War Is A Boar

• Matthew Querzoli
• Short Story
• 2008

War is a boar

It was raining. Then it rained. Then it rained again. It was raining all the time. Then came the mud. Then more mud. Then more mud after that. Bluey was on his nerve ends. He even asked his Sarge, ”Sir, if you had the choice of eating the mud or the bully beef, which would you choose?” He leaned back into his foxhole and sighed. Waiting for the Japs was nerve wracking. They could attack you in a stealth manoeuvre from behind, or with a chilling frontal charge. Bluey relaxed and tried to get to sleep. The night watchman would be over soon. He relaxed and nodded off.

Bluey was awoken by the sound of machine gun fire. He winked and looked around. Flashes of tracers and shells ripped past him, forcing him to duck into his foxhole. Bluey reached over and grabbed his Tommy. He then jumped up and fired at anything that moved. He hit 3, 4, 5 Japs before he was forced back again. He reached for his belt for another ammo clip. His fingers fumbled on the button. He tore it off and shoved the magazine in. He poked his head over the edge. Silence. Utter silence. He peered over at his comrades. Then he saw the horror.

Knives stuck out the backs of his mates. A few had been shot. One had been ripped apart by the high velocity shells that had bombarded them. He leaned over and regurgitated his breakfast.

Akio unsheathed his knife. Six inches of sharp, serrated steel. His soft-soled boots made no sound as he crept forwards toward his next victim. Inch by inch he made his way forward until he was less than a metre away. He stood up. Crying out “Allez” he jumped forward, slashing the air with his knife.

Bluey heard the shout and leapt to the side. Akio lost his balance and the knife fell out of his hands. Before Akio regained the knife, he was thrown to one side. The two men battled, each struggling to gain the upper hand. They then both lost their footing and they tumbled down the slope. They fought till a standstill. They were then interrupted by an angry grunt. It was a boar. Huge tusks ran out under its nose. Without hesitation it charged. Akio and Bluey dived to one side. The boar turned around and charged again, aiming for Bluey. Bluey dived again. At the last moment, the boar flicked its head, sending the Digger flying to the side and clutching his leg in pain. The boar reared, turning to charge again. Akio reached for his holster and fired his handgun. The boar slumped to one side. It was dead. Akio then turned the gun on Bluey. Akio threw the gun away and offered a hand to Bluey and hauled him to his feet. They looked at each other’s eyes. They then turned and walked back to their separate lines.

They didn’t look back.

Name: Matthew Querzoli
Age: 12
School: De La Salle Caringbah
Address: 46 Yowie Avenue, South Caringbah
Class: 7S