An Emotive Story - The Shape of the Clouds
There are stories that deserve to be told, heard, read and enjoyed, in Virtual Variety we love to tell stories, if you like to read and get lost in the world of reading, enjoy this incredible story.
1914 World War I began, which originated with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, on June 28, 1914. Despite this conflict, we were not affected until the following year (1915), when a German submarine sank the RMS Lusitania, a British ocean liner on route between the United Kingdom and the United States. Among the 1,198 passengers killed were 128 U.S. passengers. This deadly attack was the trigger for the United States to ally itself with the Triple Entente countries. What caused a stir, however, was the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare by Germany and the interception of the Zimmerman Telegram. It revealed a German plot to help Mexico regain Texas, New Mexico and Arizona if it attacked the United States.
When the U.S. Congress finally gave its approval to enter World War I on April 6, 1917, the decision was labeled by most analysts as inevitable. In fact the U.S. Army had barely 130,000 troops, no tanks and few aircraft. Congress quickly approved mandatory conscription to swell its forces. I remember that day when dad enlisted, my mother was very sad, she asked him, is it necessary for you to go Camille, he hugged her and told her; woman it is not easy to do difficult things but I must honor my country and family, I was just 10 years old and my brother Stephen was 6; my father Camille, my mother Rose, worked on the family farm we are the Robertson's, my name is Edward. My brother Stephen didn't understand what was going on and asked where are you going daddy, he leaned in front of us and looking us straight in the eyes he said: During my absence I want you to promise me that you will be obedient, I will be away for a long time I must lend my help; I asked, why you? He hugged me tightly, he said because I am a citizen of the United States and my duty is to fight, to reach peace together with other combatants to live in freedom; actually I did not understand anything at that moment, he continued saying, Edward you will take care and help mother in the farm, you will take care of your younger brothers and sisters, I with a gesture accepted what he ordered me.
A vehicle with other men were waiting for my father; before leaving he took us to the hill, and told us look at the sky see those clouds, I want you to promise me something when you feel sad look at the clouds, with your imagination you can give it the shape you want, just close your eyes and imagine that one of those clouds has my face and from there I tell you how much I love you, those words were engraved on me for the rest of my life. Dad got into the car and they drove away, mom entered the house in a hurry and lying on the bed she cried for hours, my brother only asked where did dad go, to entertain him I told him to come with me to feed the animals. At noon mom remained motionless in front of the window with her eyes lost in the horizon, Stephen approached her and said I'm hungry, she wiped her tears and said Edward, please give some bread and cheese to your brother.
It has been several weeks since dad left for the war; and we still have no news of him, mom can't hide her sadness; that day I helped with the farm work. Suddenly I remembered what dad said about the clouds, I took mom and my brother by the hand, I took them in a hurry to the hill, and I told them close your eyes, there is dad, he is smiling at us, you saw mom he is fine, we are going to play with him among the clouds, our imagination made it possible to have dad back. That day I understood that with the mind you can recreate many situations, since then I began to draw landscapes, mom, dad, my brother, the farm, and imagined how my dad fought against the enemy. My mother, amazed by my drawings, said that you have a gift, I didn't understand that gift. But I was still glad that my mother was no longer so sad.
When we arrived at the store there was a group of women and one of them was crying inconsolably, because at the post office there was a telegram with a list of civilians who died in combat, my mother was alarmed and asked to please tell her where she could see that telegram; We went to the post office, her face lit up when she did not see Dad's name on the list, back at the store, with a gesture of solidarity my mother approached the poor woman and offered her a warm hug. The woman said thank you! Now what am I going to do without my Albert; I have no one else, I am all alone. My mother, touched by the stranger's words, offered her to stay with us for a while, since the farm was big and there was a room to spare. She looked at her with gratitude and said I am teacher Cristi Hamilton, thank you but you don't know me, my mother told her, you don't know me either, but the pain of this war unites us, and makes us be alone, vulnerable without our husbands, and we form bonds of sisterhood.
My mother approached us to the woman, and said: pointing to me he is my son Edward, he is a great drawer, this little one is Stephen, he is very sweet and talkative; the stranger caressed our faces and said they are beautiful children; I commit myself to evaluate, measure their knowledge and help them in terms of learning, my mother answered, it seems great, we went to Miss Cristi's house to get her suitcases because from that day on she would live in ours. I was excited because I would be taking school lessons again. When we arrived at the farm, Mrs. Cristi, with tears in her eyes, thanked my mother again for this noble gesture of offering her a home while she overcame the grief of her husband's death. My mother with the humility and kindness that characterized her, said Cristi, for us it is a pleasure to help you not to feel alone, look around you, this place is big, taking her by the hand she said come! Come on children I want us to look for a place for your classes, and ... It occurs to me to invite the children of the Thomas, Robinson, Adams, Scott and the Carters, to attend, tell me Cristi what do you think, since the men left to enlist, the mothers have taken over the jobs of their husbands in the factories and they are left alone at home. The teacher exclaimed ... "That's perfect" my mother told her, "We will organize one of the barns and turn it into a small school and call it" "THE SHAPE OF THE CLOUDS". Tomorrow I will talk to the children's mothers.
