Another story from freshman year of college (also has a date on the page). I don’t know if I wrote this freshman year, or if I just submitted something previously written. As I mentioned elsewhere, I oddly took enormous class loads during college, and sometimes cut corners to meet course obligations.
“Vroom. Vroooommm.” The little boy sat under a tree in his backyard amid his collection of toy army pieces. Soldiers — both on foot and with parachutes, tanks, jeeps, mortars, airplanes, fences, barricades, and bridges were all divided equally between the gray German soldiers and the green Americans. The bird bath at his side contained several PT boats spilling over with men.
He picked up one soldier and walked him over to another standing behind a barricade. The second one was the leader, the boy decided.
“Sir,” the child began in a husky voice, “the Germans have camped about two miles to…”
“…camped about two miles to the southeast. They are about equal to us in men and artillery.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant,” Major Lowen said, “that will be all.” The lieutenant saluted and left. Major Lowen stared out into space, while his mind shuffled through various tactics in an effort to avoid a frontal assault. After a time, he called together the officers that would be implementing his plan.
“Here it is. We are going to attack…”
“…are going to attack from the… back.” The boy picked up handfuls of American soldiers and dumped them behind the German lines. Regrouping them quickly, the battle began. He touched the German soldiers, knocking them over as he made machine gun sounds. American tanks blasted those of the Germans. The entire battle lasted less than a minute, until all the Germans — and most of the Americans — were dead. One soldier stood up from the group of survivors and surveyed the chaotic scene before him.
“What a mess,” the boy began, “we almost didn’t make it. We might not be so…”
“…might not be so lucky next time. But we did good, and I’m proud of you men.”
“Thank you, Major Lowen,” one man found the voice to say.
Major Lowen turned wearily away. “Let’s pull back and regroup.”