In times where the medieval crusades existed and the people lived in fear as hundreds of ‘steel’
headed soldiers roamed around killing whom they believed to be in heathens, lived one soldier
who seemed to be an odd one out. The only one who refused to go into a burning village, the
only one to pull his sword, and the only one who praised the lord in a more innocent and calm
manner, and lastly, the only one to go against the word of the pope. As many horses with soldiers
charged into the villages he charged in, heart beating, sweat dripping, and his mind horrified. He
knew these murders were spreading all over the country like a pestilence. He commits an act of
treason and abandons his position, instead of assisting his fellow knights he flees, however not
alone. He assists a family of four, two small boys and their, all seemed skinny, covered in ash,
and horrified. Although a man of little words, his actions truly spoke out to the family. “My
name is Bohem, please I am not here for harm.” Bohem, our confused soldier raids their food
closet, only finding baskets of stale fruit and nearly rotten bread, however anything to keep him
energized will have to do, he shoves the food into his sack. Bohem stares at the family and shows
the children his sword, one that the average crusader may have been seen holding, he hands it to
the eldest son, who seems to be in early adult years. “Why are you giving me this, for what
purpose do I have with it?” says the boy. “My son will not follow in these attacks!” The father
yells as he pulls out a small dagger and takes a jab towards Bohem, chaos occurring in this single
home as much larger chaos occurs outside. Bohem grabs his arm just before he could be stabbed,
“It is just for protection, we are leaving and escaping, down south is a village hidden in the
forest.”. He begins outside and waits for the family to family them, he waits for a few minutes as
the entirety of the family discussed amongst themselves. However, no one has heard the mother's
voice yet and she has not spoken through all of this confusing chaos. The family walks out, sacks
hung over their backs and the youngest child carries a small book, with the phrase “Poetry”
written across its filthy cover. “Child, what is your favorite poem?” asks Bohem, “Chardon de
Croisilles, it’s about the abandonment a man may experience when he is forced into the armies.”
a creepy response, yet quite understandable considering the current years. A full eight hours of
groaning and silence as the family and soldier travel, the shining sun fades below the darkness of
night. “We shall rest here, use the sacks to rest your head, we must not all sleep, father and
husband of the family, will you assist me in keeping patrol?” Bohem urgently asks the father,
“Im William, and of course, I can not trust you with my children.” replies William, aggressively
yet again, understandable. In the middle of the night Bohem decides to switch and gives William
a tap, suggesting to switch, William does so happily, oddly. During the night William holds the
dagger in his hand and stares at Bohem, not for seconds, not minutes, but for nearly an hour.
Slowly approaching Bohem, he wakes up and stares at William, unarmed and no way to fight
back. Stab wounds, many stab wounds, enough to kill a man, yet Bohem seems to have not
passed yet. With coughs and struggled breathing he leaves his final message “Take them South,
head towards the protected village and protect your family, do not refuse to do whatever you
must, the times we live in are cruel and confusing and you must do whatever you must to protect
yourself.'' His final breath passes as does his soul and his life.
What a great piece! There was a lot of use of detail which made it seem like I was there as well. I liked how the father of the family changed his personality and kind of manipulated Bohem.
ReplyDeleteYour story is a perfect example of how people can "bite the hand that feeds them." It is clear that the tone and feeling during this time is very confusing and uneasy for many people, especially William. The incident during the night leaves me to wonder if William had a deep loathing for the soldier's country or side, if he suspected that Bohem would soon manipulate them just as William did, or other possible reasons. In the end, after you narrated how the Bohem's heart was and how he felt about war and chaos and murder, it was clear that Bohem's final day was the day he fulfilled his destiny, and that even being murdered by the ones he has so graciously helped, he still has compassion towards William and his family during his last moments of life.
ReplyDeleteJacob this was a really great story. You had a lot of details into this story and I really enjoyed the change of character development.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this piece because there were so many layers to the story. Between the soldier fleeing from the fight, to the family not being sure what to do, to the eventual murder, the story progressed quickly, but was explained well and was easy to track. My favorite part was when the child explains the poem 'Chardon de Croisilles' because it hinted that maybe Bohem's story was similar to the character in the poem. -Isabella Patterson
ReplyDeleteYour story was such a pleasure to read. Your description of Bohem was one that many can relate to as people today have their beliefs, ethics, and morals challenged everyday. I really enjoyed the sad truth many experience: when people follow what they believe in, they still may face consequences. This made me ponder upon others and how they can face similar struggles. The foreshadowing title also put me at the edge of my seat with me wanting to read more to find out how such a great protagonist can face severe consequences for his own beliefs. -Nathaniel Alvarado
ReplyDeleteThe story you wrote is great. The details and the way the characters were portrayed held me until the end of the story. -Rebeca Sandes
ReplyDeleteYou added many details in this story which really impressed me. There were many events in this story that had me in awe. This is a very good piece of literature Jacob.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you set the time of the occasion. It really helped me to have a deeper understanding of what the piece was all about.
ReplyDeleteJacob reading your short story felt like watching an episode of Game of Thrones. I say this because of the amount of detail you have put into your story and the twist you include at the end.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be awhile before I forget this story. The dark, chaotic setting in the middle ages had made this story fell refreshing and very interesting to read down from the title, to the last stanza. It felt like this story has been in your head for some time and it shows through it's final product. Great job!
ReplyDelete