EQUAL
Stars twinkling down on me from above. Snow assembling near my feet. Glancing around at my mates, many of them huddling to stay warm, others staring into thin air, I shiver. The cold night air wraps it’s grasp around me, pulling me into a chilling hug, not comforting. Once again, I shiver and close my eyes.

Before I fall into the pit of sleepiness, I hear a sweet melody. Singing. Not just any though, christmas carols. As if a force is pulling me further and further, I instantly cave in to the resistance to sing. Harmony fills the air as we sing Silent Night, two languages combining to one. Equal. Before we know it, the night is over.

Shouts and Yells are what wake me from my slumber. Christmas morning. I take in the frosty air, and get up, bones aching, to see the commotion. Sounds of caution and shouting can be heard, a mixture in between. Undecided. I peer over the trench, a thick layer of snow making the view hard to make out. What I see suprises me. Two soldiers stand making their way to each other, hands up as if in surrender. I dart my head in the direction of the officers, a disapproving expression plastered on their faces. Suddenly the shouts stop abruptly, turning into cheers. Full of confusion, I look back over the trenches edge, and find myself looking at all the soldiers, German and English, pouring out among the wide expanse. What I see next shocks me to the stomach. Soldiers are laughing, exchanging gifts, showing photos, just having a great time. Christmas. True Christmas spirit. Suddenly I come back to reality, and feel my body moving, pulling me over the edge of the trench to great the others. “Merry Christmas”! yells a soldier to me, and I return the favour. Before I can adjust to the excitement a game of soccer begins, and pulled right into the madness.

Many goals and more disapproving and unsure looks later, a noise I know too well sounds off, plummeting me back to reality. Breaking into action everyone rushes back to their sides trenches, and then the sorrowness hits me. Hard. Why are we fighting like this when we get along so well. I just can’t process this thought, let alone find an answer to it. The joyful moment we shared with the Germans may have only lasted a while, but the memory will last forever. I slouch down back into my usual spot, and pull out a note of paper and write: “Dear Margaret, you will never guess what happened today…” was all I could finish before sleep pulled me right into its jaws, like I was it’s prey.