Excerpt: Between The Shadows

A cool breeze swept across the field grass and played with the delicate branches of the tree. Louise inhaled the musky scent of the world around her, and noted the breeze came with a slight chill. Something unusual for the middle of a drought-stricken summer. Her eyes fell on the form of a soldier walking through the tall grass toward her. His bright uniform clearly visible through the blades of grass, and from the decorations on his chest, he appeared to be someone of high rank. He stopped just a few feet short of the canopy, looking rather disgusted at her.
“The battlefield is no place for a woman.” The haughty tone of his British accent cause the corners of her mouth to curl. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“I could say the same thing about you,” she said, looking down at the few words scribbled on the notepad.
“I am suppose to be here. We must protect the King’s land from these rebel scallywags who would usurp the King’s authority in the New World.”
“If you say so.”
She watched him turn back around toward the battle staged in front of her. It was a tedious scene, firing their muskets, then bending down to reload while a second row of soldiers advanced and fired their weapons.
“Why aren’t they using their bayonets?” His question interrupted her thought process, and knew if she didn’t put his mind at ease, he would keep speaking to her until she did.
“This battle is more about showing off, than actual killing,” she said, trying to sound as compassionate as possible. “They’re not here to kill, just entertain.”
“That is ludicrous. We are the King’s soldiers, here to defend the land claimed by his Majesty. Not to put on a show for the locals.”
Louise focused on the crowd off in the distance. It was a good turnout this year. Almost all the tickets were sold. She smiled as the antics of some children in period costumes. They were suppose to be playing a role in the re-enactment, but instead found a different way to entertain themselves.
“See that small child in the blue shirt?” Louse said, watching a blond child run through the long grass. “That’s my daughter. She’s suppose to be a scavenger, and check the dead bodies for any valuable. But as you can see, she is otherwise preoccupied.”
The soldier snapped his head back around, clearly disgusted with her. “You, dear lady, and I use the term loosely, are appalling. To have your children rob the corpse of those who have fallen, is despicable.”
Louise crinkled her brow. “Why, it’s been going on for centuries.”
“Yes, but I would have thought that an upstanding woman such as yourself would not stoop to such behaviours.”
A sly smile crossed her lips. “I’m an upstanding woman now, am I?”
He turned back around, scanning her over before facing the battle again. “Perhaps I was wrong. I noted the pen and paper in your hand and thought you may have been a woman of proper breeding.”
The crowd began to applaud, distracting Louise from the harsh rebuttal that sat on the tip of her tongue. Her anger quickly dissipated as the ’soldiers’ left the battlefield, mixing together in rank while others slapped the backs of their ‘enemies’. Visitors walked up to them, shook hands and started conversations. All to the bewilderment of the Commanding officer standing aghast in front of Louise.
“This isn’t happening,” he mumbled, turning to face Louise. “What are they doing fraternizing with the enemy?”
Louise flipped the notepad closed, and jabbed the pen through the metal rungs at the top. “Things are different now. Not the way you remember them.” she said, and got to her feet. She quickly brushed away any loose dirt or grass from her skirt, and walked toward him. “Those aren’t your soldiers, you don’t belong here.” Louise turned and nodded to another open field. “That is where your battle took place. That is where you died.”
She looked into his eyes, always hoping to see the spark of recognition, but it wasn’t there. His eyes were milky and seemed to look right through her. But then, he probably was. Ghosts did not discern the living from the dead. They were all two-dimensional to them, which was why they tried to communicate with the living.