Blood Lily Company - Afghanistan - Year 2

VII

After all those days we got up at 7 a.m. instead of 6 a.m., those days we spent digging a hole or lugging debris instead of getting shot at, those days we ate Cook's delicious cuisine instead of our MREs, those days we slept in real beds with real clean sheets and real comfortable mattresses, instead of sleeping on rocks rolled in our blankets, in short, living in the lap of luxury at base, leaving the promontory on foot was like a slap to the face.

Except for Bear. For him, since he hadn't been shot yet, as he came from a regiment that was garrisoned in permanent barracks, no patrol, it should have been a slap but he had big eyes drinking in the landscape, absorbing it...

As was his habit, when coming closer to the village, Erk handed his weapons over to his brother.

- Why is he doing that? Bear asked Tito.

Tito opened his mouth to answer, then smiled.

- You'll see, Björn.

I found my little mate quite relaxed. That was nice.

The Swede didn't have long to wait, a swarm of children threw themselves at the giant, who immediately knelt down.

- Erk! Erk! Where were you? We saw a copter! We saw the bikes!

Plenty more exclamations again, and the one that came back was still: "where were you?"

Erk cupped a hand behind his ear, as if to hear better and the children fell silent. Magic!

- So, questions?

- We didn't see you come back, Erk, and we were wondering where you were?

- In the copter.

- Cooool!

- Yeah, that was very cool. We were able to come home and wash quicker.

- Good! 'Cos, sometimes, when you come back...

And the kid pinched his nose, grimacing. Erk rolled his eyes at him and the children laughed.

- Know that we always smell good, even when we roll in horse dung. It's like that, a soldier smells of soldier... He smells of hot sand...

He slid a look sideways at Kris who made a face then a small knowing smile. And I remembered Edith Piaf's song. They were both legionnaires.

- Well, the giant resumed, it's true that that time, we got a little hot, so we smelled strongly of very, very hot sand.

And this is how our mini Fort Alamo was presented to the kids. Erk would never have told the truth of what happened to the children. Even though he knew that protecting them from the outside world wouldn't help them grow, he avoided scaring them too soon. I could see some skeptical looks from the teenagers, especially from those who had come to our aid after the night attack.

- But, Erk, why didn't we see you earlier?

There's a clever one...

- I got hurt falling, so I rested a little...

- How did you fall, Erk?

- I fell in a ditch and I sprained my ankle and nobody wanted to carry me. I really wonder why.

The kids laughed again.

- Say, Erk, who's the new guy?

Here's one who doesn't have his eyes in his pocket. Erk turned to the new guy and told him to come closer. Bear didn't understand pashto, but the Viking's gesture was clear.

- Children, this is Bear. He's a good guy.

The good guy gave a little hand gesture and the kids gave it back.