Prisoner in Time (Time travel) (23 page)

“No Sir, Dalton’s fine,” David countered once again.

Sgt. Cooper eyed his new recruits with momentary disdain, then said, “Just be ready for marching by seven in the a.m. tomorrow morn.”

“Yes Sir, sergeant,” both men responded obediently.

As Sgt Cooper walked away, David stared nervously at Geoff.

“Ok Geoff, spill it. What do you know about Dalton?” he asked with suspicion.

“There’s going to be a big battle there. I was driving with my parents a few years ago, when my dad spotted one of those historical markers on the side of the road. We stopped and checked it out. I remember it because it was one of the first times we actually stopped for one of those things. I remember my dad reading the plaque aloud and kind of being freaked out by some of the descriptions.”

“Really… what’d it say?”

“That it was a violent battle with lots of hand-to-hand combat. That kind of stuff always stands out in your mind when you’re a kid,” Geoff responded.

“Wow… a battle,” David said in disbelief.

“Shit man, we’re headed for war tomorrow,” Geoff blurted in disbelief.

“Maybe you got it wrong. Maybe it was a different battle you remember,” David speculated, desperate for an alternative.

Geoff stared back at David. His eyes were filled with fear.

“It’s not. It’s Dalton I remember,” he responded grimly.

-----*-----*-----*-----

February 21, 1864
 

Reveille: 5:00am

Geoff’s eyes opened instantly as the sound of the far off bugler played his morning call. Images of war immediately entered his thoughts and filled him with dread. In a span of only seconds, he envisioned graphic scenes of pain and suffering. Fear raced through him as he contemplated his own mortality. Panic stricken and trembling, he felt his world collapsing. All he wanted to do was escape.

He shook his head and forced the horrific images from his mind. In its place, he remembered the one memory that always made him smile: Bobby. With his brother’s smiling face now vividly etched in his mind, he reaffirmed his life’s purpose.

He crawled deliberately from the small canvas tent and stood unyielding. He would not be swayed by fear and cowardice. Bobby’s life depended on him and he was determined to succeed.

“David, time to get up,” he called out in the darkness. “David.”

“I’m up… I’m up,” came an uncertain response.

“David, the Sarge will be by shortly. Better hurry,” he pressed.

“Man, whatever you’re smoking, make sure you leave some for me,” David joked, now crawling from the tent.

As he stood up and stretched, Geoff was already creating a fire.

“Hey kid, watch that wind. Wouldn’t want any unnecessary forest fires,” David joked.

“Ha ha, you’re a real comedian,” he retorted.

As he watched Geoff kindle the flames, David’s mind drifted off to their immediate problem. He felt anxious as he envisioned the horrors the next few months would bring. While Geoff fanned the flames with his cap, he could see the fear in his eyes once more. For a moment, he didn’t see a young soldier attending a fire. In his mind he saw a young scared boy pretending to be brave.

David’s guilt ran deep. He felt guilt for not being able to stop Geoff, as well as guilt for not being able to save Bobby. As he stared at the frightened boy, pretending to be a man, his stomach wrenched. He wanted to be sick. He wanted to say something comforting to ease the teen’s mind. For a moment, he stood and pondered his thoughts. Seconds later, he realized the one topic that gave Geoff his greatest joy:

With the fire radiating its warmth, he took a seat near Geoff and spoke:

“So, tell me more about Bobby…”

-----*-----*-----*-----

The cold morning air picked up slightly and felt good on their faces as they marched south along the wide dirt road. After two hours of steady marching, the soldier’s bodies were now heating up. Some removed their caps, while other’s unbuttoned their gray woolen jackets. Unaccustomed to work at this level, both David and Geoff tired early and began to slow.

“Man, this sucks,” Geoff grumbled. “Are they ever going to let us rest?”

“I’m sure if you ask the sergeant, he’d probably say we just started. You should resign yourself to marching for the next two hours at least,” David replied.

“If I asked the sergeant, he’d probably pull that butcher knife and gut me like a fish,” Geoff joked.

“Then I wouldn’t ask him,” David responded sarcastically.

Geoff took a few steps more and complained once again.

“Man, this really sucks.”

“You just said that,” David responded.

“No, not exactly. I added a ‘really’ to it.”

“Way to be creative,” David laughed.

The two marched for a few more minutes in silence, then Geoff spoke again.

“Man, do you smell that?”

“What?” David asked, barely paying attention now.

“These guys stink… I mean these guys stink really bad,” he said, almost in disbelief.

“Good thing you added that ‘really’ to your message, otherwise I’d think you were just whining.” David teased.

“Doesn’t any of this bother you? You act like this is just a walk in the park.”

“I don’t think you can appreciate just how tired I am right now. I haven’t marched in a couple of years, my wound’s still very sore and I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since we got here,” David started. “To be truthful, I’m probably more tired than you are.”

