Battle Worn

(Photo submitted by Chad)

He walked out to the bow of his ship. His head was high in the air; he was strong.  The enemy was nearing the fleet. He was not nervous. He had defeated them before, years ago. He knew his navy could defeat them again now.

The ocean was still and the sun was rising behind the clouds. The captain loved the sea at this time of day, but this was not going to be just a ride out. This war was not going to be anything like the nature of the sea.

“All right men,” he called behind him. “To be able to pass the island, we must defeat the enemy. To get to our homes, to get to our families, we must sink each one of their ships.” He turned back to look at the enemy. His men had been trained for this.

The crew became frantic as they searched for a cannon or a rifle. A few of the men standing beside him ran to the stern and shouted to the fleet. Soon, every one of his men was chanting.

“We do not fight. We kill.”

The voices were loud, and the heart of each man spoke the words as if they were lifelines. As the enemy drew closer, the chanting became silence.

The first wave hit the ship as the enemy entered the firing zone. The captain and his men could hardly keep their stances. The sea had been still all night, but the waves were now picking up. This was the beginning of a rough day.

The captain told his men to push the fleet forward. The sails were lifted and his battle ships engulfed his own. A loud noise rang out around them. A cannon fell into the sea. He looked toward the noise. His front ship had run alongside the enemy’s best. He did not know where the cannon came from. His stomach flipped as he saw smoke flowing from his ship. They had been hit.

He knew the fight would not stop until the ship had sunk, and he prayed that his men could hold out until it was the enemy that had fallen.

He closed his eyes and listened to the crashing sounds of the battle. Another cannon. This one he knew came from one of his own ships. The wood of the enemy’s ship cracked and the men grew louder. As the battle raged on, he could not tell who was firing at whom.

The voices and cannons soon grew faint. The cannons stopped. The shouting of the men halted. Only the voice of the enemy remained.

One of his men yelled up to him. He opened his eyes to see the smoke clearing from the battle.

“Captain, the enemy’s best ship, it has fallen,” the man shouted over the cannon fire.

“We have won.” It was only a whisper, but they could hear him. The captain fell on his knees and looked toward the sun, now high in the sky.

Another cannon, another enemy ship had fallen. It was even easier than the last battle, for he had trained his men well.