Short Story

Fallen Soldier

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for The Unicorn Challenge where we are
encouraged to be creative in 250 words or less
using the photo prompt below. Originally written in 2022
as a 750-word story, this is my revamped submission.

© Ayr/Gray

I stood at the bedroom window staring at the devastation caused by the previous night’s storm. My wife Dianna is going to be crushed when she sees what happened during the night – Mother Nature at her fiercest. I heard Dianna stirring in bed.

“Mike, it’s so early. What’s wrong?” she asked sleepily.

“We had a pretty bad storm last night. It’s not good, hon. We lost some trees” I replied.

She threw off the covers and sat on the edge of the bed, feet skimming the floor searching for discarded slippers. “Not Red. Please don’t say we lost Red!”

Dianna gasped loudly at the sight before her, then the tears came. She cried for a long time. I held her and let her cry; this was not something carelessly brushed aside or easily forgotten.

Finally her sobs lessened and with a broken heart and a weakened voice she sighed, “Poor Red! How I loved that beautiful old tree. Look at him now, a fallen soldier.”

We sat on the bed side by side; I spoke tenderly. “There’s no shame in mourning the loss of a tree. It’s not silly. It is, after all, a living thing. Does it feel pain when a leaf is plucked or a branch broken? Does it thirstily lap the rain after a dry spell? Does it feel your heartbeat as you rest a weary back against its old, sturdy trunk? How can we presume such things are not possible? No, it’s not silly at all.“

NAR©2024
250 Words

The Unicorn Challenge-24/05/24

This is “Falling (Death Of A Tree)” by Over The Rhine

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not for use by anyone without permission. NAR©2017-present.

27 thoughts on “Fallen Soldier”

    1. Oh, me too, Michele. The forces of nature are strong; we need to respect her and her creations at all times.

      It’s great fun (and challenging) to view the contrasting sides and express an opinion. I was happy I wrote these two very different stories.

      Thanks so much for your comments!

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  8. Double delight from you this week! I like the image of ‘Red’ as a fallen soldier, and I feel Dianna’s grief. Lovely thoughts in the final paragraph – trees are special.

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    1. Thanks, Margaret. I remember being in the park one day; close by was a grandmother with her little tykes who were ripping the leaves off a tree. The woman gently scolded them, saying what they were doing was hurtful to the tree, possibly causing it pain. I don’t know if that’s true or if the kids went on to remember what she said but I remembered.

      Always appreciate your comments, Margaret.

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  10. somehow reminded me of my mum.
    she would talk to her plants and sing to them I recall when we were little…and dare we touch them lol…ouch😬

    beautifully captured, Nancy 🤍

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