Chapter One

Ready

 

  The morning spring air did not smell of flower and bees, and birds chirping. It smelled of donkey radish, and was deafening with the roar of thunder overhead and the donkey’s feet splashing and clattering.

  I shivered so hard, that the whole, black world seemed to be shaking slightly. Even though the base was in view, it didn’t seem to be getting closer. I could see dots which I thought were those German planes my father told me about on the base. I was ready…

  Or was I? I had waited all my life for this moment; for the ultimate success and respect. I was ready to join German’s proud air force. I had already imagined myself coming home one day to my wife and kids. I would have 50 medals around my neck, and all of Germany following behind me. I thought too soon.

  By now, I was wishing I’d never come here. Faint lighted glowed from the camp as I turned the last corner. Eager to make my destiny, I hopped out of the wheel barrow, and waved good-bye to the donkey and his driver. He just looked at me and muttered something under his breath. I pretended not to hear.

 I turned on my heels, and stopped. The olive green tents to my left were ugly, old, and cramped. The main building on the right was made of brick. A few windows were broken. The hangers looked like they were made and used since the time of the first flight of the Wright Brothers. Was I really ready?

 

Chapter 2

Surprise

 

 I stood where I was for a full five minutes. I didn’t notice the rain washing over me, or the thunder laughing around me. This wasn’t a place where you would have a picnic. It was not pretty.

 “Hey you!” a man’s voice yelled from the base. “Wha’ do you think you’re doing; having a shower? Come in!”

 It took me a minute to find the man in the darkness.

 “Well, are you coming or not?” the voice asked.

 “Uhh… Oh!” Umm. Yeah! I just-uh…” I stammered. Suddenly, the cold dropped on me. I ran to the man to warm up.

 “Look at you! Ha! Someone could mistake you for a stray dog!” I looked at myself and my saggy clothes and hair hanging over my eyes. He was right. I could even fool myself into thinking that I was a stray dog.

 “Umm… uhh… I need… wanted …uh, to… tooo know if I coooould ssssign up for the airfffforce here?” I stammered, my teeth chattering.

 “Yeah… Sure,” was the reply. “But first you gotta com in and get yourself dry! You’re gonna drown us all if you don’t.” The man managed a smile.

 The man held the door open as I walked into the bright, humid room. People in front of me were bustling about.

 “Go on down there,” the man said, pointing to a hallway. “And go to the fourth door to your right. Then come out, and go to the door directly to your right.” I nodded a small “OK” and walked down the hall. The building suddenly got quit. I could feel a hundred eyes staring at my back. No one moved. I just wished I could get into the designated room, and hide forever.

 When I got inside the correct room, I found a towel and a drier. I hung my clothes on a rack, and tried to wring out as much wet rain from them as possible. Then, I worked on getting myself dry. In half an hour, my clothes were mostly dry, and I was all clean. I put my clothes back on. The small amount of moisture made wearing my clothes slightly uncomfortable, but I could bear it.

 I rushed out of the room, and slammed into a big, tall, statue of a man in a green uniform, and a tight frown slapped on top.

 “Well, surprise, surprise!”

 

 

Chapter 3

The Magic Number

 

 “You must be our newest member. Come with me.” the man said in a gruff voice.

 “Well, actually, I would like to know If I could join,” I corrected nervously.

 “Well, excuse me. The man that waited for you at the door must have said the wrong thing to me. You said you wanted to join?” the man exclaimed.

 “Uh, yes,” I looked down on the man’s uniform, and the stripes told me that he was a captain. “I am very willing to join Germany’s elite air force,” I replied with confidence.

 “Then all you need to do is follow me into my office.”

 The Captain led me into his door, which read “Captain’s Room”, and asked me to sit down before he took his own seat behind the tidy desk.

 ”All you have to do is sign a few questions. But first, do you have any skills in aviation?” the Captain asked me politely.

 “Of course. I’ve been flying since I could, and my father knew all about the war, and flying tactics, because he has a friend in the air force,” I gave back with insurance.

 “OK then. Here are you’re papers. Sign here, here, and here.” I hastily signed my full name, and started building up excitement. I was a signature away from joining the air force.

 “You’re all set.”

 I sighed in relief, glad that the most boring part was over.

 “OH! And just one more thing! PRINT your name right here. This will be for your cap, uniform, and suit.” The man startled me into a quick state of shock.

 The deed’s done. I thought.

 “You’re clothes will come tomorrow, ready to wear in your tent at noon,” said the Captain.

 “Thank you very much!” I said, gratefully.

 “No need to!” the Captain replied with a quick smile. As silence fell over the room, I concentrated my eyes on the wall behind the Captain, burrowing my vision into it.

 “You’re tent will be number 29,” he said, piercing the silence.

 I nodded, and head out the door, and into the cold. The rain had stopped, but the thunder still hung. I ran around the tents, searching for that one magic number on a tent, covering my ears.

 I found my tent, my one-way ticket to freedom from the noise, and went inside.

 

Chapter 4

Just Do!

 

 A notebook slammed shut, a lamp light clicked off, and a furl of blankets was followed by silence.

 What a great way to greet a new-comer. I thought to myself. I looked around at my new living space. The walls seemed squeezed in, a lamp on a table and chairs, hooks on the wall, and a bunk-bed were all the furniture in the room.

 A heap of body was already on the bottom bunk, so I took off my shoes and jacket, and climbed up the ladder-less bed to the top. I covered myself with the cool, crisp blankets, and before long, I was dozing off.

 

 

 “Surprise, surprise!” a devilish looking British pilot in a plane said to me. It chased me around, and I ran fast, but defiantly not fast enough to beat 120 miles per hour. The plane dove at me, and charged.

 I was panting and sweating. A thunder clap laughed at my helplessness. The plane descended. Black.

 I woke with a start. Perspiration was pouring from me.

 “Get up!” a voice yelled from bellow. I jumped down the bed instantly, and looked outside. The sun was just about to rise.

 “You’re already ten minutes late!” the mystery man yelled.

 “For what?” I asked unknowingly.

 “Don’t ask! Just do!"

 

 

Chapter 5

Black

 

 I jumped into my shoes and sprinted out of the tent. I didn’t know where I ran, I just did.

 “That way you-” The mystery man was cut off by a roar of engines coming from above and the West.

 “British bombers! Get down!” a man yelled from the field. I turned around and fled, not knowing what was going on. A sharp pain.

 Black again.

 

Floating above me were white cotton clouds. Rolling under me were green farms and meadows of all shades. To the right of me was a bird. Did it just wink at me? Aww well.

 “Wait!” I thought this couldn’t be happening. I looked down again, and realized I didn’t hear the roar of any engines! I was flying without a plane! But not for long.

 I instantly plummeted, falling hopelessly to the earth. The ground zoomed closer by the second. I flapped my arms wildly, but I just kept falling.

 I could see the base by now. Yes, the tents, the planes, and the main building were all there.

Then I saw a man. A big, buff one that was looking up. Did he see me? I hoped.

 “Help!” I yelled. I received no answer.

 “HELP! HELP!” I yelled again. The man materialized, and became the Captain.

 “Hey, over here!” I yelled again. The man said nothing back. The Captain turned around and headed back to the main building of the base.

 Well, that was the third time the world went black.