A New Friend

Here's a new tall tale free for you. Remember to become a member to hear the latest news.

The guns blazed. Rockets crashed. The noise from the fighting was deafening. It was going to be another long night at the front. A long, cold night. Curiously, in between the war noises, in the gaps between explosions, the silence was extreme. Not a leaf stirred, not a branch cracked.

It was in one of these quiet moments that he heard it. A whimper. At first, he wasn’t sure he hadn’t imagined it. After all, he was on the very edge of exhaustion, every nerve in his body ached. His ears hurt from listening for the enemy. But no, there it was again. A gentle, soft sound. Strange to hear among the sharp, deadly sounds of weaponry.

The man stirred, sliding himself carefully forward, trying not to add any noise to the night. He mustn’t attract the attention of a sniper. That would be ironic. Imagining a noise only to become the noise himself.

Slowly he edged closer. Earlier that day, a block of flats had come crashing down, the outcome of the enemy’s target practice. Several deaths, many injured. Just another day at the front. Closer still. Stop. Listen. Yes, another whimper.

He began to move aside the bits of rubble. Concrete, broken cups, photos torn. A soft toy. The once-loved teddy bear. Lives ruined. In his haste, he caused a slight avalanche, several bricks came tumbling down on top of him. He froze. Had anyone heard? He knelt, his rifle cocked. Moments passed and nothing happened. He relaxed just a little and continued his digging. He thought he could hear some scuffling just a few inches further in. He made a supreme effort to clear some more of the debris and, carefully, nervously, he stuck his hand into the hole.

He jumped back, not sure what had happened. While he was thinking what to do next, a tiny body squirmed its way out of the gap. A black and brown body, attached to four white paws, came tumbling out. It shook itself loose. Stood squarely facing its rescuer and, after a moment’s hesitation, it tumbled forward, its tale wagging ferociously, and the little puppy covered the man’s face with licks. Its delight at having been freed was contagious and, without being able to restrain himself, the man found he was laughing. The first time he had laughed since the war had started.