TDTLBU Chapter Sixty-Six

Christmas Eve, 1944. One hundred and twenty-four frozen and terrified men huddled in trenches hacked out of ground that had turned hard as rock in the subzero temperatures. Snow had fallen again and it was hard to keep the fires going. 

Many men did not have winter coats. Many of those who did were ordered to shed them so they could march faster. Proper boots were a rarity and frostbite a daily occurrence. Snow fell constantly. Dark green uniforms stood out like glaring targets in a white world.

It was strange somehow to be so unbearably cold when the horizon seemed at times to be on fire. It was a dark night, but flashes of the explosions from bombs and tanks lit the sky all around them. The cold was unbearable pain and the wind burned like fire. It was so cold that after a while, it wasn't even cold anymore. One simply became numb to it. Finally reaching warmth again somehow caused terrible pain as life returned to frozen limbs. 

"Gonna… lose my fingers…" Andy muttered, holding his frozen, chapped hands as close as he possibly could to the flames without burning them off. He was shivering violently, his teeth chattering. 

"Rub 'em together, fast as you can," Sandy advised. "And whatever you do, guys, don't take your boots off. You won't be able to get 'em back on."

"I forgot I had any feet," Josh groaned. "They don't feel like anything. It's like trying to walk with concrete blocks stuck to the bottom of my legs."

"Stick 'em closer to the fire." Ronnie had been rummaging through his pack and now tossed Andy a pair of woolen mittens. "Put those on. I've got spares."

"Hate to admit it," Andy pulled the mittens on gratefully and leaned closer to the fire. "But I'm scared half to death." He kept his head down, staring directly into the flames, hoping nobody could see the tears in his eyes. 

"We're all scared," Ronnie answered quietly. 

"I don't want to die," Andy added, in a small voice. "I… I wanna go home. See the farm again. Mom and Dad and Riley and… Sarah. She… she promised to marry me, y'know," he stifled a half-sob and drew a deep, shaking breath. "Man, it's cold. They'll never believe me when I tell 'em how cold."

"He that abideth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty," Ronnie whispered. "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust."

✯✯✯

Midnight. Christmas day. It was even colder than before. And silent as the snow fell. Somewhere down the line, someone began singing Silent Night between chattering teeth. A few more joined in. Those who did not sing simply listened, trying to keep tears from spilling onto their frozen faces.

The German lines had remained silent. The hours crawled by. Some of the men managed to catch a few moments of miserable sleep. Dawn streaked heatless rays of fiery sun across a gray sky and then vanished beneath heavy clouds. And then... The enemy opened fire.

It was heavier than they had anticipated. Fire rained down, more fierce and savage than the cold had ever been. But the American lines remained silent. Something was wrong.

Ronnie could feel dozens of terrified eyes staring straight at him. All along the line, he could hear the frustrated cries of men left weaponless. Not a single gun would fire. The most terrifying sound in all the world somehow was the click of a worthless, frozen rifle. The enemy was advancing and there they sat, helplessly. It was a moment of fate… if they moved it could mean near-certain death, but if they stayed where they were, death was more than certain. They were as good as dead already. Better to go down fighting than to accept defeat, in spite of the fact that some were begging to surrender. Ronnie didn't think… he simply acted.

"Fix bayonets!" he shouted, rising from the trench as he slid the steel blade onto the barrel of his rifle. He had no idea what he was doing. Bayonets had barely been briefed on in training. They were only a formality… a weapon of the past. They stared at him as if he was crazy. But every one of the remaining one hundred and twenty three men rose with him, fumbling with their bayonets desperately. 

An open field, ankle deep with snow, lay between them and the enemy. It was a near impossible thing they were about to do. Like the morning they had crossed Omaha beach, they would have to run unprotected, straight toward enemy fire. But it was their only choice… charge… or surrender. 

Surrender was never an option. This battle was a death struggle and would only end when the evil was completely choked out. To surrender now meant to hand over the fate of the world to the devil. So the one hundred and twenty three men on a frozen hillside somewhere in Ardennes threw caution to the wind and charged with a wild roar. One hundred and twenty four angry, desperate men, making their last rush for victory.


14 comments:

  1. I can't...breathe...

    ...the...black...spots...

    That's it.

    My comments keep getting more terse and desperate as this goes on, don't they? I ought to have something of more substance to say.

    I felt frozen and terrified right along with the boys. I think Ronnie is really my favorite. Don't take offense, Josh and Mac, please. But I love the quiet, steady leader. He just seems to embody courage and steadfastness and--safety. I smiled when he gave Andy mittens; I felt warm all over when he quoted Psalm 91; I shuddered when he ordered bayonets.

    And please, sir, I want some more.

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    1. So glad to know Ronnie is your favorite 🤗 He's my favorite too...

