Letters From The Front
a short story
The uniformed man knocks at her door while winter winds roll down her dusty street. With trembling hands, she takes the letter he holds before her.
Mama,
Do you believe in God?
I did, once.
Beneath our feet, the ground undulates. It reminds me not of an earthquake, but of the moving pictures of blasting mines in the Ruhr, belching forth its acrid breath as hell is summoned to earth by our advances.
I was told they were partisans, lined up for kilometers: Romani, soviets, communists, Juden… rats, all of them. They deserved their fate, but there was more than I imagined possible. They came forth in groups of ten.
At first, they laid them face down in the ravine and shot them through the neck. Then the next ten atop them, then the next…We followed our orders. When the day grew short, they ordered our MGs upon them.
We only paused when our barrel melted; I burnt my hands on the third barrel.
The men went first. They were easy.
The women…they were harder.
My hands shook changing the barrel as the children’s wails echoed over the undead groans emitting from the pit below. I dropped it twice. Pulling the trigger would’ve been easier than standing there watching, staring…
It was a mercy when the wails stopped.
We waited while those few that remained shoveled earth into the ravine that still slithered like a pit of snakes… no, like a pile of maggots.
When they finished, the kommadant executed the final nine with his pistol, until one remained. The boy's eyes were naught pits of endless white, deeper than an endless sky.
After the bullet shattered his skull, the whites of his eyes remained, unblinking.
Those eyes remain. They stare at me through the darkness as I write.
I can no longer stand the whiteness of those eyes. I needed to act.
With the point of my bayonet, I blinded my left eye.
I had not the courage to finish the job. It was foolish to believe removing it might cure my ailment. Half blind, I still see them, unblinking through the darkness consuming and shrouding all color that once existed on God’s green earth.
Mama, what have we done?
Even now, their skeletons grasp upwards through the rents in the earth.
I no longer fear damnation for I know I’m already condemned.
I can only pray this repentance spares me from the eyes. I fear they will stare at me for eternity, in fact I’m certain they will. What did I do to deserve such a fate?
I used to believe in God. Now I know only hell exists.
Goodbye, Mama.
I’m sorry
Tears intermix with dried blood, one last entanglement of mother and son.
The uniformed man tears the letter from her, and with a flick, condemns it to the flames.
“Our great struggle demands sacrifices and secrets. I’m sure you understand. Even still, it would be inhumane to deny his grieving mother his last words.”
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A/N:
It is hard to write a letter from imaginary monsters when real ones walk amongst us. I unfortunately missed the anniversary, though such a celebratory word seems wrong in this instance, of the Babi Yar massacre, info below. I also feel obliged to make some form of statement about complacency, collusion, and the depths of our own ignorance, yet no words feel like they can measure up to the moment. I'll leave it to you to educate yourself.
Written for Rick and company's great challenge:
If you've enjoyed this, please leave a like and an insight below. If you really enjoyed this, tips to fuel my coffee addiction are always appreciated. All formatting is designed for desktops. My best stories can be found below:
About the Creator
Matthew J. Fromm
Full-time nerd, history enthusiast, and proprietor of arcane knowledge.
Here there be dragons, knights, castles, and quests (plus the occasional dose of absurdity).
I can be reached at [email protected]
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Comments (35)
Fanfuckingtastic
Damn straight, this won. Holy hell. I just don't think i have any more words than those. Just, so well done. I can't imagine what went into writing this. Congrats on runner up in Rick's challenge, too, Matt!
Nope, can't finish reading this. I so hate war. But congrats on your win.
Well, fucking done, my friend! Congratulations on your win! I choked up when you got to the final boy. I was talking to a friend at work the other day about being in the military— we were specifically talking about what I would’ve done if I’d been ordered to Portland, Chicago, or LA. What that means for our country and what would I have done if ordered to act against fellow Americans. I like to think I would do the right thing. I’d like to think I’d never be in that situation. It’s so weird seeing so many echoes of the past carried to present day.
Circling back to say a late congrats on winning the knock at the door challenge, Matthew!! 🎉
Congratulations and well done on the challenge win. Excellent news
Congrats buddy! Loved this. Excellent news. ☺️👏
Here Ye Here Ye! All gather round the knights table for the tale of how a, Mr Fromm...Nailed it in the Challenge!!! Super congrats, bud! Well-deserved! 🤩
Yay! Finally, justice for Fromm! Congrats bud on your win!
Wooohooooo congratulations on your win! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
YESSSSS. Matthew, this story needed to be in the winners circle. I am happy for yiu. Enjoy the moment …you did it
Back to say 'congratulations', Matthew on winning the challenge. Well done. This was an amazing and much deserving story.
Congratulations, Mr. Fromm!
Congrats on your top story and good luck in the challenge!!
Well-wrought, friend, and congrats on top story! "Even still, it would be inhumane..." The bitter irony seethes here, as from the many variations of the old line: "We were just following orders."
Thank you for your entry, Matthew.
Circling back for another belated congrats, this for placing second on this week's leaderboard!! 🎉
Wooohooooo congratulations on your Leaderboard placement! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Soul crushing... well done Matthew!! Belated congrats on Top Story!!
Oh man, this was brutal, in its authenticity. Great writing, nothing enjoyable about it. But still, great job.
Matthew, congratulations on your top story and leadership board placement this week. This is truly a superb entry into Rick's challenge and demonstrates how humans are indeed the greatest monsters.
Well deserved!
Crikey. I knew this was going to be heartbreakingly, unflinchingly, brutally fucking honest. And it delivered. There is no Vocalite that write better about the actual horrors of man, especially in conflict than Mr Fromm. There, an actual comment that doesn't have a snide insult slid in there. This just built and built and I felt the MCs pain as he took his own eye out to try and stop seeing the horror he was unwittingly (kinda) part of. Congrats on a well deserved Top Story and just congrats on writing this so well. Couldn't have been fun. I know we joke about how we end up writing about the scum of the earth...but it is never easy, when it's based on something factual. Again, well done.
I feel shell shocked after reading this piece although at the same time, I feel a dire need to weep. This was such profound writing, Matthew, and all too sadly, it also seems so very relevant right now - maybe that’s the real reason I feel the need to cry so badly. Well done…..well done…..and so deserving of a Top Story.
An unflinching and profoundly human piece. The letter format exposes the horror of complicity in a way that feels both intimate and unbearable. You’ve captured the weight of guilt with devastating restraint, haunting and masterful.