The General's Men

They would be considered small men by any normal military standards and they were hand picked by the General himself for this very reason. Their size made them more difficult to detect. Their color blended perfectly with the tall grass they used for cover. Anyone coming into the clearing would be mowed down by crossfire coming from three sides with nowhere to run. It was an absolute killing zone. It was obvious to each man in the unit that their beloved General knew what he was doing. In fact, many considered him a military genius.

The soldiers waited in absolute silence with their rifles at the ready, and they would remain at their posts this way for days, weeks, months, and perhaps even years until the General picked them up. The General, being a military man, knew how to take orders as well as give them, but this particular order was one he found difficult to swallow. None the less, it came from the very top. His men would have to be picked up now, not later, not after the TV show he’d been waiting for all week was over-- but right this very minute so that his father could cut the dumb grass.


(205 words)