Tag: europe
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DEAD ROSES
Dead roses in winter, withered and defeated. The Grand Armée reduced to an icy hell. The villages they entered had nothing to offer. They had stripped them bare of what little they had on their way to Moscow. Starving, frost-bitten and dog-tired, he stumbled on. To drop now meant certain death. No comrade would burden…
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WITH ALL DUE RESPECT
‘I beg your pardon?’ I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. Who did this impertinent little person think they were? ‘I was just wondering if it wasn’t best to just admit we got it wrong?’ ‘Who are you?’ ‘Erm, I’m Nigel Billingsworth.’ I waited for him to say more. ‘Public Relations Assistant.’ Another pause. ‘Culture…
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THE WAY ACROSS THE WATER
They called it a victory. It didn’t feel like a victory to him. He had seen to much to call it a victory. The bombed-out buildings; the fighting; the gunshots; the gas; the bombs; the dead bodies; the dead soldiers, theirs and his own comrades; the bloodshed; the injured; the children crying in the streets;…
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Z IS FOR ZARAGOZA, SPAIN
A STORY WITH A LOSS OF ZEAL IN ZARAGOZA, SPAIN The atmosphere in the bullring was intoxicating, the crowd jeered and cheered. The pre-match entertainment ended and it was time for the real show to begin. Sitting high up in the oval theatre, looking down on the golden sand floor of the arena, Michael saw…