TW: war
An early morning on a cruise ship. Michael looks at the letter in his hands. He already knew what it was. But he had to tell Jake. Jake was standing in the hallway, his glazed eyes looking out into the sparkling waters. They were both longtime friends, and their families had been connected from generation to generation. But they weren't from the same place. Two different countries that hated each other. And a war that never seemed to end.
Michael sobbed as he handed the letter to Jake. Jake hadn't been drafted, but a draft had been declared in Michael's country. Jake scanned it, hugging Michael. "We're now at war." Michael whispered, the words feeling bitter in his mouth. In one week, he would be reporting to the government and becoming the next conscript in a long list of already dead men. Jake looked into Michael's eyes. "Just make it out in one piece, and we can see each other again. When the war ends." Jake's eyes were tearing up, too. This didn't have to happen. The governments of the world should've been better, yet the good people had to die. When Michael left to see his mother and father, Jake opened up something deep in his pocket, so it couldn't be caught by anyone else. A military letter. He had been accepted into the army after enlisting. Jake's eyes fluttered shut, imagining having to shoot Jake. He didn't have to imagine the possibility of them being enemies anymore, or imagine a world in which he may have to shoot his best friend.
ns 15.158.61.21da2
