Can you hear me now?

There I was, standing on the edge of the room, watching, listening, looking in the faces of those around me. And then, I noticed him across the room, standing quietly.
The mind is an odd thing I know, and that is the only explanation I can give for the next moment. For some reason I was watching that Verizon commercial in my mind and hearing that guy say, ‘Can you hear me now?’
As I looked closer at his eyes and face it was like he was crying out that same phrase. He was standing silently in the midst of so many and yet no one was hearing. The pain and sorrow he felt deep within his soul had filled his eyes with a sadness. He was crying out with all the force he could gather, and yet, no words were coming out. Somehow the depth of his sorrow could find no words. And so, he stood quietly, crying out for someone to join him on this journey.
As I stood there watching him, I saw another pause for a moment before him and ask that non-question, ‘How’s it going?’ I saw him put on that non-smile and respond with that non-answer, ‘Everything is going well, thanks.’ And the line from the commercial came back to mind, ‘Can you hear me now?’ And I knew that he was asking that same question. No, not with the imagery of the commercial in his thoughts, but deep within him he was wondering, ‘Can anyone hear me now?’
Wanderer101

Fallen Comrades

There they were, gathered in the soft glow of the rising sun, sitting, and kneeling quietly as they waited for the final news of the battle. It had been an intense fight and everyone knew that some had not survived. A few were looking, searching for friends and fellow soldiers, peering into the shadows, hoping, wondering, had they survived? Would their name be read by their leader as one of the many fallen? Others just sat quietly, looking down, feeling the weight of the battle pressing down upon them, and the sadness that comes from losing friends and fellow soldiers. A sense of the impending lose seemed to ebb and flow over those who remained. Deep within the heart of some, in the secret places that only they knew about, a part of them secretly rejoiced that they had survived the battle, and yet, how could they enjoy that moment when the sorrow was pressing in all around them? A quietness filled the air as they waited, waited for the final news that would come when the sun was fully risen and this new day began.
Wanderer101