Requiem for a Memory

by Mr Universe   Oct 2, 2012


I woke in my bunk to the quiet rustling of the other soldiers making ready. We've been stationed in this valley 713 days today, 682 days since last contact. Almost two years spent sitting, waiting. Sitting and waiting for the death knell of the sirens to sound. An information of inexorable demise. Duty, they called it.
I rolled over and winced as my canteen met my spine. I arched, reached, and retrieved it. Propping myself up on my elbow, I unscrewed the cap but, without taking a drink, screwed the cap tight a moment later.
Falling back into my pillow, my eyes drifted to the cracks in the ceiling and I found myself wishing an escape. To slip between those fractures into nothingness. Soon gone, soon forgot. I indulged in the fantasy of reprieve: rest my head, embrace the void, and glimpse the construct of my oblivion. Numb.
"You. Get up." Another soldier ruptured my illusion. "Commander's gonna talk."
"Somebody piss in his soup again?" I offered halfheartedly.
He looked at me. "Could be. Field in twenty." Expressionless, he left quicker than he'd come.
Less than fifteen minutes later I was standing at ease with the other soldiers. The Commander cleared his throat and began to speak, "I'm here to address the complaints regarding..."
I tuned out, too tired to listen to another morale boost. My thoughts drifted.
Flashes.
Long brown hair, beautiful smile, intelligent eyes.
But I was losing her. She was an old photograph in my mind, creased and yellowing, slowly fading to join those forgotten.
"... duty to defend our homes..."
I have no home I thought bitterly. Not anymore.
"...standing in defense of those who depend on us."
Thousands of images seared through my mind at this.
Flashes.
Slam the brake, screeching tires, shattered glass, bloody brown hair, broken smile, empty eyes.
I have nobody left who depends on me I thought, no longer bitter.
"Dismis-"
The Commander evanesced in a cocoon of flame and debris before he could finish. Sirens. The field around me exploded in motion but I had yet to break parade rest. Ashen clouds bear witness to chaos. Other soldiers yelled orders but I couldn't hear them. My chest felt warm. The pumping in my ears drowned everything out. People ran in slow motion. Already there were bodies everywhere. Suddenly exhausted, I lowered myself to the ground using an abandoned sack to rest my head. As battle raged my eyes closed heavy, hailing my lonely curtain call. Extrication at long last by the ward of her memory absolved. Not long for this world, be this breath finality. I relinquished existence thinking of what Sarah said:

"Now who's gonna watch you die?"

Put my memory to rest.

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Latest Comments

  • 11 years ago

    by Andrew Packard

    The imagery of war breaking out was awesome! I was predicting sirens and he would have to go off to battle, but not this, very exciting!

  • 11 years ago

    by Anonymous

    Ok nice read, good flow, short story. I like how you describe his death, it seems peaceful and tranquil with chaos all around him.

    I'm friends with a lot of marines and army guys who have gotten blown up and are missing limbs. This has a deeper meaning to me.

  • 11 years ago

    by L

    Okay, lets see if I understood correctly

    This story took place during a war... This is narrated by one soldier (first person point of view).

    The soldiers were waiting to be call for duty, I think. Meanwhile while waiting the soldier who is narrating rested his head on the pillow and started to reminisce about "Sarah?" the girl in the picture of his head.. While he was reminiscing the place where he was at was attacked and he was highly injured....

    But in his mind the last person was Sarah.

    This is the way I understood it... I liked the story. I like yiur vocabulary though I had to look some up perhaps that impedes me to fully understand the story... But that would be my fault though... Not how you wrote it.

    The title is call requiem for a memory.

    I think the memory is that of a girl... So my guess is that the guy died and that's how he finally let the memory of the girl rest.

    I like it. I hope this help you. Im not a writer writer per se but I did enjoy the story because it pulled me in towards continuing reading it.

    • 11 years ago

      by Mr Universe

      Thanks for the read through and comment! It always helps to get feedback. When I wrote this story I was less interested in the details for the scene rather the emotion I wanted to convey.
      Yes, the protagonist is a soldier. What year it is, where he is, and who he is are all irrelevant. Who the soldiers are fighting is also irrelevant. The enemy disappeared for some reason a long time ago and these soldiers stand in defense should they return.
      The protagonist is a shell of a man. Everything he once cared for is lost. He survives simply to keep her memory alive. You see, his memory of her is the only thing that remains of her. He is the last thing of her that exists and he therefore feels he must protect it.
      At the end, when he is mortally wounded by the explosion that kills the commander, he sees himself absolved of this duty. He can finally lay down and rest. He doesn't think of going to heaven to see Sarah; he is truly empty, as he wants nothing more than oblivion.
      The last thing in his mind is Sarah's last words.
      The memory is not his memory of her, but rather the memory of him. He's done. He's finished, he's done all he can do and he's finally allowed to give up.
      He's basically saying, "Don't remember me."

      Anyway, thanks again for the read-through. Hope my explanation makes sense. I'll try to make those things more evident in future edits.