December 25, 2006

At Peace with War (A short story)

By Kyle-Anne Shiver
Benjamin Able awakes before dawn to the nostalgic aroma of bread baking in his mother's kitchen.   His uniform hangs on the closet door, neatly pressed and waiting for him, just as he knew it would be.  He smiles.  Homemade bread.  Pressed uniform.  Ah, the comforts of home.  Indulging himself a few more minutes in the luxury of being spoiled, he lies in his boyhood bed and surveys his room, still unchanged from the day he left six years ago.  His wrestling medals, numbering in the hundreds, are displayed in shadowbox frames and fill nearly all the wall space.  Newspaper stories, neatly clipped and mounted by his Mom take up what little space that remains.  Every match, videotaped and catalogued by his Dad, fill four book shelves over the TV.  From the looks of it, he had little else in his life but the sport that helped him earn his appointment to West Point.  How proud and excited his parents were then.  Even his...(Read Full Article)