When Johnny Comes Marching Home

This story finds its origins in one of the two writing groups to which I belong. A fellow member of that group, a newcomer to this site, sent me a prompt to reciprocate one that I sent to her. We do this on a weekly basis, and it helps both of us keep our pens busy and our minds limber. The prompt she gave me was to write a story about a soldier that has died in combat; further, I was to craft a story, told from the perspective of a loved one that is preparing to say their goodbyes to their fallen. I decided to create a very different story than the usual fare, and I hope that you enjoy this one. My thanks go out to my friend and compatriot, Maggie. Dear lady, you're an inspiration and a joy to work with. (NOTE: Rather than write the dialogue in an affected manner, I chose simple, straight speech for the voice of the core character, Davey. Please indulge me here; I wanted to tell the story, not get mired in tricky dialogue. I hope that it doesn't take away from the story. And please, by all means, tear it apart and help me re-construct it- I might just be using this one for an upcoming competition. Let me know...)

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