Historical Narrative (Promise)

Promise

“Promise you’ll come back safely Daddy,” the words of his eight-year-old daughter rang in his ears.

Looking at her straight in the eyes, he assured her, “I promise.”

He smiled, gave her a big hug, and left. He was one of the many who fought valiantly for the independence of their country.

All Bong Leong felt was pain. A searing and wretched pain surged throughout his entire body. Many times he wanted to give up and fall into the abyss of darkness. Yet each time he wanted to do so, the promise he made to his daughter would surface in his head. He has made a pact to return home and he would do his best to keep to his word. Picking himself up, Bong Leong struggled to get up.

But it was all useless at this moment. He knew it would come, the death. Yet he would never regret about fighting for his country.



The battle is going on. The smell of gun powder lingered in the air. Smoke from the cannons made it difficult to see the enemy. All around him, comrades were falling down onto the ground, with big red stains on their chests. Grenades being thrown. Soon after, those grenades rock the ground beneath him, causing him to quiver even more. The grenade blows up a deep hole into the earth, and couple of men shoots up into the air, with blood splattering out of their bodies. He could feel the fire burning inside him. He threw a few grenades to the Japanese and continued to shot them with his musket.

When he reached to the front line, he saw a comrade wiggling on the ground near the bush. His sympathy took control and he trotted over to the fallen soldier.

"Comrade, are you ok?" He knelt next to him and realized that the soilder wasn’t wiggling, but writhing. Writhing in pain he could not invoke the courage to imagine. Bong Leong soon noticed the blood was seeping through the soldier's clothes and onto his hands. He quickly tear out a piece of cloth from his uniform to stop the heavy flow of blood while the soldier was coughing. a familiar metallic taste gathered on Bong Leong's tongue; the blood of a dying comrade.

The soldier reached up and grabbed Bong Leong's shirt.

"Sav...sa..ve me..'' He tried to speak, and Bong Leong quicker closed his mouth, trying to avoid another bitter mishap.

Before the soldier had time to take another breath, a bullet whizzed through the air and entered his chest. His eyes grew dark, his hands became clammy, and Bong Leong watched as his life was slowly sucked away.

Now Bong Leong was running, red fury surging to his eyeballs and pounding in his ears. Boon Leong charged towards the enemy’s frontier, yelling fiendishly and lugging his musket awkwardly. Suddenly, he felt the first bullet punch into his shoulder, lurched, almost fell. However, that did not deter him from his charge. He continued running, with his arms tighten, hands clench, as he feels his own blood ooze out of his body and the soft fabric of cloth trying to stop it. The second caught his opposite arm and he spun drunkenly. The tastes of gun powder mixed with blood linger on his tongue. .

A grenade came from behind. Landing at his feet. He stared at it vacantly for a moment. Then came an interminable instant of panic.The ground beneath his feet exploded and he was sent to the crimson stained grass.

His vision blurred, but he could still vaguely saw the enemy drawing nearer. The figure with knelt over him and an evil grin spread across his demonic face. He raised the barrel of his gun to Bong Leong's head and after a loud bang, the promise was broke forever. Daddy could no longer return home…