Chapter Text
The rain and wind were finally diminishing as the day was now turning into night. Earlier that morning, a fight broke out between the west and east side of the fronts, but stopped suddenly as the rain started to pour down. It was amazing how only the weather could stop the violence, even if it was only for a few hours. Lord Henry could be seen moving quickly to get to his tent. Everywhere he looked, he could see nothing but men suffering in the trenches; men with bandages around their head that was covered with mud and dried blood, a man slumping down on the side moaning and talking to himself about his desire to be dead, another man staring into the air and not blinking. These were men of all ages and all had their own life story, but in this trench they all shared one common trait: pain. Even Henry ached to go back home. To be home back at the castle with his wife, Gertrude, and their son, Hamlet.
Henry finally reached his tent and took a deep breath as he sat down on his cot. It has been almost seven months now since he last slept in a proper bed. His boots were soaking wet and his socks practically stuck to his feet as the weight of the water was taking hold of them and making a struggle for Henry to take them off. But he finally did and changed into a new pair and laid down, concentrating on his breathing.
“Lieutenant Henry?” came an unknown voice from outside the tent.
“Yes.”
“Oh, hello, I’m Anthony Ventress. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I use to watch over the northeast side, but Captain Mulcaster transferred me over here to the southwest side where I shall be assisting you and Lt. Daniels.”
“Oh, yes, of course. I do remember now that they told me you were coming. There is an extra bed in the corner over there and I was just about to have dinner if you would like to join me.”
Anthony agreed to the invitation and proceeded to put his bag on his bed and move back to the small crate in the middle of the tent. This is were Henry and Daniels ate their meals almost every day but mostly at night.
“I got a few pieces of bread and cheese and we have been enjoying this nice bottle of vermouth,” said Henry.
Anthony seemed pleased by the dinner special. Once Henry split up the food into equal proportions to share, he began to ask questions to get to know more about the new man.
“Alright, tell me everything about your wife, children, what you did before the war and how terrible your old job was and how after this you will go back to that same job but with a tad bit of appreciativeness,” said Henry.
“Actually, I liked my old job,” said Anthony. “I use to work in the factories for most of the time and during the spring and summer, I would take a ride up to help my brother-in-law with the farm. My wife is a nurse at the local hospital and my son, Horatio, just started school last month. I wish I was there to see him on his first day.” A melancholic look appeared on Anthony's face as he looked down.
“You miss them?”
“Oh very much,” said Anthony. “How about you, wife, kids?”
“One wife, one son, Hamlet.”
“Hamlet? I have never heard such a name before. Is it English?”
“No, Danish. My wife and I are both Danish descent. He,too, just started school. We’re actually homeschooling him but we hired one of the best tutors in the country.”
“That must be nice having him home all day.”
“I suppose.”
The men sipped their drinks until an explosion went off outside their tent.
“Better go check that out,” said Henry as he quickly got up from his chair to go outside. Anthony followed and both men stood trying to see what was going on, but night already settled in and the fog and dust were too thick. Henry started walking into the smoke to see if anybody needed help.
“Look out!” shouted Anthony as he ran and grabbed Henry and pulled him down as another grenade went off right next to them.
“Are you alright, sir?” said Anthony.
“No, it’s my leg. Oh Anthony, it’s not there is it?” exclaimed Henry rolling over back and forth in the muddy trench.
“Your leg is still there sir, don’t worry. Come on I got to get you out of here.” said Anthony lifting Henry and carrying him now on his back.
“Come on now, we can’t lose you. I see an ambulance!” It was adrenaline that was allowing Anthony to run as he could with a 170 pound injured man on his back.
“It’s Lt. Lord Henry. He injured his leg!” said Anthony to the ambulance driver. The driver got out of the vehicle and opened the doors and helped Anthony place the wounded man in the car.
“You’re going to be alright sir, just hang in there!”
It was about four in the afternoon the next day when Henry finally woke up. The sun was out and shining bright. It was the first real sunny day in almost two weeks. Henry was sleeping in a bed and observed his new location. He was at the hospital and Anthony was away sleeping in the chair just opposite of the bed. The door opened and in came a man wearing a doctor’s coat and carrying a clipboard.
“How are you Lt. Henry?” said the man.
“A bit numb. Is my leg still there?”
“Of course. You didn’t lose anything, but you might have if it weren’t for that man who pushed you out of the way just in time.” said the man pointing to Anthony, who was now snoring.
