimpse into a room that was open. Blake was tied to a chair passed out with a pool of blood.

            “You’re not supposed to see that.” Dimitri popped out of the room and closed the door.

            “What did you do to him?” Carroll shot a deadly glare.

            “Take her away.” Dimitri waved the Russian soldiers off.

Downtown Kandahar, Kandahar, Afghanistan

British Embassy

May 15, 2001

1120 Local Time

            “You think they saw us?” Daniels crouched under a sedan.

            “Negative, no signs of alertness.” Dau peeked through the scope of his sniper rifle.

            “Marines, we’ll need to be fast. Once the bird is fired up, it will draw all the attention.” Johnson explained his plan.

            “Got it.” Daniels acknowledged with a smirk.

            “Let’s move.” Johnson waved for the next cover.

            The marines quickly scattered to the next cover which was a destroyed military truck. Johnson pointed at an open window beside the main entrance to the embassy and the marines quickly moved about. One by one, the marines quickly hopped inside and took cover just in time as a Russian patrol turned around a corner.

            “Where’s the Pelican?” Dau asked quietly.

            “According to Hariprasad, three levels down.” Johnson pointed at the ground.

            “Man, I better hope it’s fuelled up.” Daniels wished.

            “Let’s stop worrying and let’s get moving.” Johnson ordered.

            “Sure thing boss, I want to get out of here as soon as possible. It’s like we’re going into a wasp’s nest.” Dau replied gladly.

            Johnson took point and opened the door to the halls. A Russian soldier was talking to two local militia studying some posters on the wall.

            “Quickly, let’s go.” Johnson whispered.

            The marines turned right and tiptoed down the halls into the next available room. Dau pushed the door open and saw a militia with his back to the door. He quickly lunged from behind and placed his hand over his mouth to prevent him from crying out for help. In a swift motion, Dau twisted the head sideways and assassinated the militia.

            “Hide him.” Johnson suggested as he pointed at a closet.

            Dau dragged the body into the closet and closed it gently. Johnson picked up the radio from a table and studied it.

            “Looks broken.” Johnson tossed the radio to the ground.

            “Let’s move before they find out that one of them is missing.” Daniels replied.

            The marines agreed and proceeded out the room and into a stairwell. At the bottom of the stairs, there was a locked security door with an access panel.

            “Hariprasad said the code was 19971.” Johnson punched the numbers.

            The panel lit green and the door hissed open. The dark hall lit up one by one as the fluorescent lights turned on.

            “Looks like nobody is home.” Dau remarked.

            “Spread out and watch your sectors.” Johnson ordered.

            “Aye sir.” Daniels took point.

            At the end of the hall was another sealed blast door.

            “Code is 29911.” Johnson told Daniels as he studied the access panel.

            Again, the door hissed open and a hangar was revealed. A Pelican with a troop pod was docked in the center.

            “Hey!” a shout was heard from behind the marines.

            A pair of militia had entered the first door and began to run at them.

            “Shit, they found us.” Daniels dashed for the Pelican.

            “Seal the door!” Johnson aimed his gun and fired.

            Dau rushed to the inside panel and slammed on a button. The blast door closed shut and a few faint gunshots were heard.

            “It won’t be long before the systems get overridden.” Johnson patted the heavy door.

            “Dau, get the fuel cables attached!” Daniels shouted from the cockpit.

            “On it!” Dau placed his gun on the ground and began to roll a barrel of fuel.

            Johnson climbed aboard the Pelican and noticed a lot of weapon and food crates.

            “Get the crates off. The lighter we are, the more agile.” Daniels exited the cockpit and picked up a metal crate.

            Dau linked the fuel lines to the Pelican and pressed a button to begin pump. Once the fuel began to be pumped into the aircraft, Dau quickly assisted the others in removing the crates.

            “Mostly food rations aboard this Pelican.” Daniels threw a small crate off.

            “Guys…they are cutting through…” Dau pointed at the blast door.

            Sparks were flying off the metal door frame and parts of the door had turned scorching red as the metal melted.

            “Any weapons on this Pelican?” Johnson quickly shoved a food crate off the ship.

            “Only a GAU-19 mounted at the nose with a couple of countermeasures.” Daniels inspected.

            “Will this be of help?” Dau removed a fully loaded M60 from a weapon crate.

            “Yes, but we better get airborne.” Johnson nodded.

            “How?” Dau looked up at the metal ceiling.

            “Hangar door controls…there!” Daniels pointed at a small office adjacent to the blast doors.

            “I’ll get it. Daniels, get the Pelican fired up!” Johnson ordered while running.

            Johnson looked at the blast doors and noticed that a quarter portion was still remaining before the Russians and militia came crashing the party. It was going to be a one-way trip for the marine; he’ll have to defend until the Pelican got to safety. As he ran past a crate, he picked up a loaded M60 and dashed into the office.

            “Controls…where are they?” Johnson frantically looked at the panel of buttons.

            From the window of the office, the Pelican had already lifted a meter off the ground and the blast doors had been cut open.

            “Get it up higher!” Johnson shouted on the RaidComm as soldiers came pouring in.

            At last, Johnson found a lever marked “Hangar Doors” and flipped it. The roof shook a little as it began to slide open.

            “What about you?” Daniels spoke on the RaidComm as the Pelican reached to the top.

            “I’ll buy you enough time. Good luck marines.” Johnson bashed the office window and mounted the M60 machine gun.

            A sea of bullets peppered the unaware soldiers and took them down by surprise. Suddenly, a Russian soldier crouched to the ground and fired a RPG.

            “Holy…” Johnson watched in terror as the RPG flew towards him.

            “God damn it.” Daniels watched below as the RPG destroyed the office into a ball of fire.

            The Pelican flew out of the open courtyard and was shot by small arms fire.

            “RPG!” Dau looked at a soldier firing from the roof with precision.

            “Evasive maneuvers. Hang on!” Daniels shouted and cranked the flight controls upwards.