This is another songchapter.

The song is: Sound The Bugle from Bryan Adams (Spirit soundtrack)

I hope that you'll like it :)


Chapter 29: Sound The Bugle

"I don't need anyone around Marlene! I am fine!" She backed away from him, startled by the look in his bloodshot eyes. His flipper rose as if he wanted to hit her, but she avoided it and ran towards the exit. She turned around before climbing up the ladder. "Alright then, I'll leave." She felt the tears welling up in her eyes. She climbed out of the HQ, closing the fishbowl exit. She decided to leave him alone for the next three days.

He opened his eyes. The headache wouldn't go away, no matter how many painkillers he took. He laid down in his bunk, his headache prevented him from doing anything. He closed his eyes. He felt numb, tired and even a bit ill. The sleep came soon.

He had the feeling that there was something very wrong. He felt his pounding headache, the stiffness in his neck, but there was more. He tried to get out of his bunk, but his right arm would not obey his commands. It was paralyzed, powerless. He tried his right leg, but it wouldn't move either. He didn't know what was going on, but it wasn't a good thing. He closed his eyes again.

The feeling of being unable to do anything drove him almost crazy. He just laid there. There was nothing left but thinking about what had happened and what he had done. He knew that he would never find out what had caused him to get in this condition, but he was sure that it would mean his end. He wished that it would end soon. He could not help but thinking about his friends, the once who were always there for him. But they were gone. Nobody was able to help him, because no one knew about his situation. Nobody out there cared about him, except for Marlene. He had caused his own death by sending her away. He wished that she would remember him like he once was, young, happy, maybe even a little foolish. He was all alone now, all alone waiting for his end to come. Unable to make a move, to prevent he would die from starvation or dehydration. It didn't matter anymore, he knew that it had to be his punishment for what he had done to his friends and family.

Sound the bugle now,

play it just for me.
As the seasons change,

remember how I used to be.
Now I can't go on,

I can't even start.
I've got nothing left,

just an empty heart.

He felt his body weakening with every moment, just like the pressure in his head was rising. He was about to lose his fight to stay conscious. He opened his eyes for another moment. He looked around the HQ. All the happy times he had spent there, with his friends. Would he see them again? What was there after he left his body? Total darkness or a place called heaven? There was nothing worth living for. He would die alone, there was no one who cared about him anymore, no one to help him.

I'm a soldier,

wounded so I must give up the fight.
There's nothing more for me,

lead me away...
Or leave me lying here.

He didn't care about dying, leaving this cold harsh world. He wished it would come soon. There was no way to avoid it. His vision blurred and he felt the darkness coming over him. He closed his eyes again, relaxed the view muscles he had left to control. The numbness took over, his life would be over in a moment. The thoughts disappeared from his mind.

Sound the bugle now,

tell them I don't care.
There's not a road I know,

that leads to anywhere.
Without a light I fear that I will stumble in the dark.
Lay right down,

decide not to go on.

"I am proud of you." A distant, but very familiar voice called out to him. The darkness which had seemed endless, lightened a little. He noticed that the pain was gone. He saw four shades coming closer to him. The closest one, talked to him again. "I hope that you have remembered who you really are, young Benjamin." Skipper waddled towards him, but he wasn't like the Skipper he had known. His happy face looked years younger, his feathers were shining. His bright blue eyes were looking proudly at him. The three other penguins moved closer to them. They were also younger than he remembered them. Kowalski, Nigel and Rico smiled at him. Rico's scar was gone, and he seemed saner than Private had ever seen him.

Then from on high,

somewhere in the distance.
There's a voice that calls,

"Remember who you are"
If you lose yourself,

your courage soon will follow.

"Am I dead now?" He asked his friends. Kowalski shook his head. "No. Not yet. It appears that you are in a coma. But it wouldn't take long before it will happen." A friendly smile covered his face. He spoke in a soft loving voice."You have to be strong for a little longer, than you can come to us." Skipper nodded, he apparently agreed with Kowalski. "You really are a worthy soldier, you only have to fight this battle a little longer, than you will be free. " He reached out for Skipper's flipper, but he couldn't touch him. "Just a little longer Private, then you can join us." Private felt himself fading away from them, but they weren't disappearing from him, he was from them. "I don't want to leave you! Skippah!" The tears streamed over his face. He tried to break away from the invisible power which was parting him from his friends. He wanted to be with them, to be free from his thoughts. He knew that he could win the battle. He only wished that he would know when. The darkness around him lightened completely.

So be strong tonight,

remember who you are.
You're a soldier now,

fighting in a battle,

to be free once more.

That's worth fighting for.

All his surroundings were white, there was nothing to be seen, only the white substance around him. He sat down, waiting for that what would, or wouldn't come. Suddenly, a swan appeared in front of him. She was large, perfectly white and her feathers shimmered a little.

"Who are you?" He asked the swan. The swan had a friendly expression on her face. "I am your guide, you can call me Angel." Her brown eyes looked loving him, and she swam through the white substance towards a light at what appeared the end of the lightness. He now noticed that he was swimming too, but it didn't cost him energy. They swam towards the bright light and Private saw the most beautiful flowers appearing around him, in all possible colors. Four penguins were standing in the light, smiling and waving. A smile appeared on Private's face. He had finally found a happy place, one where he would stay forever. Everything was alright now and nothing would change that.


I guess not everybody knows what exactly made Private die, so I'll explain it here. :)

It was a cerebral hemorrhage, also known as a stroke.

Most of them aren't caused by an accident, but a fall or such can cause a bleeding in the head.

:)