Once the mothers gave permission for their children to attend our barn to receive school lessons; we began to receive classes with Miss Cristi, it was fun in a way to feel like we were in school again. I continued drawing, Teacher Cristi, gave us the opportunity for each one of us to express what we knew; many of the children had nice voices and she urged them to sing daily. Five months have passed since dad enlisted to fight in the war, with the arrival of winter the nights seem colder without his presence at home; my mother goes daily to the telegraph to get news of my father. Mom took the initiative to take all the children who come to the farm, to the hill, we lay down on the grass and imagine that we see our parents in the form of clouds; it is fun and their memories remain in our minds and hearts.
I will never forget that January 30, 1918; it was a very cold morning, perhaps the coldest I had ever felt in my life, two men wearing military uniforms knocked on our door and in their hands they were holding the American flag; they handed it to mom and told her, we are sorry your husband was a hero and died for his country. Mom fainted we all ran to help her, when she came back to her senses she looked at us confused and said; Cristi I had a bad dream two men came and told me that my Camille died in combat, Miss Cristi looked down and sobbing said no! Rose, it is true you did not dream it; my mother hugged us tightly and shouted loudly noooooooooooooo! Camille, noooooooooooooo! Miss Cristi, made her some tea and caressing her hair said to her; calm down Rose remember your little ones need you. She just looked at her, my mother was never the same since that fateful day. I suffered a lot when I saw her like that, she didn't eat, she just lay there, sobbing and saying in a low voice: "Damn war! Damn war".
Ten months later in November, Armistice Day, nine million soldiers and five million civilians, among them my father, lost their lives, killed not only in battle but also by epidemics and famine. Ten years have passed and I have already turned twenty, my mother began to forget, sometimes she does not recognize us, Miss Cristi stayed by her side, she helps Stephen and me to take care of her while we work on the farm, I teach drawing classes in my spare time; we still climb the hill and imagine that my father greets us and smiles at us from the clouds. I began a courtship with the youngest Robinson daughter. Eleven years later; September 1, 1939, with the German invasion of Poland, the Second World War begins. My brother is 27 years old and decides to enlist in the army to fight in this new war; in disagreement I told him to forget that absurd decision to join the ranks of combatants; ignoring my advice, I assure him that he will do it to honor the memory of our father. And I promise you that at the end of the war I will be back.
After my brother left for the war, my mother got worse, at night she would go all over the house and call for daddy, when I tried to take her to her room she would ask me what who? She was and what she was doing in her house. The next morning Miss Cristi and I took her to Dr. Harris' house, when he examined her and asked her a series of questions; he told me the news is not encouraging boy. Your mother has suffered a lot and has taken refuge in her pain, because she wanted to forget her brain, she isolated herself from reality. You must be very patient with her, I will prescribe some pills that will help her sleep and keep her calm. I could not hold back my tears, the doctor patted me on the shoulder and said, this is what war leaves behind, destruction and suffering. Back in the house, mom had a moment of lucidity and asked for my brother, I answered her he is working, she smiled and said I am going to lie down a little bit I am tired. Miss Cristi said come Rose, I will accompany you.
Summer 1942, my mother passed away, I could not stand any more suffering; my girlfriend, her family and Miss Cristi, accompanied me to give her the last goodbye. My brother did not find out, in fact even she did not know that he went to serve in the war. After the burial I went up the hill and lying there on the grass I could see my parents holding hands, playing among the clouds as they used to do, from the sky they waved and smiled at last she was with him, no more suffering I wanted to see Stephen but I could not see his face, maybe! he was still alive, and he would keep his promise to come home after the war ended. I wonder why? It happens, the parties in conflict should engage in a dialogue, the parties involved should think more about the devastating consequences it leaves on the Families, than on themselves in their stupid power; it only leaves death, destruction and misery, the stupid war mutilates hope, dreams, progress and we can only visualize the faces of those brave people who went to fight for their country in the shape of clouds to never forget them...
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This text was translated from Spanish to English thanks to the translator Deepl.