“Now who’s whining?” Geoff joked.

David knew Geoff’s small talk was just his way of passing the time. Although he found the banter mildly entertaining, he also knew he would tire of it quickly. Thinking of a new topic to discuss, he spoke:

“So Geoff, have you thought about what you want to be when you grow up?”

“That sounded weird. I’m old enough to fire a gun and kill people, but I’m not grown up?” Geoff mocked.

“Yeah, sorry, that did come off kind of condescending. Anyway, have you given any thoughts to a future career?”

“Not really, I’ve been just biding my time, waiting for high school to end before I start down that road, of course that was until I came here. Now, who knows where I’ll end up,” he replied.

David thought about Geoff’s reply. It was not encouraging.

“If you were to do well in school, what kind of career do you think you’d like to have?” he asked.

“Besides a Porn star?”

“Yeah Geoff, besides that,” David responded, shaking his head in mild frustration.

“Well, to be honest, I always wanted to be a marine biologist,” he said, seriously.

“Really? A marine biologist? Geoff, that’s fantastic. Why don’t you give it a try? You know there’re some great jobs in that field,” David encouraged.

“Like what?”

“Well for starters, believe it or not, you could work at places like Sea World or other zoos around the world that maintain aquatic life.”

“Oh,” he responded blandly.

“Those places don’t impress you?” David asked, a bit confused.

“They do, but I was thinking more along the lines of jobs that do the research on killer whales and sharks, like I’ve seen on TV,” he explained.

“I’m guessing you like the show “Animal Planet” then,” David asked.

“Oh man, I love that show,” Geoff blurted out, enthusiastically.

“Yeah, it’s very entertaining,” David said, then continued. “So why don’t you give it a try? I’ve heard the program can be a little tough, but I’m sure you could get through it if you put your mind to it.”

Geoff bowed his head in embarrassment.

“There’s no way. I don’t do well in school and there’s no way I could afford to go even if I did have the grades. We don’t have much money,” he said, his shame now obvious.

“There’s a lot of ways to pay for school nowadays, Geoff. There’re grants, student loans and scholarships, as well as working a part time job. Also, if you’re working a full time job, most employers have programs that help pay for tuition. What I’m trying to tell you is you shouldn’t let money stand in the way of school. If you want it bad enough, the money is there.”

“I don’t know… I just don’t know,” Geoff responded with deep apprehension.

“How’re your grades?” David pressed further.

Geoff paused a moment, hesitant to reply. “They could be better. I’m passing everything, sort of.”

“What do you mean, sort of?”

“On my last progress report, I was hovering around the seventy level, except for math,” he answered.

“Yeah, math can be a difficult subject,” David cut in, then added, “but with some effort and a little extra help, I’m sure you could easily pass.”

“Dude, I am passing, with like a ninety-three average,” Geoff retorted.

“A ninety-three? Geoff, that’s amazing,” David responded in surprise. He thought for a moment, then continued, “But I’m a little confused. Math is way harder than those other subjects. How can you pass math with a ninety-three, and English and social studies with only a seventy? Things don’t add up. What gives?”

With a shrug of his shoulders, Geoff responded simply, “I like math.”

“Have you always done well in math?”

“Pretty much,” Geoff replied, casually.

“You know Geoff, from what I’ve seen over the past couple of weeks and from what you’ve just told me, I think you’re a pretty smart kid. I’m pretty sure if you applied yourself, you’d do well in college. I’m not BSing you here. I really think you have potential,” David encouraged once more.

“Great,” Geoff replied, his tone lacking enthusiasm.

David looked over, Geoff’s face was sullen and his mind seemed far away. Lost in his brother’s memory, nothing was more important than his mission to save him. College was just a luxury, one afforded to those whose lives had promise. For Geoff, the future held no promise. The future was fraught with uncertainty and death. College would have to wait.

Up ahead, the column of men came to a halt. Moments later, the trailing soldiers caught up and stopped. All stood and waited.

Geoff peered anxiously over the shoulders of the men to his front. Looking over to David, he asked, “What’s happening? Why are we stopping?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” David responded, his eyes glued on the approaching sergeant.

“Y’all take a rest a moment. We all got to wait for a train out yonder. Soon as it’s passed, we all ‘ill be a’marchin’ again,” he shouted for all to hear.

He stared at the soldiers to the rear of the column, then turned and hurried further up the line. Instantly, every man moved off the road and sat in the brown winter grasses that lined its edge. Stretched out as far as the eye could see, the men rested by their packs. Some smoked their pipes alone, while others formed circles and engaged in lively conversation.

As David stretched out at the edge of the dirt road, Geoff remained standing. Looking toward the far reaches of the column of men, he shifted in his stance. David looked up and noticed a worried look on Geoff’s face.