History Repeats Itself

• Owen Yoon, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2022

“Bang!” A loud gun shot was heard throughout the city of Sarajevo, the crown prince of the Austro-Hungarian empire was shot in the neck by a Serbian nationalist. The news spread around the world, even in the countryside. The Serbian government tried to come to an agreement, but the Austrian empire declared war on Serbia triggering the starting pistol for the largest war in history.

The soldiers came to a countryside to conscript all men who were over the age of 17 exclaiming, “For the glory of the empire”. Most men in the area had vacated due to a monthly festival nearby however, 2 boys August and Joseph had stayed behind. The two boys who had just returned from school were taken straight into the frontline action of the battle of Cer with mass casualties.

The meaningless war efforts continued for days August and Joseph laid flat next to blood stained grass with no motivation to continue, the smell of abandoned bodies carpeted the grounds. The commanding general forced the whingeing soldiers forward to take control of the trenches up ahead.

The war went on for 4 years, August had lost his friend Joseph and many other compatriots during this time. August questioned the necessity of the war and if the price of innocent lives had served purpose other than the greed of the ‘glorious’ empire. August woke up in the trenches to news that Russia had surrendered however, the war went on for another 7 months after the United States and a domino of countries joined the warfare.

With extreme fortune or misfortune August survived this long and cruel war and had to return to his countryside village which was in ruins. By the age of 30 August had managed to graduate university and land a job as a bank accountant in ‘Country Bank’. August opened his eyes as his detached retinas adjusted to the bright sunlight and walked to the bank as always, taking care of the customers. “For the glory of the ‘Country Bank’” the slogan read on the walls, the bank manager’s voice was echoing through the hallways as he entered.
“Everyone make sure to secretly add 5% interest rates for all the customers coming in today for transactions! We need to increase our profit margins!”

Each day the bank increased in capital and expanded like an empire little by little creeping up through trenches to their competition up ahead. The workers trudged across the carpeted floors with no motivation to continue, workers eating during the job with food stains on their attire due to the lack of break time.

By then, August couldn’t tell the difference between the bank and the empire, their goals were the same. Back to reality and back to society.

1st of September 1939, the war sirens wail in the dark damp evening in Austria. August opened his eyes as his detached retinas adjusted to the bright lights of the bank.
August felt no fear, he was in war for past 20 years it had never stopped.