There Comes a Time

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. It was subtle and most would not have noticed, other than to think they heard wrong, or it was a mistake. For us, it was the sound none of us wished to hear, but we were ready to do what had to be done, no matter the consequences. The secret signal rang clear, thirteen chimes, sending the message that 'the talks failed'.

Now, it all came down to trust. Trust that others will stay true to their word and follow through on a promise made and not abandon us. It’s easy to be brave in the shadows, it’s what we do in the light that reveals who we really are. We were now faced with only one option, unfortunately that option will pit neighbor against neighbor and brother against brother. You can only suppress people for so long until they break. Once you take all that a person has, then they have nothing left to lose, and that is when they become dangerous.

Oddly enough, it was roughly one hundred years ago when a nation and a world were in a similar situation, their lack of a decision almost destroyed us. They say history has a way of repeating itself, I believe it isn't history repeating but mankind's failure to choose a different path that allows the repeat of history.

If we should win, then we become the victors, heroes to the next generation and all that we do will be worth the pain. Should we lose, we will be known as traitors. Perhaps history will have pity on us and realize we had no choice. Either way, the next steps we take must be forward, we no longer have the luxury of looking back.

The time has come, I steady myself for that final leap, the beginning of the end, so to speak. My wife and son stand by the door, my bags by her feet. With tears in her eyes and a confused look on my child's face I step forward, she opens her arms wide. Picking up my boy the three of us embrace. No matter how much I prepared for this moment, this part is unbearable, so much harder than I realized. How do we say goodbye, perhaps forever. I force myself to breakaway. In this moment everything becomes magnified, the ticking of the clock, my uneven breathing, our suppressed sobs, the intensity of silence.

I don't know if others will be out there waiting for me, or if I walk alone. I will not condemn them if they chose to remain behind, we all have a choice to make. Trying to look brave, I glance one more time upon the reasons I am doing this, and smile.

Taking a deep breath, I step out into the street to welcome what ever may come.

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This is for Liam Storms Unofficial Challenge. I wrote this story on my phone. Unfortunately the original copy disappeared when I tried to transfer it to Vocal. I tried my best to remember what I wrote and how, but I realize that it does not have the same feel as the original. Regardless I really wanted to submit something for this challenge. Plus, I need to hit the six hundred word count so now I am just babbling ...forty more words to go... I realize that by typing the words forty and six hundred instead of using the number key, I gain more word count.

I would like to take this time and express my thanks to everyone who supports and reads my works. I truly hope you know how much this means to me.

Thank you,

Jason