War Games

Writers'Cramp

"What's in your hand?" Tommy looked at his little brother, sure he had seen a glint of shiny metal clutched in the mittened hand.

"It's mine. I found it." Peter squirmed as the object was wrenched from his grip.

"What's Mum told you, not to touch stuff like this. It's dangerous." Tommy took a large matchbox from his pocket, emptied out the spider previously placed there, and replaced it with the bullet. "We gotta take it to Sergeant Jones. He'll know what to do."

Tommy lifted Peter over the dry stone wall then dragged him up the lane to the village. Sergeant Jones, now wearing his fishmongers apron, was polishing the brass sign outside his shop. "What you two been up to then? Not getting into mischief I hope."

Tommy pulled the matchbox from his pocket. "We found this." He passed it to the Home Guard Sergeant. Jones was always wary of these two and their pranks so he opened the box very carefully. The bullet shone in the morning sun.

"Where you get this?"

"We'll show you," shouted Peter, jumping up and down.

"Okay, okay." Jones opened the shop door and called in "Oy Fred, keep an eye on the shop. I gotta go out on official business." He took off his apron and grabbed his cap. "Hang on a sec lads." He reached into the cab of his van and grabbed his improvised pike. "Which way then?"

Tommy pointed up the lane. With the two boys running ahead Jones made his way along the stone wall. "So where exactly did you find it?"

Peter piped up "Over there, by those trees."

"Okay lads, now I want you to get down behind the wall. If you hear shootin' I want you to go to the church and ring the bell." Jones hopped over the wall and the boys waited. There was no shooting. After about ten minutes Jones cam back over the wall. "Well it looks like you found yourselves a Kraut. Don't worry though, he's a dead'un.

339 words