SUMMER’S FINAL HYMN TO THE SETTING SUN
Should he go by Major, Colonel, or General? Richard Blaine cannot decide. Then, life gives him much more to ponder!
SUMMER’S FINAL HYMN TO THESETTING SUN
“The reasonable man adaptshimself to the world:
the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt theworld to himself.
Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
― George Bernard Shaw
I fought sagging in my chair.Rachel, Cloverfield, and I had raced our drones to the cliffs overlooking OmahaBeach.
I depleted the last of my acidlight at the gun emplacements while my two Spartans had done the same,
inflicting more damages with their greater reserves of hellfire than I couldwith my meager supply.
As I did so, it had felt oddlooking down on the cliffs and the still smoking tunnel entrance
where I knewmy Spartan 300 were still getting their bearings three days in the past.
With nothing left to shoot, weaimed our drones into the still firing gun emplacements and dived-bombed intothem.
Sentient had mockingly left outhow bad it would hurt us back in our seats in the present.
Cloverfield groaned,
“Withhold my compliments to yourDark Passenger for being so reticent of the consequences of following herinstructions.”
From the echo effect in myhelmet, I knew Sentient was speaking to all three of us:
‘If you cannot glean my words Iwill explain, but do not ask me to reveal what I've left unspoken between mylines.’
“If we cannot glean your words,Sentient, how on earth can we ask what lies in between them?” asked Rachel,
swathingher question in a sigh intended to convey an impression of hard-pressedfortitude.
“Now all you need to do is tofall dead at our feet to make the picture complete,' remarked Cloverfield.
“You first,” said Rachel deadpan,making of her expression a visual pun.
I stretched my aching back andsighed,
“People are always blaming theircircumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances.
The peoplewho get on in this world are the people who get up and look for thecircumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them.”
He grimaced,
“I know that makessense to you, Major. Confound it all! At least let me address you as Colonel.Heavens knows, Roosevelt himself promoted you.”
I told him and Rachel whatSentient had shown me of his implication in the kidnapping of the Lindbergbaby.
“Oh, that. MI6 knew all aboutthat years ago.”
“They did?”
“Oh, yes. What you obviously didnot know was that the mother suspected Lindberg himself of the crime.
Seemslike the man couldn’t even bring himself to look at the poor rickets-afflictedchild. Never called the infant by name.
Always referred to the infant as ‘It.””
Cloverfield snorted, “So, whatRoosevelt intended to destroy the man actually took a burden from hisshoulders.”
He shook his head at the expressionon my face.
“Sorry, old chap. I really do look upon you as a younger brotherlike Rachel. But you have a much too simplistic idea of morality.”
“Which I have been trying torectify his entire life,” spoke a voice behind me that sent chills down myspine.
I spun around in the chair.“Sister Ameal?”
I stumbled out of my chair at thesight of the person beside her.
“Helen! How?”
Tall as I remembered but now clothedin fatigues that fit her even more snugly than Rachel’s did her.
The nurse inquestion slowly raised an eyebrow noticing what I had.
Helen matched her raised eyebrowwith one of her own.
Cloverfield snorted, “Women.”
“Only half right,” smiled Helenin her dry, amused way.
She turned to me, a strand ofstrawberry blonde hair slipping out from beneath the helm of her own Spartanhelmet.
“Richard, you have ever asked thewrong question. It is not ‘How’ but ‘Why’ you should be asking.”
James said, “Oh, we know. Youwant to warn us about those nasty hybrid beasties.
Sister Ameal shook her head. “Yes… and no.”
“You haven’t changed, Sister,” I said.
Her angular face showed disappointment.“You have never seen me as I am, Young Sir.”
I smiled drily, “That’s not howyou address me within my mind … Sentient.”
“How long have you known?”
“I did not know. I guessed justnow. Lately, I have been beginning to feel like Pip at the end of his tale,
findingout all the important people in his life were not what he supposed and wererelated one to the other.”
Helen murmured, “I am not a ‘People,’nor was I ever.”
I shrugged, “I suspected that much,Helen. But I fell in love with your spirit and that was enough for me.”
Cloverfield groaned,
“Mate, fromanyone else that would have sounded daft. But from you it sounded natural. Herenow, did I just insult you?”
Rachel glowered, “Yes.”
I shook my head at the same timeHelen smiled. “No. It is what one brother would genuinely say to another.”
Her eyes grew wet. “Odd. All hislife Richard was an orphan. Now at the end of it, he has found a family.”
“I know this is the End.
I hear the roar of the Void.
One last fight.
My last stand.
Nowhere to run
Nor would I if I could.
If this ends,
I end it right.
No regrets, no wailing.
For I have lived
Long enough
To see Her again.
That is enough.
And if I fall,
I fall the right way:
Never backing down,
Never kneeling down.
Choosing to protect others.
Standing and fighting.
Denying the reality of my death.
Every human has been here:
A time of birth
A period of struggle
A place of death
Where I didn’t expect mine to end.
But who does?
Shadows lengthen as summer sings
Its final hymn to the settingsun.”
– Richard Blaine
