Flash Fiction
The scene: Standing on the deck of a Ukrainian Navy ship in the Black Sea; two former soldiers discuss the efficacy of their roles in this unending battle.
This deleted extract is from my book (The Quiet Days) another casualty of my redraft. I've since rewritten it, changing the conversation entirely...
This deleted extract is from my book (The Quiet Days) another casualty of my redraft. I've since rewritten it, changing the conversation entirely...
The Quiet Days
(by Steven Benjamin)
- Chapter 28 extract -
(by Steven Benjamin)
- Chapter 28 extract -
Michael’s brow furrowed as he stepped closer to stand beside him, leaning against the steel railings.
· “I haven’t been involved in it as long as anyone here so maybe my perspective’s a little warped, but it feels like there can be no winner here, ever. We can always fight the battles but at the end, it falls down to a squabble for a share in whatever’s left. I mean you know the facts. I’m not talking about criminal networks or terrorists or even us, I’m talking about the bigger – the much bigger picture – it’s something that’s always beyond our control.”
• Michael was half nodding but still looked sceptical, “I’m not sure I follow…”
• “It’s just one big cycle. I was having a conversation with Theo a while back and he was saying how there is no more bad versus good but rather rich versus poor. A common statement I know but I understood his inclination that there are good men on either side of the fence, same goes for the bad men…” he huffed bitterly, “it’s like if we were the cure, or let’s say for arguments sake that we’re part of this massive body, the index finger maybe, and all our white blood cells are fighting one cancer growth in the body. But, what we haven’t realized is that the cancer has taken over the whole body – infected everything everywhere, so in effect we’re not just fighting the cancer but, you could say, we’re fighting the entire body.”
• “Because the body has basically become the cancer?”
• “Precisely.”
• Michael looked off, “So how do we fit in, in terms of this case? Just so I’m clear.”
• “We’re just like the white cells fighting, but dependent on our enemies for our own existence. Who pays our wages? Who manufactures and distributes the weapons that are in the hands of the terrorists we chase.”
• “Mm. So, seeing as we’re the finger fighting the same body we’re apart of, if we succeed in our battle – we die.”
• “In theory: yes. The one cannot live without the other, or at least we cannot live without them. Metaphorically speaking.”
• “Of course.”
• “But the real issue is that the main culprits of the problems we face today are the ones making all the rules, conducting summits etc… And it’s not like they’re aware of it all the time, I mean it’s made up of people like you and me with consciences of their own. We deal in problems, not solving them, just morphing them from one form to another – an endless cycle.”
• “With the obvious question being: will we ever make any considerable headway in our current capacity, or in any capacity for that matter? And further more to use a tried cliché; will we ever – make a difference?”
· “Is there any point to it all? Or are we just doing this for self satisfaction. To give us the assurance that we’re the good guys and, even though our efforts don’t make much difference, it sure makes us feel good about ourselves.” Skipp said.
****
· “I haven’t been involved in it as long as anyone here so maybe my perspective’s a little warped, but it feels like there can be no winner here, ever. We can always fight the battles but at the end, it falls down to a squabble for a share in whatever’s left. I mean you know the facts. I’m not talking about criminal networks or terrorists or even us, I’m talking about the bigger – the much bigger picture – it’s something that’s always beyond our control.”
• Michael was half nodding but still looked sceptical, “I’m not sure I follow…”
• “It’s just one big cycle. I was having a conversation with Theo a while back and he was saying how there is no more bad versus good but rather rich versus poor. A common statement I know but I understood his inclination that there are good men on either side of the fence, same goes for the bad men…” he huffed bitterly, “it’s like if we were the cure, or let’s say for arguments sake that we’re part of this massive body, the index finger maybe, and all our white blood cells are fighting one cancer growth in the body. But, what we haven’t realized is that the cancer has taken over the whole body – infected everything everywhere, so in effect we’re not just fighting the cancer but, you could say, we’re fighting the entire body.”
• “Because the body has basically become the cancer?”
• “Precisely.”
• Michael looked off, “So how do we fit in, in terms of this case? Just so I’m clear.”
• “We’re just like the white cells fighting, but dependent on our enemies for our own existence. Who pays our wages? Who manufactures and distributes the weapons that are in the hands of the terrorists we chase.”
• “Mm. So, seeing as we’re the finger fighting the same body we’re apart of, if we succeed in our battle – we die.”
• “In theory: yes. The one cannot live without the other, or at least we cannot live without them. Metaphorically speaking.”
• “Of course.”
• “But the real issue is that the main culprits of the problems we face today are the ones making all the rules, conducting summits etc… And it’s not like they’re aware of it all the time, I mean it’s made up of people like you and me with consciences of their own. We deal in problems, not solving them, just morphing them from one form to another – an endless cycle.”
• “With the obvious question being: will we ever make any considerable headway in our current capacity, or in any capacity for that matter? And further more to use a tried cliché; will we ever – make a difference?”
· “Is there any point to it all? Or are we just doing this for self satisfaction. To give us the assurance that we’re the good guys and, even though our efforts don’t make much difference, it sure makes us feel good about ourselves.” Skipp said.
****
Theme: The following song is something of a theme for the book. It's Ben Harper's "I will not be broken" - this is not a music video, just the track with a picture of the artist that someone uploaded...
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