Second Harvest

"What, by killing someone of superior rank instead?"

The general stood to his feet. "That will be enough Captain, do you have any further questions for Mr. Folsom?"

He shook his head.

The gavel rapped hard. "We will adjourn until ten in the morning."

That night, after refusing dinner, Roy climbed into his bed fully clothed, curled into a ball, and faced the wall. Any energy remaining in his body was depleted. Roy wished he could go to sleep and never wake up. Soon he was asleep, remaining in the same position until dawn. At six-thirty in the morning, Roy was startled by his cell door being unlocked and opened. Lifting slightly, Roy peeked over his shoulder and saw the general entering the cell. Roy leaped from the bed, preparing to salute.

"Sit down Roy, relax. At ease soldier," the general motioned with his hands.

Grabbing a chair, the general slid it near the bed and sat down. He waited until the guard cleared the room. "In a little while, the guards are bringing your breakfast and coffee. I can't force you, but please, for my sake, eat your meal."

"So, this is my last meal before I get executed?"

"I beg your pardon? No, no, no, Roy, you need your strength."

"Why General, so they can execute a healthy man?"

The general was shocked. He leaned forward, resting his arms on his thighs, and folded his hands. "Please, for this moment, you can address me as Walter. Mind you, this conversation and our meeting never took place. Do you understand my meaning Roy?"

Roy nodded.

"Great. For now, you and I are having a conversation, between two men. When I walk out that door, everything returns to normal; me a general, you the corporal and soldier. Is that clear?"

Again, Roy nodded in agreement.

The general leaned back in his chair and relaxed. "You remind me of my son. He would be about your same age. How old are you?"

"Thirty-seven, sir."

"Okay, close. He was a couple of years younger. My son was an early casualty in this war. So, as you can see, each of us has lost someone near to us."

"Like my friend Stanley?"

"Yes, exactly. Now, I know you're worried and scared about these proceedings, but you need to understand something. The hearing is a formality due to the circumstances. We require a trial because if we didn't, the Army would have armed soldiers shooting each other over silly disagreements. We need civil law and order. It's bad enough we train men how to kill on the battlefield, but completely opposite when the war ends, and we send these soldiers home. We're supposed to expect them to forget about all the bloodshed, pretending as if none of this fighting and killing ever happened; back to their perfect little worlds. How crazy is that?"