Over The Top
– “Run and get Lieutenant Jarvis!” you tell George, who simply nods and quickly disappears into the night.
It seems like an eternity before he returns with Lieutenant Jarvis and half a dozen other men in tow, armed with rifles and grenades.
– “Where did you see it?” asks the lieutenant excitedly.
You point in a general direction and stare expectantly at the lieutenant’s face for him to confirm your sighting. After a full thirty seconds of scouring No Man’s Land, the lieutenant looks at you and George and merely shakes his head.
– “Confound it,” he mutters, “I can’t make anything out in this miserable darkness. Still, just to make sure, I’ll send a flare.”
Moments later, Lieutenant Jarvis loads the short, stubby flare gun, points it directly overhead, then fires a bright flare that seems to illuminate the entire sector. At the same time, George and you peer into No Man’s Land and quickly scour the area for any signs of life.
It is only then that you notice a large metal sheath, twisted and torn, fluttering up and down in the cold, winter breeze amidst the desolate, crater-filled landscape.
– “I suspect, gentlemen, that your ‘reflection’ was just a large piece of metal,” reproaches Lieutenant Jarvis as the flare burns itself out. “Heavens forbid you should mistake a tree limb for the kaiser!” he adds, walking off with his men to resume his duties.
Disconsolate, yet relieved, George and you resume your duties and turn to the more pressing task of keeping warm.