by Aline Riva
RJ had gone inside for an afternoon nap after his busy hours in the pool, Lois had settled him down and then changed into a long, light summer dress before returning to the patio area. As Rick opened his eyes after a relaxing sleep in the shade he caught her hand, pulling her back to him as she headed for the table. Lois sat down on the edge of the sun lounger, her hand still linked with his as he kissed her cheek.
“It's not such a bad life, is it?” she said, looking to the others.
“Could have been worse,” Vince agreed.
“I wish my Dad was here,” added Jack.
Flossie caught a movement on the bark of the tree, hurried over and pulled the silver chopstick from the loop in her belt, tracing the tip up the tree, ready to spear a snack.
For a brief moment, Rick wiped his eyes as he thought of the past, recalling how he had slammed David to the ground , both of them in the pool of petrol as he had used his metal hand to grasp at his wrist, catching it in a crushing grip, desperate to stop him igniting that fire... The dead had been pouring into the house, they were trapped and it was too late to get out... But at that moment, he had realised something that David had not, and so he had dived on him, his metal hand closing about his wrist as he slammed his hand against the floor, trying to force him to let go of the source of ignition...
“Rick?” Lois said softly, “I see that look again.”
He nodded.
“It's not something I can help, not today... too many memories.”
Flossie was still over by the tree.
“Go for it!” Jack said, watching as the grey girl prepared to spear herself the snack of a fat bug.
Then something blocked her view of the bug on the tree and she smiled as her black eyes shone as a bag of dried spiders was given a shake in front of her gaze.
“Oh yes, Flossie like!” she exclaimed, snatching the bag, placing the chopstick back on her belt and then turning around, just as she heard Jack say, “Mum, Dad, you're here at last!”
As the others looked around too, all dark thoughts of the past immediately became memories of victory as David stood there beside Marie, smiling as Flossie tugged the bag open, dipped her fingers in and pulled out a ready salted spider and munched on it keenly.
“I've missed you!” Rick exclaimed, getting up from the sun longer, being the first to embrace him as the others also headed over.
“I've missed you too,” David replied, “We both have.”
David looked well. He was tanned and in good shape and not a trace of the horrors they had faced together in war time reflected in his eyes as he spoke again, recalling the events at the house, on that final day when they had been trapped.
“I am so glad you heard those helicopters!” he exclaimed, and Rick laughed, suddenly no longer haunted by a memory that had confirmed final victory.
“I heard the sound, it was like thunder,” Rick recalled, “And I knew it meant Tina had got through on the radio...So I just dived on you and stopped you lighting the flames...right before they fired on the horde with bullets and gas. As soon as I saw the lights from the choppers I knew we had to act fast, that's why I got the lighter out of your hand and dragged you through that house and we went out that window together!”
David laughed at the memory.
“You dragged me up that garden, I was just about ready to knock you out, I went to hit you and you blocked it with that metal hand of yours...then you said the words I never thought I'd hear!”
“I said, It's over, we've bloody won – the cavalry's here, we've won the war!” he said fondly, repeating the words he had shouted, recalling the moment he had rolled with David for cover as the bullets and gas rained down, wiping out the horde as inside the house, the petrol ignited with a boom, sending glass and debris flying down the garden as Vince shielded Marie and the baby.
It was then Tina Swan spoke up.
“It's nice to see you both back...You have been missed.”
Marie smiled, glancing to David and then to the others as she recalled their decision when the war had ended. Perhaps it had been his choice to remain anonymous when so many of the Arctic heroes had been offered so much attention by the media, or maybe it was just because she loved him and wanted him to be happy – but her suggestion that maybe they should go ahead and do what Tara had wanted to do, had been the best choice they ever could have made, taking to the sea on board a luxury boat that wasn't huge but certainly seaworthy, and their travels had been amazing as they had travelled the globe, seeing instead of death and devastation, this new world, rebuilding, recovering, born again out of a new sense of hope and unity...
“We've had a great time travelling from shore to shore,” David replied, looking fondly to Rick, “But it's time to come home again. Besides, the Captain and his wife need a place to settle too...”
At that moment a little girl around the same age as RJ dashed around the corner. She stopped, staring at the people she did not know, then looked up at David.
“Where are we?” she asked, her blue eyes looking about the garden and the pool with interest, then as she turned her head, her dark hair shone deep chestnut, matching the same shade as her mother as she looked to the house and then back at David, then her eyes lit up as she smiled, seeing her mother join the group on the patio, along with her father, who was in a wheelchair.
“Lauren!” Lois said warmly, hugging her tightly.
As the others greeted them both, Maxie glanced to his daughter, calling her back to the patio.
“Phoebe, come here!” he called, and the child ran back to his side.
“Don't wander off!” Maxie told her.
