It's Quiet

“It’s quiet,” Henley stage-whispered. Actually, it was far from quiet with the rain pounding on his helmet, but he waited the beat and added--“It’s TOO quiet…”

He thought Mikey would laugh, that somebody would, but no--nobody laughed...

Henley, like everyone else, was waiting in the foxhole to die. He always imagined that the
waiting would be the worst part.

The men beside him were peeking over their sandbags at the black jungle. They sat in the mud in the growing silence, listening, wondering....who was going to be the first to turn tail and flee.

Henley felt their fear. It was a buzz-kill.

“Okay folks!” he called. This was good. This, they were going to love!

“Shut up, Henley! You shooting smack again, freakin wack-job?” It was Peeper staring at him, his eyes like deep black holes in his baby-pink face.

“I want to see a show of hands!” Henley said happily. “Who here’s an atheist?” He raised his own hand and looked around while the others faced the jungle.

“Henley, I’m about to crown your thick head!” It was Joe-Joe now, rising up on his knees and reversing his rifle-end

“They out there, man!” said Peeper. His voice like coins jingling in his throat. Joe-Joe sat back down and sighting down his rifle.

“It just goes to show!” Henley said standing, “They’re ain’t no atheist in a--” A trip-flare lit up the sky.

“They comin!” Peeper screamed.

Peeper was right.

Henley was wrong.

Nobody laughed at his atheist joke.

298 Words-