Pic1000 : A Soldier's Struggles

Image by @wakeupkitty

Staff Sergeant Donald was a retired soldier who has witnessed lots of war and that has caused him to sometimes experience PTSD(post-traumatic stress disorder). Though he went for therapy many years ago but it seems his old age brought back some of those memories coupled with the fact that he had lost his wife to cancer some years back.

His neighbors, Mr and Mrs Adam are very nice to him as they constantly check on him and ensure he doesn't feel lonely.

But yesterday, he packed some of his clothes into his military bag and just left the house without their knowledge.

They never knew until the next morning when they went to check on him and found out he wasn't home.

Mr Adam searched for him and luckily he didn't go too far before he found him lying in front of a glass building with some bottles of drinks and his small notes on the floor beside him.

Mr Adam took him back to the house and Mrs Adam quickly prepared him a meal but surprisingly he said to his neighbors;

"I saw my wife last night in my dreams, she helped me relive some memories", he said while smiling.

Mr Adam and his wife were worried about him wondering what he was talking about but he went on and told them about the dream he had.

He told them about how he met his wife at the reception of a wedding and how they bonded which led to their wedding.

He further explained that he and his wife traveled by ship to another country for their honeymoon and how they spent time on the beach and so on.

He told them he remembered just how soft the bed in their honeymoon suite was and how he longed to be transported there with his wife if only to hold her once again. The story was touching and it moved his neighbors to tears.

He further surprised them that he is ready to be taken to " Soldier's Retirement Home" much to the shock of his neighbors as they have tried convincing him to go there for a long time but he always refuses.

They were a bit sad when they heard what about his plan because they loved having him around but then they were also happy that he would finally be among Soldiers like him, which would further aid him in getting the help he needed.

• What do you see?

I see a veteran lying outside the floor of a building with his clothes in his military bag and bottles of drinks on the floor beside him. It seems he is dreaming as some of the details in his dreams can be viewed from the glass on the wall.

• What do you feel?

I feel sad seeing how helpless he must have felt.

Here is my entry to the freewritehouse contest