Day #1

• James Cant, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2018

Robert Masonis walks through the check-in. He hands in his registration and evidence of eligibility enough to go through. The lady gives back the paper and walks him through to the back door, opening with a bright light shining through the clean, blue metal door and jets flying, wisping overhead and a big smile lights up. He dawdles through the front lawn and looks around noticing any officer or general, as well as seeing many recruits doing warm ups around the yard. Rob speaks to the higher ranking officer and asks what he has to do, “Get down and do 20!” says the officer, “You will address me as General Tullius and greet with a salute maggot!”

“Yes, Sir, General Tullius, Sir!” He squeaks out.

“From now on you will answer to Mouse, Mouse! Crawl through the mud like a mouse, Mouse!”

As Rob squirms on the ground to his orders, the general starts to laugh.

“Now here’s your dorm number, go drop your stuff off there and report back to me at my office!”

Heading over to the dorm shacks Rob runs into a bit of trouble, three guys block his path with purpose. “Mouse, is that what the General called you? Well, you better scurry back into whatever little hole you squirmed out of. Now squeak along and watch yourself out there, we don’t take kindly to newbies.” The big muscly guy chuckled as he passed Rob.

Rob with the nerves in his body going out of control. He starts walking again swiftly and cautiously. Rob looks at his number, ‘27’. He looks for the number and opens the door to a pig sty of cobwebs and rubbish stashed in every corner of the room, beds without sheets and dark, uncomfortable stains on the walls and windows painted with what seems to be food.

“So this is my room, huh.”

There are two bunk beds, one bed for each roommate, he assumes. Robert puts his suitcase on one bed and starts unpacking his stuff. As he finishes 2 other men arrive, a scrawny little fellow and a somewhat average build. They immediately start to unpack on both top bunks and Rob tries to find something to say.

Average build man, quietly asking. “The Names Garret, what about you two?”
“Jackson.” Finally said the scrawny man.

“Robert.” Squeaking his name.

Silence. Rob leaves without saying goodbye. Rob heads towards General Tullius’ office to see what comes next.

Rob knocks “Come in” replies Tullius.

Robert salutes and says “You wanted to see me?”

“Yes your chores and orders you have training later today, we are planning a barracks shooting range with handguns. Powerful and bloody useful. Now, go make yourself useful Mouse!”

As Robert left Tullius’ office a smiling peaking, beyond joy and happiness. Everyone knows a mouse is quiet but it carries deadly diseases that kill, Rob looks to the ground and chuckles while talking to him like being in an asylum for too long.