Writer's Area | Short Stories by Children: "Captured" - FREE Online Publishing of family-friendly stories, poems, articles, etc. for Amateur Writers

Writer's Area | Short Stories by Children: "Captured" - FREE Online Publishing of family-friendly stories, poems, articles, etc. for Amateur Writers - Children & Adults!

kids adults members

Writings By Kids:

Kids Home

Short Stories

Poems

Articles

Other

Writers:

Submit your Work

Our Sponsors:
Discount Airfare
Discount Hotel Reservations
Discount Hotels

Writings By Adults:

Adults Home

Short Stories

Poems

Articles

Other

Writers:

Submit your Work
"Captured", by Andrew S.
Copyright © 2000, Age 14

I wrote this story in memory of my Uncle Lou Priest. He was a prisoner of the Vietnam War. I chose historical fiction as my genre. I am pleased to have the chance to write about this historical event and I hope it brings a tear to your eye. We love you Louie.

"Creep up just past the burrows!" whispers the General John Cohan. CRACK! "Shhhhh," quiets the General as I snap a twig. Thunck. My head swells up as raspberry liquid trickles past my ear.

That is all I remember from that night. All of a sudden I wake up and I'm locked in some sort of hell hole. The air in here tastes of dry tea and the smell isn't so great either. I stomp around on the damp, moist mud. Breaking out windows which lead to rusty, decayed, steel bars in my attempt to escape.

"Creep up just past the burrows!" whispers the General John Cohan. CRACK! "Shhhhh," quiets the General as I snap a twig. Thunk. My head swells up as raspberry liquid trickles past my ear. What's going on, what was that? "What were you thinking General, you just lost us another Captain!" yells Matt Roulph, a soldier. I can't believe these soldiers don't even know how to keep one person alive. Shut-up! Everybody creep in," demands the General in a stern voice. "John,listen in and record everything you hear." John takes out a camera looking thing with an ear-muff on one side and a suction cup on the other. He gently places the suction cup-looking part up to the termite-eaten, wooden cabin. Carefully placing his ear to the ear piece, John begins to write down information on his Army notepad. His hand rushes to write quick words as if a seismograph needle recording an earthquake.

Easing the weird-looking device of the decaying wood John whispers, "All done, lets go." The General leads the army back to camp as if a wolf stalking its prey. The journey back to base is a long and dreadful one. No one can stand the foggy air. There is no way to see past it in our green night vision goggles. Also, the goggles keep shutting off every now and then because of battery failure. We end up not wearing them at all, which puts us in great danger. We were like sitting ducks for the enemy except we don't quack.

After about a two hour hike we are finally back at base. Everyone hops into the double-bunker beds that are like rocks compared to the ones back home. Our mattresses are only an inch an a half thick. We fall fast asleep under the only blanket we have. Tomorrow we are going to go rescue Louie.

Early next morning we get a tap. It's from Louie! The whole army crowds around the piece of parchment with the translation on it. Shoving each other to get to the letter, the General comes in and orders us back to our beds. He snatches the letter off of the cork message-board. He reads it aloud very seriously. The cabin goes completely silent, you could here a pin drop.

I am trapped in a cell. They are torturing me for information, but I refuse to speak. I have been whipped into exhaustion and shocked so many times I have Turrets Syndrome, or so it seems. I am soon to be hung. Sometime next week. Hurry, save me.

General finishes with tears in his eyes like many of the other soldiers listening. The shock of this sort of thing happening astounds us all. We are all motivated to saving Lou. Nothing is going to stop us now.

"Get dressed men, we are saving Louie. Were are doing this for two reasons. For Louie and for our country!" motivates the General. Everyone cheers in great determination. We get dressed quicker than ever and split into groups. The plan is to surround the whole base. We are to kill any guards in silence and without being seen. Then we'll go from there.

We are in position now and 4 guards have already been killed. We move in slow and steady. We look like a ring of fire ready to engulf a house. As a matter of fact we are as ambitious as fire. We get about 20 yards from the enemy base when all of the sudden a huge siren sounds off. Weeeeer, weeeeeerrr, weeeeerrrrrr. Our troops back down and try to escape. The enemy troops flood out of their base and begin firing. We fire back in response. Grenades blow up every 5 yards. Legs, arms, and heads fly everywhere. Some of our soldiers flee back to camp. We manage to escape with our lives this time.

Next morning we return to the former battle ground. Millions of dead bodies and body parts are scattered on the ground like crystals scattered on granite. The air smells of dead, decayed humans. We slip on our gas masks in order to breath fresh air. About 150 deceased U.S. soldiers and 350 deceased enemy soldiers lay on the cherry colored ground.

We ease into the enemy cabin in search of Lou. Behind every door lies an empty room. Suddenly, we hear a voice calling for help. Bolting down hallways towards the voice we reach the cafeteria. Hanging above one of the lunch tables is a skinny-looking figure barely alive.

"Louie! Shouts the General as he darts towards the figure. "Help me," wheezes the scrawny figure. As soon as the General reaches the figure he lights a match. General holds the match up at the unknown person's face. In a rush of fear the General returns back to the rest of his group. "It's not Louie. It's some prisoner from China. Lets go," demands the General. We march out of the cabin and back to base with no sign of Louie. Everyone is so upset and no one says a word the whole way back. Some think Lou was killed others think he escaped. It was his closest friends that were convinced he escaped.

By the time we get back to base everyone is almost passed out. Cramming through the door we rush to our bunk. When is this going to end, I think to myself. Shuffling through his stuff, Jeremy, a soldier, spots something in Louie's bed. He sneaks over and rips off the blanket. There in the bottom, red, scrappy bunker lay Louie. "He's back! He did escape! It's Lou guys, check it out!" shouts Jeremy in astonished joy.

Everyone was wowed and the General was informed immediately. No one awoke Lou, for he had been through a rough time. We could tell by the scars on his back and the cuts behind his ears. We let him rest, for the night anyway. We all jumped in bed for sleep. The thing is, nobody could sleep because of the joy that filled their heart. "So that is how it was when I was gone, huh," asks Lou. "Yep, every minute of it, not literally," I responded. And I'm glad you're back, I say in my mind. "Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha!" laughed Lou. "I knew I was something else, ha!"

Comment on this writing in our Forums!!

| Back to Short Stories by Children |

| Home | About Us | Forums | Writings by Kids | Writings by Adults | Member's Area | Writer's Information |