A White Christmas…

ChristmasEve-WhiteChristmas-WorldWarII 1 Sleigh Bells Painting by Ally Benbrook
“Psst, Danny, did you hear that?” Bob whispered.
“What?” Danny whispered back.
“Bells. I hear bells, you know, like the ones that my Pa used to tie on to the Clydesdales in winter, those kind of bells.”
“Ah, geez Bob, there ain’t no bells ringin’ here. Probably just the ringing in your ears from that last artillery offensive. I heard Gerry ain’t gonna take off Christmas this year no how.” Danny spoke, with a kind of hesitation and an inward sigh.
The two huddled closer together for warmth as they almost simultaneously shook their feet to prevent their boots from freezing solid in the French farmland mud and muck. There was a tin of canned heat lit but no warmth was felt by either G.I. on this blisteringly cold night.
“Listen, I’m not kidding. Listen Danny, right there, can you hear’em? They sound wonderful! Maybe Gerry is gonna take the night off. Maybe we can stop the shellin’ for just one night.” Bob really more thinking out loud than whispering back to his buddy-in-arms.
“All I hear is the rumblin’ in my gut from last night’s chow. What was that anyhow? Beans and what, ‘cause if that was supposed to be meat my gut and my asshole beg to differ.” hissed Danny as he crouched even lower over that canned heat, as if to do so would actually be worth the effort.
“I heard this damn awful weather is supposed to sock in and give us snow tonight. Maybe the local farmers are saddlin’ up their horses with sleigh bells. They could be Danny, right?” Bob almost pleading for Danny to answer in the affirmative, even if it weren’t true.
“Listen and listen good. All you gotta listen for is if Gerry crosses “No Man’s Land” tonight and to get that gun outta your ass and fired on him before he fires on you. Do ya think you can manage that in between all this ramblin’ about damn bells?” Danny barked in low tones (his breath almost solid white crystallized puffs of air), to avoid waking up their Sergeant who was cat-napping on the wooden board-walk not ten feet from where the young boys lay.
As Bob pushed yet another water rat off his flack jacket, he whispered back, “Danny, them I hear is bells. I know them sleigh bells. Dad made me hitch up our Clydes with’em each winter.”
“Okay, okay, they’re goddamned bells. Now, get your ass back into the dug-out and see if it’s time for us to be tradin’ shifts with “D” Company so we can get some shut-eye, okay.” barked Danny, not in as friendly, nor as quiet a tone as he had hoped for.
“Yeah, okay Danny. Keep my spot warm for me.” Bob chuckled back.
Pop!
No good comes from peeking your head over the fox-hole on Christmas eve night, even if you’re sure you heard sleigh bells in the air…

Comments

plainolebob said…
Probabably just ringin in my ears
Unknown said…
Oh my! Let's hope none of our troops peek over the fox hole ... for any reason!

Small Footprints
http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com
Sarah said…
awww...now that's just plain cruel. (great surprising ending though)
Bruce Coltin said…
This is one of those times when I wonder if you are testing us to see if we truly love you.
B.J. Thompson said…
LOL...Coltin...

Just my literary way of saying, "Hi, over here, it's me, MsBurb, you know, the one who views EVERYTHING just slightly left (& bloody!) of centre!"

MY response really to the plethora of predictable and probable Yuletide posts out there...

Among your Holiday glow, remember the darkness that others face, okay?

Very sincerely, Me.
I thought it was great. Only you could write a story with that ending and still make great!
B.J. Thompson said…
Mikey, why thank-you for such a generous comment...my murder obsession never quite leaves me, ya know!
That, and I had to apply a counter-weight to all those sugary-plum Christmas posts ya know!(wink, wink)
Anonymous said…
I read recently, like yesterday, the story of the Christmas Truce, the first Christmas of World War I, it was an amazing story and true. I wish I had kept the url.

AV
B.J. Thompson said…
Yes AV, this story was loosely based on said...although I changed in to WWII for the video I added...

It was of Christmas Eve night when BOTH sides decided to let the other side pick up their fallen comardes' buddies in "No Man's Land" without fear of reprisal...

And by the end of that night, BOTH sides were singing Christmas songs TOGETHER, in the air, from one side of No man's Land to the other...

No such similar occurrence has ever been documented in a war since...

This short story was also, loosely based, unfortunately, on the untimely death of my great Uncle Wesley, who only months after basic training and being shipped overseas, fought at Vimy Ridge, in WWI, only to be shot in the head as he peeked over the fox hole he was in...

Literary license...and a counter-balance message to all this Christmas "cheer"...
Not a bad post but some times I wish just the ones in conflict will use the punching globs instead of guns. Because I do respect a lot, the efforts the troops are doing to bring pace in other countries don’t change the fact that only a few have a conflict due to ignorance or just to be rebellious. No the hole world. In addition, many people suffer for that.


Keep the good work this blog rocks
Sincerely Armando
p.d. have the new post ready see ya
B.J. Thompson said…
Armando, thank-you for those insightful and very generous words of B3!

Sadly, in WWI & WWII, lack of technology and the paralyzing fear of such a repressor had the lead when it came to the issue of being "humane" or not.

Waring will NEVER end in the Human Existence but maybe technology advancements will allow us to conduct power shifts with as little civilian/military loss as possible.

The innocent farm boys who signed up or were drafted for WWI & WWII NEVER belonged on the front lines as it was these boys who WOULD peek over the fox hole walls when something distracted them from the reality at hand...like sleigh bells in the air...my Great Uncle Wesley in WWI was just that type of boy.