A Timid Heart by Jo Noelle

Author:Jo Noelle [Noelle, Jo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Little Box Press LLC
Published: 2019-02-03T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

The rumble of cannons firing burst one after another, and dirt flew into the air. Lorne’s eyes squeezed tight. He wished he could block the sights and block the sounds around him. But his eyes peeped open. He didn’t know how long he had been unconscious but the fear of lying in the dirt helpless before the enemy overtook him. He would die here, bleeding to death. He’d failed his brother. Although he was younger, he promised that he would watch over him. They had made that promise to each other. His mother had cried and begged him to stay home—seventeen was too young to leave. He’d walked away from her and tears had ran down his cheeks. They did again now. Lorne didn’t want to die. Sometimes he thought just being a soldier had killed the man he had hoped to be. He hadn’t realized the horror that he would witness in battle. Even as he lay there helpless, men fought all around him. A dead man fell across Lorne’s legs. Hope drained from his soul. War had changed him, and he didn’t like who he’d become. There was no way back to that man.

Suddenly the light of the field grew brighter and brighter until the whole scene washed out. Was this what death looked like? His head swirled with confusion. Every breath sucked in the sulfur smell of the air. A dark figure appeared far off in the bleached-white sky—the figure of a woman walking toward him. As she came closer, she held her hand out to him, and he took it. That’s when he could see Bridget’s lovely face and her caring smile.

It startled him that the dead man was no longer laying on him nor could he hear the cries of the wounded all around, nor the booming cannons. There was only her. Even the field around him vanished into a bright foggy haze.

Lorne sat up in bed again. Although his heart had been hammering during his sleep, he found that it had already started to calm before he awoke fully. As always, he pulled his box of pictures onto the bed and lit the wick on the lantern at the table beside him.

When he opened the box, Bridget’s picture of the capitol was on top. He pulled it out and studied the flowers she had wanted to include. Although the capitol building was beautiful, she had added more beauty to it.

He thought how like his life that was. He was surviving, but Bridget added more beauty just by being there. His eyes grew heavy as he spent a few more minutes looking at the picture and remembering the day. Watching her fascination with how the camera worked. Hearing her exclamation when she discovered the upside down picture in the lens. Watching her slowly remove her bonnet. She had given him her trust.

His chest no longer ached, and he didn’t struggle for breath. Just remembering her had soothed him, and he could return to sleep.

The

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