“You really should thank him. It could have been worse. Actually you might not be here right now if it weren’t for him. Some of the soldiers came in and told me that it was a pretty bad explosion last night. Fifteen people dead and twelve injured. But you will be alright. Oh, by the way, I forgot to introduce myself, I’m Doctor Hawkins.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Yes, well, just rest for now but unfortunately I will have to send you back soon as possible as we have limited space. Sorry about that.” “No problem I understand.”
“Thank you. Rest well.”
“Thank you.”
The closing of the door from Dr. Hawkins finally woke up Anthony.
“How are you?” said Anthony, still sleepy.
“I might not be here if it weren’t for you.”
“Yes, that’s what they told me.”
“You saved my life.”
Anthony looked down and began to blush. “Well, what was I suppose to do let you die?” he said smirking a bit.
“Anthony, you saved my life. Fifteen men are dead and twelve are severely injured and I am here feeling a bit numb but I am still here and alive. That reason has to do with you. If you ever need anything, please let me know. I owe you my life.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far, I just pushed you down, really.”
“Honestly, Anthony, what do you need? Money? I would be more than happy to sign a check to give to you, your wife and son. Really, please let me know what it is you want because I owe you that much. I promise I will do anything.”
“Well, as of right now, I just want to go home but I don’t think you could do that right now could you.”
Henry partially smiled and looked down. To go home, he thought. Wouldn’t that be nice. To be back at home with Gertrude, in my own bed. And to see Hamlet and hear about school and all the new things he is discovering everyday.
“You are right on that,” said Henry after a few minutes. “I can’t send you home but I, I don’t know... I could buy you a new home for your family if that is what you would like.”
Anthony lightly laughed. “No, our home is fine. How about I think about it and will let you know.”
“Okay,” said Henry smiling.
“Good. Now I really got to go back. Get well soon, Lieutenant.”
“Thank you, Anthony. See you back there.”
Henry finally returned to the trenches and he and Anthony kept watch of the southwest side of the trench. Anthony never brought back up the topic of the promise that Henry made. Two months passed and the war finally ended just in time for Christmas, with the signatures of a treaty.
Henry and Anthony were bidding each other goodbye at the train station before they went their separate ways, back to their old lives. With a strong handshake, a couple of “thank you’s” and “I will miss you” and “You and your family should visit us sometime when the weather gets nicer” were exchanged between the men. The train horn sounded letting the travelers know it was time to leave. One last goodbye between Henry and Anthony and finally, it was Anthony who left first on the train.
Days became months and months became years and Henry and Anthony never saw each other. No letters exchanged, even though they traded addresses. No one visited. No one telephoned. Henry went back to work as being a Lord and went to meetings, and parties, and made more money but it wasn’t like he needed more money as all the money he had was passed down to him. He still had money that belonged to his great-grandfather. Henry went back home to his wife, Gertrude, loving her more than ever because he had been gone for so long. Hamlet looked like a child now and no longer a baby. He recited the alphabet and counted to 100, tied his own shoes, brushed his own teeth and read a few William Blake poetry to Henry before he went to bed.
While being away at war, Henry often worried that there might be severe changes when he got home. But if there was big change it was merely just the fact that his son Hamlet was growing up.
But, a change was slowing creeping up every new year. It seemed that as time went on, Henry became very irrational. He was spending money on lavish and ridiculous things like food and drink and showcasing strange shows at the castle. Even in his political life, he was presenting bizarre new ideas and laws that he would like to see get passed.Years passed and Henry got worst as he got older. Gertrude remained the same: elegant and aging gracefully. Hamlet was now seventeen, who was well-read but struggled in school. He was shy and terribly modest and didn’t have many friends. Nonetheless, he grew up to be quite handsome.
Sometimes, during one of his father’s drunken rages, he often became the victim of Henry’s bullying, asking Hamlet why was he so shy and weak. Of course, Hamlet would never fight back. There really was no point in it as Henry would always win.
It was a March day when Henry received the news. It was unusually warm and sunny outside. Henry, Gertrude, Hamlet, and Claudius- Henry’s brother, where all sitting down in the great dining room eating their dinner. Eating dinner in the grand dining room was one of Henry’s oddities. As a family, they use to eat in a smaller room that had a round table and seated eight people. In the grand dining room, the table was long and lateral and seated more than forty people. Henry sat at the head of the table and Gertrude sat on his right. It was only recently that Hamlet no longer sat on his father’s left, but instead moved to the middle of the table about twenty chairs away from his father and mother. It was just far away enough were he couldn’t hear their conversations and they thought there was no point in conversing with Hamlet because he sat so far away. Claudius would occiasonnally eat with Henry and his family. Claudius would sit opposite of Henry at the other end of the table. He never bothered to sit next to Hamlet or talk to him. Usually, he would bring a newspaper or scroll through his phone, looking at God knows what.
