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This was not originally written for the 100 Theme challenge, however it fitted point four, and I realized it would work well with it.


She watched him from a distance; her thoughts knotting into a tangled mass as she tried to interpret what she saw in the man. Pondering... her mind attempted to envelope his character; to comprehend what it was about him that made him the way he was. How she wished she could unravel the confusion that clouded his soul, so that she could gaze into it and understand.

Such darkness... at first glance, one would not know it existed in him. On the outside he smiled, he laughed; he seemed happy. His life was a righteous one: he loved God, family, and revelled in hard work. He was highly creative, bringing his own uniqueness and style to everything he touched. He genuinely cared for people; had many friends who looked up to him. He was one of those people you meet and take an instant liking to. How did the darkness find room to exist? She thought to herself. Where had it come from?

She didn’t know him. Not really. The man was merely an acquaintance; someone she talked to now and then. But she had caught a glimpse of his life. He had a wisdom that inspired not only her, but the people around him: one would always go to him with deep questions or to ask his advice on various things. And so talented! He threw himself into everything he was passionate about and always pulled them off in a spectacular fashion. He was a man to be admired for his achievements and good character.

And yet... she wasn’t sure why, but she sensed a darkness in him. It was like a black ink that threatened to permeate his life. It was mostly hidden from view, but upon observance, you would begin to see telltale trickles that crept silently into his life; staining things that he touched with its abysmal blackness. It often revealed itself through his creativity; artistic expressions that delved into dark and unbidden places... places of violent horrors and deep emotional pain. Gore and blood; heart-wrenching pain and soul-tearing anguish... all described in such vivid colour that it made one wince in empathy.

This story exceeded my 1,000 word count goal by about 200 words, but I couldn't make it any shorter. This isn't a favourite story of mine, but it's the best I could come up with for point 3 in the 100 theme challenge.

Location: Somewhere east of Tel Aviv, Israel
Time: 0530 hours
Mission: Destroy an enemy ammunition dump... at all costs.


The desecrated setting looked to have come from the pages of ancient history. Proud stone and adobe buildings, neat gardens, and narrow streets had been reduced to little more than ruins and rubble. Shepherds had probably driven their sheep to market down this lane. Now a tangle of broken thatch and rubble choked the street, making the lane impassable. Where a woman might have hung her brightly coloured rugs out of that window to beat the dust from them, now the roofless building’s single window looked like the haunted eye of something dead. Everything was silent but for the occasional rattle of a falling stone.

Could this be the kind of scene the Israelites had wrought on enemy cities during the Bible days? Abe wondered briefly.

The US military sergeant wiped the dripping sweat from his upper lip before returning his hand to the trigger of his machine gun. His left hand rubbed the safety switch of his weapon self-consciously. He knew that this unnatural silence was not right. He felt it in his bones. The many years of war he had lived through and his intense military training told him that there was someone out there... Or more than one someone...