Once out of my cabin I followed the sergeant real close.
I’d only been here a couple days,
and it was a hectic coupla days at that.
Now I wish I had memorized the layout of the grounds
a whole helluva lot better than I did.
Since I didn’t,
I had to rely on Sgt. York.
As we made our way away from my cabin
and away from the main lodge,
a shadow slipped out of the void on my left.
It kept its distance.
Then another shadow on my right appeared.
That makes four of us.
Another one on the right.
Now two more on the left.
These too, kept their distance.
But everybody wanted to make their presence felt.
One more on the left.
That makes six, not counting Sarge and me.
By now we were a decent quarter-mile from the Lodge.
These soldiers must’ve been raised by “Mother Church Mouse”.
‘Cause there wasn’t a sound to be heard.
‘Cept one or two very small twig breaks.
You wouldn’t’ve heard these if it weren’t so “deathly” quiet anyway.
Without stepping on him, I was still hugging Sarge’s rear end.
On my left, at about 9 o’clock,
I could detect the faintest light of sunrise.
As I swung my head back around to my front,
I’ll be “go-to-hell” if I didn’t see the smallest,
and faintest of a red light about a quarter-mile ahead.
As if I could tell in the dark.
And it was above us in elevation.
So we trudged on.
All of a sudden, I realized,
something was missing.
Sarge must’ve showered.
And put on clean clothes.
I could not detect his usual pipe fragrance.
Ya had to know this wasn’t his first stealth mission.
And knowing that,
gave one a nice feeling of calm.
Then I noticed too,
the wind was at our back.
Mother Nature was on our side.
The soft, small, red light did not show itself again.
But I could definitely sense,
all my shadow brothers were heading to where that signal came from.
So we trudged on.
And “Dawn” grew.
Ever so infinitesimally.
Even so, each and every speck of light was so welcome.
There’s something about knowing the sun was coming
and bringing the day with it,
that stirred one’s spirit.
Soon we were gaining elevation.
We must be getting close to where the signal came from.
Then,
“Wait a minute!” I said way too loudly.
“SSSHHH!”
Sarge turned around and got in my face.
And, about five notches lower in volume, said,
“What the hell is the matter with you.”
“Where’s Wilson?” I was able to ask at a very muted volume.
You see,
I got so wrapped up into the covert nature of getting out of the compound so quietly,
that I forgot why I was slinkin’ around in the dark with a bunch of shadows in the 1st place.
!!! Wilson !!!
The Sarge was still in my face,
and I could tell all the shadows surrounding me had stopped as well.
“He’s up ahead. With Pvt. Benjamin.
Their running point.”
“So relax. He’s safe.
Benny’s the best point man we’ve got.
She learned her skillset from one of the best.”
I brought my hand up between our faces.
Gave him a thumbs up.
And a nod.
He turned around and started off again.
In the lessening darkness,
on my left,
and on my right,
the “shadows of dark” moved en masse .
So we trudged on.
And so did “Dawn”.
BSOT
Ian
me, the Dalai Lama & Jack Nicholson 