C J L MARR

The Foxhole

a short story written in 1993

 

Leo's concentration had long since wavered.  His eyes were still looking out into the jungle beyond the foxhole and would see any movement, but his mind was back in the States with Catherine.  She was a lovely girl and he had already decided he would ask her to marry him as soon as this war was over and he could talk to her personally.  He had wanted to pop the question so bad he had considered putting it in a letter, but that was so impersonal.  He was sure she would wait for him.  She had told him she loved him and had given her ring to him to wear always and remind him of her.

Leo glanced down at the ring which he wore on the little finger of his right hand.  He smiled as memories of her flooded his mind again.  His eye flickered to the wristwatch on his right wrist and he realised his watch was over.

"Hey, sleeping beauty," he nudged Martin, who groaned.  "Wakey wakey buddy."

"Shove it!" snarled Martin but his lips curled into a slight smile.  "Anything to report?"

"Are you kidding?  Fifty Japs attacked not five minutes ago and I beat them off with the butt of my rifle so as I wouldn't wake you," replied Leo.

"You're my hero, Leo boy."

 

"No, Martin buddy.  Nothing to report.  I think the whole Jap army has packed up and gone home for Christmas.  Now get you're ugly face up here and watch."

Martin groaned and rolled over onto his stomach.  He pulled his helmet on and crawled up to the edge of the foxhole until his eyes could just see out.

"I saw you looking at that ring again," he said to Leo.  "How come you wear it on your little finger?"

"It belongs to Catherine," replied Leo with a smile.

"Oh, well that explains everything."

"She has very dainty fingers, so I could only just get it onto my little finger."

"You know you're a very weird guy," said Martin, without taking his eyes from the undergrowth.

"Why do you say that?"

"You wear your watch on your right wrist."

Leo looked down at his watch.  "What's so weird about that?"

"You're the only guy I know who wears his watch on his right wrist."

"Really?"  Leo instinctively glanced at Martin's left wrist and saw his watch there.  "I never noticed."

Martin laughed.

"Is that it?"  Asked Leo. "That makes me weird does it?"

"No that isn't it.  That's just one thing."

"Well pray tell me what else makes me weird," smiled Leo as he sank back into the foxhole and rolled onto his back.

"Okay, you asked.  Firstly ....."

Martin's mouth stayed open but the words froze in his throat as he saw a movement in the jungle in front of him.  A moment later there was another movement and then he heard a thump from behind him, and then another.  His head spun round and he saw two grenades lying a couple of feet apart in the foxhole.

Leo watched the two grenades land beside him and it took about a second before he really comprehended what they were.  His first thought was to run but he immediately knew he wouldn't get far.  His second thought was to throw the grenades out and he started to roll and reached out with his right arm.  As if in slow motion, he saw Martin launch himself toward the grenades and just then one of them exploded.

Martin’s body took the full force.  Leo felt pain in both legs and in his left arm.  His eyes stung and he couldn't see for a moment.  He had a picture in his mind of where the second grenade was and even though he couldn't see it, he continued to reach out with his right arm and felt for it.  He touched it and closed his fingers around it then threw it with all his strength.  A couple of seconds passed and then he heard it explode out in the jungle, a safe distance from him.

He reached out for Martin, but couldn't feel anything.  Maybe he'd been blown to bits.

 

"Medic!" he screamed.

Leo rolled over to face the direction of the next foxhole and opened his stinging eyes.  His left arm was a mess and he couldn’t move it all.  His blurred vision saw a hand lying beside his head and beyond it was a wrist with a watch on it, then a forearm, an elbow and an upper arm.  It had been torn from the shoulder.  Leo felt sick as he stared at the remains.  Martin had been his best friend.

He tried to focus on something that was shining on the hand beside his face and realised it was a ring.  It was a ring just like the one Catherine had given him and it was on the little finger.  Leo tried to raise his right hand to compare the rings but it wouldn't come into view.  He felt a cold flush rush over him as he realised that the arm lying beside him was his own!  It must have been blown off by the first explosion.

"But," stammered Leo, "how did I throw the grenade?"