The Water

In the darkness of the Dead Lake
the shadows lurk,
and sound faith will break,
when thy eyes strain through the murk;
Demons wallow in a blood bath,
swim deeper still
and when your ears hear the Devil's laugh,
Hearts and souls will chill.

What is written afore, I swear is what the trees of the wood whispered with a gentle menace in mine ears. I walked through the wood at a slow pace, bewildered and scared. I could no longer hear the crack of gunfire and explosion of shells. The trees in this wood had been stripped of their green coats like I was no longer attired in the uniform that married me death and the weapon that bound me to an eternal guilt. I was indeed naked, but felt no shame for here I was at one with nature and, even though I had no protection from the merciless wind in this lifeless wood, it seemed like the Kingdom of Heaven in comparison to where I had been mere minuets ago.

I walked quietly through the wood, taking care to tread noiselessly, not wanting to destroy the holy silence. I felt sorry, and perhaps a pang of guilt, for my friends who I had left in the never-ending, narrow death ditches. The contorted branches of the trees here reminded me of the steel string of thorns and the faces of dying men, stuck on them, like a fly in the web of a spider. Perhaps, I wondered, these staring trees were agents of the Kaiser also, for they seemed to wish misfortune.

I soon came to a place where the unnerving trees circled a lake in a horseshoe shape. The lake itself was a greyish-blue colour and I could see neither fish nor plant life respiring in its icy waters. As I stared into the water, through its murky body, I saw the face of a woman. She was none other than my fair Viola! I could not mistake those kind, soft, smiling lips. I could not mistake her enchanting hazel eyes and her butterfly-wing touch.

Oh how I wish I could of held my fiance that moment, but, with not even a whisper to be heard of the wind's breath, she sunk deeper into the lake, beckoning me as she did. I dived in after her, believing this was some sort of game. The lake was bitingly cold, but my love for Viola fought it and I carried on swimming into the bleak abyss of that lake.

I swam after her ferociously, passionately, hating myself for leaving her in Paris to do my duty. Why I left her I am ashamed to say so now. It seems so in petty in the presence of true love. In truth, I wanted to make history; to play my part in getting Alsace-Lorriane back. Alas, the days where I would emerse myself in the romaticism of patriotism seem so far away now.

Perhaps my eyesight was failing as the coldness enslaved my body but I thought I could see shadows moving deeper down. I tried to call out to Viola who was swimming towards them, for I had some abject fear the shadows would grab her and pull her down into the absolute darkness, but the dirty, cold water supressed my cry.

A cloud of murkiness parted but, instead of revealing the sun like the clouds do in the sky, this cloud revealed a horrible,contorted little creature. It was lying in a small bath like we had back in Paris, but the bath was full of blood and the creature was bathing in it with sick delight. I watched its black claws scoop the blood and wash it's scabby, skinny little body. It's evil, malevolent eyes fixed on Viola and I felt myself go mad with rage as I watched it's lustful gaze. I was confronted by ghastly thoughts of the putrid creature touching Viola's pure white skin, it drooling over her body, with her in chains, defenceless. I could not help question, in my feeble anguish, how there could be things like love, happiness and my fair Viola when such deviants of the true form of man like the creature were alive. How could there be a God and his Lamb who died for our sins when cruel, ugly imps thrived in the blood of the dead in this cold lake?

I kept on swimming, the fire of the Devil dancing in my stomach. My skin had turned a pale colour and I lacked strength. I kept hoping for a piercing that would break through the darkness. None came. The silence started to choke me. Why was it so quiet and so dead in this wretched water? After hearing unceasing noise for the last few months I was surprised how much this silence was unwelcome. My eyes watched Viola and I drew strength from her hope and determined mindset. Surely she was looking for the light also; after all she was my guide was she not?

The shadows swam above me and started to swoop down on me like a flock of carnivorous birds. I could but pray Viola would be safe for darkness started to surround me now, like the same terrifying darkness I had been prisoner to in the death pits with the invisible rats scrambling on my face as I tried to sleep. I swear that place was Hell.

Viola swam deeper into the darkness. I followed. We soon were in unadulterated darkness. I could no longer see my fair Viola. Then, out of the dark, came a skull. It's eyes burned with the fires of the field and its sockets were the holes that had been hit with artillery shells. Its teeth were crooked and mishapen like rifle bullets. Its nose was a bayonet. It's mouth opened cruelly and it did laugh and my heart and soul did chill.