A Soldier’s Experience in World War 1

The night has faded, out comes the sun and I rise for a new day to come. My shirt is filthy. It’s rotten like a really bad sewage. My poor nose has to inhale smells of blood from dead people and animals. My nose has to inhale other soldier’s toe jams. Smoke fills the earth from bombs, vehicles, guns and other war equipment. The smells from the chemicals lying around on the streets are ready to kill.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Bullets are flying from guns. It’s like the worst nightmare ever! This place is out of control. This place is dangerous, and this place can kill me. I’m hiding under the silver smoothed surfaced table, shooting other soldiers. The smoke around me generates my eyes to have bad vision and leaves me in sorrow.
So I close my eyelids for a moment and rest, then a ladies voice screams and gives me a fright. I open my eyes eager to find out what is going on. I open my eyes and find the table has been removed. I feel frightened like a little baby drowning in a pool. It’s now 12:00pm and I’ve lost control of what I’m doing. My head’s in the clouds. Screams spring from below. Prayers are heard from above.
I hear water dripping. Drip drop drip drop. I have to have a sip. I’m on my knees crawling so desperate for this water. I then find it and drink a little. Wow I feel so alive. As alive as a waterfall so activated it won’t stop pouring water. Yeah, get my gun ready then . . . Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom! I knock you down! I sing my favourite song to show how joyful I am for shooting five soldiers dead “click” just like that. Bang, bang, YEAH!
“Oh blast”, the temper of this war is rising and is getting worse. My destitute tongue can taste the mud, water and grass that are drifting everywhere. Eww, yuck, this mud tastes like spinach with marmite on it, the blood tastes like mashed mussels with the black stuff from the squid. I wish this war never existed.
I should just commit suicide right now. This is stupid. I’m angry, scared, hungry, dirty, smelly, lonely and desperate. I need to go home and take a good bath. As I said I’m tired, I’m smelly and hungry! My body shows no excitement for this event. It’s 3:00pm and my clothes are damp making it hard for me to carry. My clothes are full of muddy imprints and black deep hollows; it’s easy for me to hide because my clothing blends in with the environment. I guess this is the fashion for war. Sassy! But if my fashion stylist saw what I was wearing, my passion for fashion will be swept away in the deep blue sea.
I need to get out of here. Where’s an exit? Oh there, I run at full speed, but then trip over a stupid solid stone. WHOOPS. Now I hear laughing from a bunch of soldiers. Where is it coming from? Who’s laughing? What’s so funny? Oh no a soldier has me in his sight ready to shoot me! Oh the horror, as soon as I see the bullet flying in my direction my wonderful memories party back to me. It’s 7:00pm on the first of September 1916. I die and my body is dispirited.


Alvina Nanai Room 3, Clendon Park