A Sad Truth

She stared at them, the soldiers, sacrifices, offerings as they marched through the streets. People watched them with their eyes wide and filled with fear, fear of what will be inevitable if the ones in power were to make a wrong move. Closing her eyes pictures were being painted of fathers burying their sons or daughters, mothers collapsing to the floor with tears falling down their face as they receive the terrible news. Children would look at the street waiting for their fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters to come home and that things will be back to normal, not knowing or refusing to believe that they wont come back.

A low bitter rough laugh escaped her as she opened her eyes and looked to the street silently cursing to every politician as they knew the lives they were signing away. Lives that would be cut short and dreams that would be left dead as they were let go in the cold hands of Death. She wished, oh how she wished, that those in power would open their eyes and see the despair and suffering that so many are in. They chose not to see it, maybe in someway that if they didn’t acknowledge it would go away.

“They’ll all die…” Her voice was a Deaths knell as she watched with eyes that held no tears, tears that wont save or mourn these idealistic soldiers.

“Better to die thinking they are hero’s than to realize that all they’re doing is continuing a cycle of hate and agony.” A gruff voice replied as they walked towards her with a bored look on their rough face.

She looked away to see the elder teen wearing clothes that were threadbare, just like hers was, with vacant eyes she turned back to the soldiers as they marched along. No words were said as they watched as they slowly vanished down the street their boots stomping on the asphalt were fading and the noise of the people bustling around took its place.

“They’ll be forgotten…and no one but the family will care. All that life wasted for a war that is pointless.” She turned to him as she spoke her eyes locking onto his eyes trying to read his emotions. “War has no victor. No one wins in a war, no one but Death. That hardly matters now though now does it?”

He said not a word as she finished her thought, just held out his hand for her to take. She threaded her fingers through the calloused offered hand and walked away not once looking back.