Silence

The snow had been falling within the whispers of the winter gusts of wind. As dusk settled, the wind died down, but the snow kept coming. Ice eventually got into the mix. Our little house was warm and my sister and I were excited about Christmas that was approaching. We wondered if Santa Claus would still come even if dad wasn't around this time. He was away on deployment and we were all anxious for his return; but we knew he wouldn't be back in time for Christmas.

The temperatures had been dropping all day as the snow accumulated on the frozen ground. Over time, the icy mix froze electrical wires somewhere. Unfortunately, unsurprisingly, and unpredictably, the lights went out. As our heating system was also electric, our once warm little house became chilly very quickly. My mom didn't show it very much, but she was worried. The telephone still worked, so she called several of our family's friends. One of her friends, whose husband was also deployed, invited us to come with her to the Army base. She was employed by the base and had access to some warm shelter. My mom loaded us into the van and we headed over.

The place we were staying was a standard wood building that had been built during World War II. There were dozens and dozens of these buildings on base. We all went into the one we would be staying for the night: my mom, her friend, and, now, four very excited and curious children.

The lights were out on this section of the base, so we entered into a dark hall. The wooden floors that had been stepped on by thousands upon thousands of GIs creaked under our feet. My mom's friend found an old kerosene heater and lit it up. The old office we were staying in quickly warmed; the fuel gave a comforting scent which mixed with the typical "Army smell" of axle grease, dusty wall lockers, Kiwi boot-shine, and canvas. It still is a familiar smell that always reminds me of dad.

We found cots and blankets to set up a sleeping area. We kids decided to play hide-and-seek in the long, two-story building while our mothers conversed over freshly made instant coffee. Every corner of the structure was dark and musty. Every metal wall locker and desk banged noisily as we tried hiding. Every chair we moved out of the way screeched mercilessly, revealing our carefully planned hiding tactics.

"OK, that's enough! Time for bed."

We brushed our teeth with ice-cold water and marched straight to our cots, like little soldiers. I crawled under the olive drab wool blanket. The heater hissed, giving off its blessed warmth. The cot's old canvas sagged under me and I went to sleep.