Droplets from the Inkwell

Writing Quickie: Surveying the Wounded

Today's Writing Quickie probably needs a content warning about vivid descriptions of mass suffering:

I walked silently beside the general as he surveyed the wounded soldiers. I kept my focus on the clipboard I was carrying, trying to block out the images of bloody wounds, and gaping wounds. I tried to breathe sparingly to save my nostrils the smell of blood, gunpowder, and antiseptic that mixed and mingled in the air. The general would pause beside a soldier every now and then, asking them questions and showing concern for their health. Health! That word seemed like a joke at the moment. Some soldiers would answer him and seem somewhat lucid, if not pained. In those cases, I would jot down anything they said, as the general had instructed me to do on our way to the facility. Others would simply continue to moan. In either case, the general would nod, squeeze their shoulder -- assuming either shoulder was both present and undamaged -- and move on with his inspection. Occasionally, I’d hear a brief shriek from the other end of the encampment, where the doctors were doing their job.

JarredH

Our tears remind us that we're alive. Our laughter reminds us why.