Lois looked fondly at Maxie, recalling how he had been the one to save her husband back in the days when he had been Mall King and Maxie had sacrificed so much to save him from a corpse attack.
“We have a son your daughter's age,” she said, “He's grey like Flossie.”
Phoebe smiled.
Flossie took her by the hand.
“Come and meet RJ,” she said, “He my puppy – no - my brother...Flossie often get that word wrong!”
Then Phoebe glanced back before walking towards the house.
“Where are we?” she wondered again.
Now the group were gathered together, David looked to the others, feeling thankful so many of those he cared about had survived. And he was about to say words to that effect, but as Tina said, “What's that?” as she noticed the small box Vince had just placed on the table in front of her, he exchanged a glance with Rick and they both smiled, knowing this moment undeniably belonged to Vince and Tina.
“Open it,” said Vince.
She opened the box, giving a gasp as the golden afternoon sunlight sparkled on the diamond ring inside it.
“Is this what I think it is?” she asked him.
Vince shrugged.
“Well, all the hot young women are thin on the ground after the war... I might as well settle for you instead.”
She stared him. Then he started to laugh.
“You know I love you! Marry me, Tina?”
She looked down at the diamond ring, then reached over the table, grabbing hold of him as she replied with a passionate kiss.
As the others held off on congratulating them, giving the lovers a moment together as that kiss lingered, Rick turned to David and Marie, as warmth reflected in his gaze.
“So you're back from sea for good?”
“Maxie and Lauren want to settle down for Phoebe's sake.”
“What about you?” Rick asked.
David and Marie exchanged a glance and a smile, both having shared their same wish before arriving.
“We both feel it's time to come home,” he agreed, “I still want to stay anonymous about my role in the Arctic battle, but nothing else has changed. I miss home, I miss my friends.”
Rick stepped closer, clasping his hands warmly as love for his best friend shone in his gaze.
“David,” he said, “You are home. Stay with us for
as long as you like, please tell me you'll do that, my friend?” then he let go of David's hands, glancing over at Lauren and Maxie, “You as well – there's enough room here. Me and Lois and the kids are often between here and London and LA , so there's enough room and we'll see plenty of each other.”
Maxie and Lauren exchanged a glance.
“Thanks, we'd love to stay!”Maxie exclaimed.
“Well you can answer your little girls question now,” Rick reminded him, “She's twice asked what this place is. Tell her it's called home.”
“I'll do that,” Maxie promised him warmly.
Then Rick looked back to David and Marie, still awaiting their answer.
“You will stay? Please tell me you'll stay. It's not the same when you're not around!”
David stepped forward, smiling as he looked fondly at his close friend, the man he had shared the war with - and shared the victory with, too.
“Of course I'm staying!” David promised.
As their eyes met they both recalled that moment that ended the war, the thunder of the helicopters, the hiss of the gas, the rattle of the bullets and the boom as the explosion shook the house as Rick deflected a punch, cutting through David's confusion as he pinned him down after dragging him to safety, yelling in his face that the war was over and they had won.
David smiled, so did Rick, then the two men hugged tightly, before letting go and turning to the others, ready to talk of the future, finally ready to make plans for a life that started now, with no more looking back on a past that was laid to rest.
It was the start of a new beginning, with those who had fought in times of war reunited in times of peace, as the world settled down in a new unity forged from the days of battle, looking to the future in a world changed forever, but also a world that had emerged stronger than ever before.
But as the sun sank to a summer sunset, even the most optimistic of souls who had lived through the war - even Flossie - could not look to the future without the flicker of a shadow casting tall, as in a world where the dead had arisen to take the earth from the living, even in the face of victory over the enemy, even in times of long established peace and recovery, it could never be said that it could not happen again.
After seeing the dead rise up and claim civilisation, that fear would always linger.
For now peace was restored, but the doubt of how long it would last would forever remain a lingering question as long as those who had lived through it to tell the tale lived on to recall it, and relate the tale to the next generation – this was a war that had left a scar on the world, and no matter how well the rebuilt society thrived, that memory would never fade, but not one person who had fought wanted it to fade out – scars needed to remain, because this war would never be and should never be, forgotten.
Flossie:
'Me have happy life now. Mum and Dad and RJ happy too. We share each day with David and Marie and Jack, we have Max and Lauren and their child here too. Is all good. But sometimes I see a look on their faces, Flossie know that look – they all do it, those who went to Arctic... Me too. We remember. Then, for a while, we forget. People do that. They get on with life. World is a good place now, good for all people who can try to forget war. Me thinks they will never truly forget, but we all try.
We carry on, we live, we try and be happy again and sometimes, we really are. Is all okay. This is how life is now, is much better. Me think future will be good...perhaps. We must hope war never happens again, is all we can do, that and look forward, tomorrow will be better, each day gets better. Peace is here at last...'
End.