Marlene McKinnon had a beautiful smile. It was the kind that lights up a room, the kind that made you feel like it was the reward after the joke.
It was bright, cheery, wide, and came easily. Marlene had a thousand different ways of smiling. All of them were equally cheering.
When the war came, Marlene's happy, beautiful smile could make a person's day. It would be the tiny bit of sun shining through the gray, depressing blanket of clouds.
But it was a war.
As the days passed, there was increasingly fewer things to smile about.
Maybe someday, after the war, Marlene's smile would come as easy as it once had.
Too bad she never lived to see the end of it.
~oOo~
AN: So there it is… how'd you like it? If anyone is actually reading this… . If by any chance, you are, REVIEW! Please?