      I'm working on it today! The book is veeeery nearly finished... one chapter to add after this one and then the next several chapters after that are already finished. So I should be able to get it up pretty fast.

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    2. Oh, wow, that is stupendous! I'm so proud of you!!

      Hugs! :D

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  2. Dear Ruth….

    Well, by now you’ve probably noticed there have been some sudden changes around here. And…. I guess there is no good time to explain it. I can barely make myself believe it, let alone say this out loud. But I’m kinda the only one here to drop the bomb.

    Julie…. Won’t be able to keep writing here, due to circumstances beyond both of our control. And…. Hence, TDTLBU is paused until further notice. And it’s just me here now. Feeling precisely like the time Anne was left alone in the woods with her imagination, and fainted.

    Just wanted to let you know, and say… I know how much it meant to her that you read and loved and revelled in her “people” so faithfully! It means the world to have someone believe in a world you create…. So on her behalf and by the power vested in me as Fellow Blog Author…. I say Thankyou🤗

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    1. Emily . . . I just saw this. I've been reading it over and over, pleading God it's a bad dream. I feel . . . I can't even describe it. I don't know what to say.

      Thank you for telling me. My heart aches so much for you. Your friendship with Julie was a delight to behold and I know a tremendous blessing for both of you. If there is anything, anything, I can do, my email is ruthmarch23@gmail.com. You're not alone in the woods.

      When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.

      I have a very vivid imagination, and right now it's running wild with possible scenarios. Take your time, but if and when you can, will you grant me some closure?

      Lots of hugs,
      Ruth

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    2. I know the feeling. *insert hysterical laugh verging on tears* That’s precisely how it went on this side…. I’m really not good at sudden surprises, especially the kind that ends up rocking everything wildly.

      Ahhh Ruth…. I don’t even know what to say, except Thankyou…. From me this time, and with my whole heart. Thankyou SO much, for being there. You have no idea how good it is to hear…. And I may just take you up on that. Saving your email right now…. Is three times too many to say Thankyou?

      Yes, of course…. That’s only fair. As much as I can, which, I’m afraid isn’t really a lot…. And I feel like I should clarify a little to begin with. She’s gone, not…. Gone. She had something come up very suddenly, and…. Just won’t be able to go on authoring here. The kind of thing that affects the foreseeable future. I can’t really go into details here, but it was big. And I’m afraid that’s really all I can say….

      Hugs back,
      ~Emi

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    3. Aw, you're welcome, and thank YOU for being so brave.

      Oh, that's a relief . . . I think. Julie's like sunshine, and she made this blog such a welcoming and delightful haven. It's been the "thrilliest of thrills" to be part of the fun. This feels like the end of an era.

      But you don't need that from me. I'm so glad you're here, Emily, loyal as always. I'm praying for both of you!

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    4. Ohhh I feel a quote coming on…. I’m not 100 percent sure where it came from, but I know it happened on a Golden Picnic…. “I am so glad you spoke that thought, instead of just keeping it to yourself.” Because that’s exactly what she’s like, sunshine…. Pure gold🤗🤗🤗 I think that’s why it feels so stormy here now, the sunshine vanished. And it does feel like the end of an era….

      Thankyou yet again💕 And again, for everything! I know, I seem to be full of record scratches today😆 But I mean it, that is…. Such a blessing to hear.

      I’ll try to make the next chapters on here ones she would heartily approve of😜 And—Ohh!! Speaking of next chapters…. By any chance…. Would you like a summary of the rest of the book? I got to read it ahead of time…. And being Chief-Spoiler-Girl, remember quite a lot I have permission to tell you🙃

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    5. I have every confidence in you to carry it on! And it feels like cheating, because we were so near the end, but . . . yes. I would like a summary. :)

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  3. Well, if you don’t mind waiting…. There may be another way!
    There is a possibility, just a possibility, mind you, that I may be able to piece together the last bit of the book…. Like she said, it was nearly ready…. I’m not sure how long it would take, but if you like, I can hold off on the summary and try n give you the opportunity to see the rest the way it was meant to be seen….

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    1. That would be an inestimable delight . . . but I'd appreciate anything you can work out! Patience is my middle name. (Not really, but I don't mind waiting!)

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    2. Ohh!!! Ruth!!! Eeeeee!!!!! 😆As you may have concluded from all the exclamation marks…. I am Very Excited Indeed. The reason being…. This is going to work even better than planned, or I miss my guess. The next chapter (dare I say the next few?) is set to go up at any moment, and while some of the rest may not be as quickly done, I am DELIGHTED.

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    3. Oh, this is deserving of exclamation points, indeed!!!! :D

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  4. You’ve probably noticed by now, but chapters 68 and 69 are up now as well😜

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Blessed are they who comment, for they shall receive more chapters!