Dinner was ate in silence most of the time and this time it was no different, until now. The doors opened and entered Polonius, Henry’s chief counselor, who was carrying a letter address to Henry.
“I am very sorry my lord and I don’t mean to interrupt your dinner, but this letter just came and the messenger said it was urgent that you read it,” said Polonius.
“Alright, give it to me,” said Henry, snatching the letter away. Gertrude looked closely at the letter trying to see who sent it.
“Anthony Ventress?” said Henry. “Anthony Ventress, Anthony Ventress, I know that name from somewhere, where did I meet an Anthony Ventress?” Henry was now getting up out of his chair, tapping the letter against the palm of his hand. Gertrude watched her husband stroll right out of the room, still questioning how he knew an Anthony Ventress.
“Is everything alright?” said Hamlet who left his place and walked over to his mother.
“Oh, I am sure, dear,” said Gertrude.
“I only ask because I don’t think I have ever seen him leave with his plate still full.”
Gertrude smiled and then looked at the door that her husband had went through.
Dear Henry,
I hope you haven’t forgotten me because I still remember you. But if you have, I completely understand. It’s been about thirteen years now since we last saw each other. Everyday I thank God that that war is over and we will never have to experience the horrific conditions of such violence and grotesque housing like those trenches. I pray that our sons, Horatio and Hamlet, may never experience the hell where youth and laughter go. I still dream about those cramped trenches, and wake up and find myself safe in my bed and safe at the factory. I hope you are doing well Henry. I hope God has been very good to you as when I knew you I thought you were very honorable and I am sure you still are. As for me, I have been diagnosed with lung cancer. It seems that I have just breathed in enough chemicals during that time at war that it has filled my lungs and only allows me to live a few more weeks. I don’t want to die Henry but I know I must. Do you remember when that grenade went off and I saved you? You made a promise to me in the hospital that you would do anything for me. Well, after thirteen years, I am now asking you to please fulfill your promise. I would love nothing more than for my son, Horatio, to complete his education. He is now seventeen, I believe the same age as your Hamlet. He is very smart, but since my diagnosis, he wants to quit school and go work at the factory to support him and his mother, my wife. I don’t want him to quit. I want him to finish secondary school and go on to university. All I ask from you Henry, is to please meet with my son and convince him to stay in school. If you could, please pay for his education. My wife and I can no longer afford to keep him in the school he is currently attending, so I ask you to please help us and help him stay in school. As I said, I would like to remember you as an honorable man and I hope in Jesus’s name to please help my son, Horatio. I know that once he has finished his schooling, he can get a job and support his mother and pay you back. Please take my plea into consideration.
Love and God Bless,
Anthony
Memories of the war were pushed forward now in Henry’s mind. He spent so much time trying to forgot those three years in that hell of a trench, with all its blood and crying. He even pushed Anthony Ventress out of his mind, but it all came back to him after reading that letter. Oh dear Anthony, kind and caring Anthony, Henry thought.
Dessert and coffee was well passed being served at the dinner table when Henry finally came back. Claudius already left and Gertrude was enjoying a nice chocolate mousse with a decaf coffee. Hamlet was reading, Our Mutual Friend, and letting his tea get cold.
“Is everything alright?” asked Gertrude.
“We are going to have a boy stay with us,” announced Henry.
“What do you mean?”
“An old friend of mine is dying and he asked me if we could take in his son.”
“How old is he?”
“Hamlet’s age, seventeen. Did you hear that Hamlet, you’re going to have a new friend very soon. A boy your age named Horatio is going to live with us. Albert, please go mail this letter right now. The man is dying and while he is still alive I want him to know that I am keeping my promise. And that the boy shall be welcomed into our family.”
Hamlet heard his father for once at dinner. At this point, he was pretending to read but his mind became distracted at the thought that his family was taking in another person. They already done this with Polonius and his family. His children, Laertes and Ophelia stayed at the castle and hardly kept him company. If anything, Hamlet was often, again, the victim of Laertes's cruel bullying and Ophelia’s sick mind games that she would always play on him. Hamlet made up his mind- he would hate Horatio, even though he had never met him, never heard of him before. No chances to get to know him at all, Hamlet decided. He’s probably going to team up with Laertes and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to pick on me, Hamlet thought to himself.
That night before Hamlet went to bed, he wrote furiously in his journal about this new intruder named Horatio. I hate him, he wrote. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, and I don’t even know him. I wish I could just sleep and never wake up.