[00:00.00]Lily lay back in the soft, [00:03.82]green grass of the pasture. [00:06.01]White daisies, golden brown-eyed Susans, [00:10.06]prickly blue viper's bugloss, and frilly [00:13.45]Queen Anne's lace surrounded her. [00:17.39]She beckoned to him from [00:19.68]what seemed like miles away. [00:21.98]He hiked through the grass [00:24.50]calling her name. She began to [00:26.69]stroll away from him [00:28.44]into the distance. He had [00:30.63]to reach her! He loved her so! [00:33.47]If they couldn't marry, he would [00:35.99]make her his mistress! Nothing could [00:38.72]extinguish the flame of his love! [00:41.35]He would cling to that [00:42.99]until his dying day. [00:45.61]Lying stationary was taking [00:48.89]its toll on Jack's circulation. [00:51.63]His feet and hands were numb. [00:54.04]Something was tickling his nose. [00:56.55]He managed to tilt away [00:59.62]from the irritant, whatever it was. [01:02.13]He was so thirsty! He tried [01:06.18]to lubricate his lips with saliva [01:08.37]but had none. His bladder felt [01:11.98]like a separate entity that [01:14.39]would overflow. He could stall [01:17.56]the urge to void no longer [01:19.31]and allowed the urine to [01:20.74]flow out of him.What did [01:23.25]it matter now? He was [01:25.11]as good as dead anyway. [01:27.08]The fort stood in the center [01:30.03]of the pasture. A moat filled [01:32.88]with sharks protected its walls [01:35.07]from any possible intruders. [01:37.36]Jack pedaled his bicycle as fast [01:39.88]as he could. The sharks [01:42.83]whipped back and forth so quickly [01:44.91]they created foam on the surface [01:47.31]of the water. He had to [01:50.27]cross the drawbridge before [01:52.13]it was raised, segregating him [01:54.54]from his regiment and his [01:56.39]pregnant wife, Lily. She saw him [02:00.23]approaching and skipped onto [02:02.30]the bridge to greet him. [02:04.39]The bridge was rising. [02:06.36]The sharks were in frenzy! [02:08.54]He rode as if the hounds [02:10.62]of hell were after him. [02:12.59]He had to reach her! [02:14.56]His right arm was wedged [02:17.84]against a rock. No matter how [02:19.92]hard he tried, he couldn't [02:22.00]wrench it free. This was [02:24.95]getting tiresome. He felt [02:27.25]a stitch in his right side. [02:29.66]That's all he needed now [02:31.30]to die from a ruptured appendix! [02:33.92]He had wriggled enough to [02:36.44]increase the size of the slot [02:38.41]in which he was trapped. [02:40.92]Were those voices he was hearing? [02:43.00]He wasn't deaf! [02:44.64]When he fought his way [02:47.49]to the surface of consciousness [02:49.68]once again, he was being carried [02:51.65]on a litter over the inverted [02:53.95]battlefield. Bodies were strewn everywhere. [02:57.23]The stretcherª²bearers stumbled over [03:01.05]the rough ground but maintained control [03:03.79]of their human cargo as they [03:06.09]made their way to the field hospital. [03:09.15]The fuse leading to the dynamite [03:12.43]in the stern of the oil tanker [03:14.63]burned so rapidly that Jack knew [03:17.14]the ship would explode before [03:19.00]he could reach the hatch [03:20.53]to extinguish the flame. [03:22.72]The olive green ship was almost [03:25.67]within his reach when it blew up. [03:27.86] He felt as if he were [03:30.60]on a grill. His face was [03:32.56]aflame. His body felt as if [03:35.63]the skin had been ripped [03:37.16]from it. He wanted to die [03:39.78]before the pain grew worse. [03:41.86]His forehead felt cool. [03:45.26]He opened his eyes slowly, painfully. [03:48.54]A white-clad nurse sponged [03:51.60]his face gently. As she became [03:54.67]aware of his gaze, she stopped [03:57.07]her ministrations and offered [03:59.15]him a sip of water. [04:01.01]¡°Take it easy,¡± she whispered. [04:03.20]¡°You mustn't drink too quickly. [04:06.04]Too much, too fast [04:08.34]will give you nasty cramps.¡± [04:10.75]Jack was aware of bandages [04:14.07]on his muscular arms and casts [04:16.81]on both legs. Intravenous tubing carried [04:21.51]a clear fluid into his veins. [04:25.01]Consciousness was still transient. [04:28.63]Dreams of a strange pasture mingled [04:31.68]with reality and continued to [04:33.76]haunt his sleep. He understood [04:37.48]he was on a hospital ward, [04:39.67]but where? And how did he get here? [04:42.41]The pretty young nurse was back. [04:46.79]¡°We cabled your wife. [04:49.52]She knows you were injured [04:51.27]but are on the mend.¡± [04:52.91]¡°How did they find me?¡± [04:54.77]Jack asked.¡°A patrol looking [04:57.72]for survivors found you buried [04:59.58]in the the foxhole. You were [05:02.54]calling ¡®Lily!¡¯They started digging [05:05.71]and there you were. You were [05:08.77]stabilized at the field hospital [05:10.63]before they could bring you here. [05:12.93]We scrubbed you up and started [05:15.34]to you with I.V. therapy. [05:18.62]You were very dehydrated and [05:21.36]suffering from urinary retention [05:24.09]and renal failure. Your kidneys [05:26.72]may never function normally again. [05:29.12]The good news is that [05:31.09]you survived,¡± she explained. [05:33.28]A stray strand of hair fell [05:37.22] across Jack's cheek hiding the tears [05:39.52]that crept from his eyes. [05:41.37]He was grateful to have [05:43.68]his life back. He silently saluted [05:46.85]his friend. Mike hadn't been so lucky. [05:50.78]The cable from Lily arrived [05:53.30]the next day. ¡°We have a son [05:56.03]stop Born 05 Dec. stop Healthy [06:00.85]stop Named him Michael stop [06:03.37]I love you. Lily stop P.S. Dad [06:08.29]bought the pasture and [06:11.14]deeded it to Michael.¡±