Over The Top
– “Did you hear that?” you ask George.
– “Hear what?” he replies.
– “What he said…’We are needing help’…’Needing help’?…No one I know talks like that! And if he does, he’s certainly not from Montreal.”
Again, you hear a sneeze coming from somewhere out in No Man’s Land. Then, to your surprise, you hear the unmistakeable sound of two individuals arguing. In German!
– “That does it!” you yell, bringing your rifle to bear and firing at a number of shadows now disappearing into the night. George fires his own rifle and before long, the two of you are joined by three other men and Lieutenant Jarvis, who join in on the fire. In less than a minute, the carnage is over. From your parapet, you can vaguely make out the forms of three or four Germans, now lying dead in No Man’s Land. The rest, if any, have escaped.
– “Close call!” says Lieutenant Jarvis with a smile.
– “Close call indeed, sir!” you reply.
– “Well done, lads.” he adds, “I’ll have the two of you relieved of duty in twenty minutes.”
No sooner do Lieutenant Jarvis and his men leave your outpost, than George sits on the firestep and pulls out his pipe.
– “Only a few minutes now ’til bedtime.” he says smugly.
– “Let’s just hope the Germans call it a night too” you reply uneasily.