Over The Top
– “What is it?” asks one of the diggers.
You race through your mind for any tell-tale signs of trouble when suddenly, it dawns upon you.
– “Germans!…” you exclaim, “digging a tunnel right next to ours! Quick! There isn’t a moment to lose! Get the shovels out of here and pile up the explosives.”
– “But, we haven’t finished digging” ventures another man.
“Never mind that!” you reply, “In less than ten minutes, this tunnel will either be blown sky high or crawling with Germans.”
Working feverishly, you endeavour to pile the mounds of explosives against the end of the tunnel. No sooner are they in place than Corporal Hunter arrives on the scene.
– “What in blazes is going on here?” he says angrily.
– “Corporal!” you explain, “We heard digging sounds and…”
– “Out!” he replies in a flash, “Everybody, get out! Out, out, out!”
In an instant, you disappear down the tunnel along with the other men. Minutes later, you emerge from the tunnel in the pre-light dawn of yet another cold and cloudy day. You wait at the tunnel’s entrance when Corporal Hunter finally emerges with a wire spool in his hand which he attaches to a small box.
– “Good work, lad!” he says, looking at you, “Another five minutes and the whole lot of you would have been buried alive. This way, we’re the ones who are going to give Jerry a nasty surprise!”
At that very moment, you hear the distinctive sound of an enemy shell flying overhead. You instinctively duck as the shell lands somewhere off to your right and explodes in a blast of dirt. In seconds, more of the shells begin to land in front and in back of you and the others, causing the earth to shudder and quake.
– “The Germans are going to attack soon!” exclaims Corporal Hunter, “you’d best be going back to your mates. They’re going to need you!”
You quickly nod and take off in the direction of your own trench amidst the steady stream of falling shells.