The Fight (Ink Notes #3)

The lightning lashes across the sky, illuminating the world so that for one second it looks like it is day. After a few moments its friend thunder echos. The wind begins to pick up, causing the people on the street to clutch at their belongings with more determination. On the water, an elderly man looks down into the harbor. The boat begins to thrash even more as the waves become unruly. He toss a wreath of flowers upon the water's surface.

"Goodbye Jack. We still miss you" he thinks. He catches a glimpse of his face reflecting off the water and it brings him back to the day Jack lost his life. They were both sailors in Pearl Harbor. He still remembers the first 16 in. armor-piercing shell slamming into his ship, rocking everything violently. It still happens in slow motion: the explosion rocking the boat, the men getting out of bed bewildered and scrambling to put on clothes as they run to their stations. He can still see the fire raging and angry as it works to engulf everything in its path and the boys fighting to tame it. He remembers looking for his best friend Jack. He runs on to the deck holding on as another explosion rocks the ship. He sees Jack already on the anti-aircraft gun - the ship may have been injured but the men's spirits were just as strong. Hank looks around and can't help but see his friends die. He seems to be frozen, watching as the planes fly over head pelting the ship and her crew with biting bullets. The bodies jerk as the bullets fly through. The blood begins to shade the water a darker unsettling color.

He hears shouting and it helps him to gather his senses. Turning to his left he sees another friend. Mark had taken to using his M1 Gerand. It wouldn't be anything against a Japanese plane but it is all he had. He screams as he shoots getting all his anger out. Hank watches powerlessly as Mark is gunned down. Another explosion goes off in the water spraying the men as the USS Tennessee is hit. Hank looks down in the water and sees men swimming, but it's hard. There are bodies everywhere making the swim challenging. He watches in horror as the planes doing another sweep let loose their ammo and attack the men swimming to shore. It's over in a seconds but will continue to play in his mind. The bodies begin to sink down to the bottom in an ironically peaceful way.

The PT boats now begin to cruise in the water adding more support to the men. It's chaos. The fires become more unruly and begin to eat more of the ships. The black smoke billows up into the sky making it harder to see the planes. Hank goes to an empty anti-aircraft gun and begins to let loose with the bullets. He gets a plane and it explodes in the air. He gets another and another. A noise to his right makes him turn. Jack his friend has been hit! He watches frozen as Jack grabs a discarded M1 Carbine and shoots at the planes. But it is no use. The planes have an advantage. They let loose again and Jack goes down. Hank rushes over to his fallen comrade.

Jack grabs his hand. "It will be ok!" Hank thinks. His friend smiles one last time and then, like the rest of the fallen men, slip away. Hank begins to weep. How could this have happened? The smoke billowing in the air aids in his grief. He slowly rises and begins to help the other men fight. He can't stop and mourn - this isn't the place.

The thunder brings him back to the present. He wipes the tears rolling down his cheek. With one last look in the water he turns and heads back into the boat's shelter. He will never forget.