3rd prize: The Cruelty of War by Matthew Mrozowski aged 12

A FLASH from a lamp could be seen for a brief moment somewhere down the lines of trenches. It quickly cast its glance over the sodden earth. The signal had been sent and received in the bat of an eyelid. It was time to move. Alex tried to move, but his legs had frozen stiff. His legs had lost a battle with the cold. He moved his legs an inch, willing the iciness to leave. He started to move his legs a bit more regaining some warmth.

He should have listened to the others, some of his friends from Wokingham and some strangers. But they were all bound by some magical bond between fellow comrades. They had been perched there for a good half hour. Now it was their turn.

He vaulted what was left of the barbed wire, landing in the trench with a soft thud. “So this is how the Hun lives,” thought Alex. There was no denying it, these trenches were much better in comparison to theirs. “Remember, this is a stealth mission,” whispered Jonathon, their group leader. “We want a nice quick in and out,” he said, gesturing with his hands. They all mumbled in agreement.

He could hear the soft hum of music, the origin of which was an opening in the wall with a brown grimy cloth covering the entrance. The flicker of candlelight could be seen from behind the cloth. Four months ago, he would never have believed he would be in this position. Around that time, he would have been hanging around with his mates by the big oak, just down the street from his house. This brief moment of nostalgia filled him with warmth. He was still deep in thought when he was tapped on the shoulder. “Alex, come on”, motioned Mike, his best friend. He and Mike went a long way back.

They parted the cloth and silently crept in. Alex made his way over to where everyone was hiding, crouched behind a large crate. Laughter filled the air. It seemed that the Hun were having a game night. They were sat around a candle lit table playing cards and drinking beer. Alex knew that this was not allowed, they were all there, leaving no one on guard. If Alex hadn’t known what was about to happen, he would have done anything to be in their position.

One of them, a short man with dark hair on his chin, got up from the table and walked over to the cooking area. Alex held his breath, this was the big moment. Time seemed to slow down, he saw everything. Strong hands clamped around his head, covering his mouth. The Hun barely had time to react and he was consumed by the shadows. Alex sighed in relief, they hadn’t been seen.

They silently exited through the back. They were halfway down the main trench when they heard it; a single shot rang out into the night. Max, a fellow soldier collapsed to the ground in agony.

Then all hell broke loose.

There were shots ringing out of everywhere. Alex panicked and ducked behind a sheet of corrugated iron, pings and pongs echoed all around him. Then he saw someone standing in the open, scared.

It was the German they had kidnapped. Alex pulled him under cover with him and that’s where they stayed for the whole fight. Alex was not proud. After the last gun had been emptied, he crawled out with the German at his side.

Across the floor lay dead bodies from both sides. Alex’s team of seven, now a team of three.

“Look, Alex had found one” spat Mike. “You found him so you get the honours” he said, tossing him the gun. Alex pointed the gun at the German soldier but couldn’t pull the trigger.

Alex thought back to how he didn’t want to be here, how he was forced to join the army, forced to kill other men. This Hun was just like him. They had no reason to want to kill each other, it’s not like either of them had been involved in starting it. Alex then realised how the war had affected people; made them want to shoot an unarmed man, just because of his uniform.

Alex threw the gun down onto the ground and shook his head. Then the three of them, wounded and bruised, walked off, leaving the German sitting there in the mud.