My submission for Day Four: Time Period!Sory.
This Damned War
Sam shivered convulsively on the frozen, snow covered ground of a foreign land. It was his turn to stand lookout, watch for enemy advances. It'd been a long day of great loss and all Sam wanted to do was crawl down into the trench and go to sleep. He just wanted the day to be over. He wanted the damned war to be over.
He was sitting on the cold ground, bundled up against the frigid bite of the unforgiving German winter night, but still not nearly warm enough. He needed a distraction, so he fell back on his favorite thing to think about, the only thing that kept him going: Rory.
Somewhere, an ocean away, back in America, Rory was probably sitting in front of a warm fire, drinking a cup of tea, and listening to the radio. Sam smiled to himself at the image. It made him feel almost warm to think of his boyfriend back home. All Sam wanted was to be able to curl up next to him on the couch, pull him into his arms, and kiss him breathless.
He sighed and reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a letter, unfolding it. A picture fell out of the folded letter and landed in his lap. Sam held the paper up to his face, trying to make out the words on the worn page. It was dark, but he'd read the letter so many times that he had it memorized.
My dearest Sam,
I miss you every moment of every day. It's as though I am not whole while you're away. I hear rumors ever day that the war will end soon, and I pray every night before bed that they're true. The house is so empty without you. I sometimes turn the radio on when I'm sitting alone, just to fill the silence. I hope that you're well. Please stay safe and come home to me. Home to where you belong.
Yours always,
Rory
He reached into his lap and held the picture up so he could see it in the dim moonlight. It was a picture they'd taken on their trip to New York City. Rory's eyes sparkled with excitement. He'd never seen anything like the lights of the city, and Sam reveled in the look of innocence and pure joy that Rory had worn the entire trip as he saw everything for the very first time. Rory took pictures of everything, even the most mundane things. Finally, Sam had taken the camera from him, laughing. He'd asked a bystander to snap a picture of the two of them and he'd obliged.
Sam smiled at the memory and held the picture to his chest, sighing deeply and looking up toward the night sky. He hoped that, soon, he'd be able to hold Rory in his arms again, but until then he had to be patient and pray for this damned war to end.
