SHARK

In the shadow of doubt, I run towards the light of the nonsense crap. "Hey, when we will get out from this pit?" My whining friend Thomas keep yapping about how scared he is of the darkness. "Calm down man, we just getting started." I'd like to do this kind of thing since I was 15, many things to explore so I can make myself scared until I'm not scared anymore. "Give me the lights." Thomas knowing what I mean, that means shovel it into grass. We all in the middle of the war, our friend Bobby just captured by vietcong few days back. I'm not idealistic, so neither Tommy. "So what now, Cowpoke?" I forgot when the first time I get the name, but I focused on my writting. Me and Tommy did this screwed up thing just to find inspiration to write. Silly, isn't it? Not really, we might be caught up to enlisted in military service if we don't have that intention. We want to write a book and publish it to the media. Two books actually; Spending time together forever as a "mate" for the rest of our life. We both traumatized with girl-romance thing, so we decide to living together as partner, without having sex. Maybe this is confusing to all of you, but we did. "Hey." Tommy make me flinched with clap-finger sound. "Shall we go outside?" Tommy scared as always, but I never ever mock him about this, I was him. We make this as a trip, field trip. Fresh water, leaves, fresh air with some army. They all my friends, I don't see any resemblance as the enemy. "I have an idea." "Not this time man." "I knew it." "What?!" "Shhhh..." Fine, fine, what the nam now? "Let's find one of them, we will have new company from the other side." "You crazy man. "It always be like that." There must be some vietnamese around here, the bushes, tree, mostly tree. "You sure they can speak english?" "I'm not. But we can teach him." "Only one?" "Sure Cowpoke, I'm not that dumb." We go swimming first, since it's the only way to brush our teeth. We solve the puzzle, and run first. There is a game of the paper. We made it on the bus, with a black pen and drawing the library puzzle. We're book worms since high school. But we kidnap some women to get intimate with. And you know what? They thirsty for us. Here we go, paper-scissors-rock. No need to fight, I won. That means I need to take a pee before gone to the water. "laaa, laaa , laalaaaa" Tommy sings happy song in the happy day, we already know we will loose, but our main goal to find a man to make a group band. "A musical group is better." "Same thing Tommy, don't you know any difference?" This water feels warm, I make sure it's not a mud. "Baaayhhhh." Nam screaming shocking us, now we need to get soon as possible. "Calm down man, calm down." "please, please...." This is weird, most of them not afraid to die for honor. Basically they just died, but I kept my words to not harm anyone. "I'm unarmed, I'm unarmed." "I know, I know." Tommy hugging this man. "What's your name, partner?" "Nguyen." It's usual name, but we accept him. "Want to go to swim. This is very warm dude." "Sure, thanks." We bathing together like sheep and wolf on the bible. "Hey Tommy!" "What?" "Slap me please, but gentle." I make sure this is not a dream, but a real dream. I don't care if it just purgatory before I go to hell. I don't make it anyway. We sunbathing, massaging each other with muddy mud. Tommy sometimes go out to do some workout while wet; Nguyen diving and make some bubble sound. "Brrrrp." We hope we not finding some troops, neither enemy nor frenemy. "Alright, alright guys, let's find some safe place." "We are safe Cowpoke, what are you talking about man? We just having fun, cheer up; Will ya?" Whaddaya this guy thinks I don't care, but we still in the battlefield. Either we considered as a traitor neither eaten by some alligators. I'm the one who first get out from the pool, followed by Nguyen and Tommy. Tommy is such weird kid. He can scared, but then overexcited. But I know he will ended up panicking once a sniper goes to his kneecap. We pack our things, and start walking again. "So where do you live, Nguyen?" "Vietnam." "Ohh, I get it." I keep silent, don't know either scared or amused. Still having suspiciousness, but I don't know what that means. They keep making conversation, his wife, children, and from which child number he came from. It's secret, so I respect him. "Here some rice, I cook it from my village." So many stocks, this is heaven. "I wanna eat, I wanna eat." Belly is the thing I think, It keeps me alive. Everybody here know they will forgotten by some hypocrite hippies. They are art, by they are suck fingerprint. "Nguyen this is your place. You must be know every movement of your buddies." Nguyen smiling cyically. "What the hell you smug about?!" Like I said before, he will enraged again. "I'm just joking you big balls, we go to the right place." "Ohh." Ohh what, you prick. "Any of us who caught walking with both of you will be shooted less than 0,5 seconds. Some of you can shield me by luck." "You bastard!" "Heh, heyy!" I accidentaly push him down to the ground. "Hey which side are you in?" "Nguyen; you get up. You're not attacked by a shark." "Let's find a shark, I don't know what that means." wE all shark Nguyen, you knew it. After long fight, we walking through Nguyen's direction. Man I don’t know what to do anymore. Algebra seems wrong to me, then what am I doing since high school. Paranoia and anxious mind doesn’t belong here. There is no mercy, everything is about kill or be killed. My parents? Hell I don’t even think about it. I runaway right after graduation. The last thing I remember is when my dad gave me the last milk and some amount of money. I’m quite good at managing it, I have around $250 for a living like two months before enlisted in this cage. A thinker, always think. “Hey, hey, hold crouch.” There is a guy with leaves covered his body, I think he’s evil. Of course I don’t need to ask that. “Hey look, the leaves is moving. “Shut up, man!” He do the ridiculous thing again, I swear to God to marry a girl I don’t like, both physically and mentally. This is not coping mechanism, this is for real. “Waaah.” What a professional soldier, he fell of the tree and screaming like it’s the first time training. What a waste of time. “Feeling intimidated, fella?” Tommy try to look intimidating, but make Nguyen laugh instead. “Please, I can’t speak English.” “Well… you did.” Very convincing Tommy, I can’t even hold my fist to grappling you. “Bobba?” “You know this guy, Nguyen?” “Not clearly, but we like to eat spoon together.” “You mean-“ “Shut up, Tom!” “You mean egg, right?” “Oh yeah, egg. What is spoon anyway?” “The thing you used to eat with.” “That’s the same thing I want to say.” Oh Christ sake, why he’s turn sad now. It’s very suprising he did survive for two weeks. “Now what we gonna do with this guy.” “Tommy, get your feet of this harmless guy.” “Ohh, my bad.” “Now get the hell up you tree!” Bobba gets up, still covering himself with leaves. Four of us now want to escape. “Anyone knows which direction to go?” I hear Tommy chuckling, seeing how dumb I was since Nguyen already remain compass we have. “So Bobba, which egg you like to eat?” “I have the stock, ten remain.” I can see from his belly. “So you speak English now.” “Very funny, Tommy.” “Yeah. He just said he doesn’t want to eat grass.” “Done!” We continue walks, finding a new path.