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tamingthemuseTitle: Never Forget
Fandom: Original
Prompt: #306 Redemption
Character(s): Reia Landon & Nicholas Essman (Original)
Pairing(s): Nicholas x Reia
Genre(s): Drama & Friendship
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,550
Summary: In an age where nothing is what it once was, monuments and a select educated few are all that know of our past...
Warnings: This is an original story extracted from a much larger work I am toiling with regularly. This is a stand-alone piece, I feel, because it doesn't involve any of the other plots/characters I've developed. Plain and simple, the story is of two characters with one educating the other on some classic Civil War history.
Never Forget
A mild chill was setting in as Nick and Reia continued to explore the forgotten battlegrounds, finding monuments and statues of all kinds telling stories not heard for decades. Reia found it fascinating and heart-wrenching all at the same time; Nick was reminiscing from his days in school, feeling almost giddy to get to experience these moments with a woman he was becoming so fond of. History was his forgotten strong suit.
“So these all represented the states of the country?” Reia inquired as they approached a statue of two men, one leaning on the other for support.
“Yeah, there used to be fifty states in all, two that weren’t even part of this connected region; Alaska and Hawaii.” Nick replied, coming up beside her to admire the artwork of the statue before him. He smiled knowing what it represented and Reia was oblivious to its significance.
“Are there statues for those states here?”
“No, those weren’t states yet when this war was fought. They came in the 1900s. These are from the mid-1800s.”
“Oh…” Reia said, feeling a little dumb that she didn’t know hardly anything about what Nick was so enthralled by, but she wanted to know more. This was all so intriguing despite all the frustration around her. For once she wasn’t considering her long gone Eli and how much he’d love to experience this with her. “What’s this one for?”
Nick brushed away some tangled weeds and vines from the base so that Reia could read the bronze lettering. “Mary-land?” She said aloud, not knowing how to pronounce it.
He chuckled and corrected her. “Maryland, one word. Keep the Y quiet… it’s the state we’re technically in when we’re in East Hampton, which used to be Washington D.C.”
“D.C.?”
“District of Columbia.”
Just as Reia opened her mouth to ask what that meant, she refrained and walked on, but not before letting her hands brush the cool bronze icon with some sense of wonder and amazement. This was all so incredible and still a little scary. She loved it.
As they walked on, having passed many monuments great and small, Reia continued to ask questions that seemed hard, but were in truth quite simple. Nick was, of course, happy to answer all of them. “Why did they fight here?”
“Good location and strategic ground. General Buford of the Union thought it would suit the terms of battle well, and he was right. Brilliant strategist, that man.” Nick replied with pride – he was eating this up for all it was worth.
“It seems so peaceful, though… I wouldn’t take it for a hospital town…” She paused, digging deep in her mind for something when it popped suddenly. “Who was that guy again on the horse?”
Nick grinned happily. “General Robert E. Lee – he was the commander of the Confederate army. Also a brilliant man.”
“Did he and that Buford guy face off here?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes, but not directly. See, Buford commanded the Union cavalry corps; a smaller division of soldiers on horseback. Lee was the commanding general of all the Confederate forces, and while his men did meet up with Buford’s, the officer in charge of that corps that stumbled into Buford was named Harry Heathe…”
Reia blinked, confused and Nick chuckled. “Sorry about that. I get a little carried away with the subject. I never get to talk about it as you can see.”
She smiled a little for him and shook her head. “You know, it’s good to see you excited about something. You’ve always been so shy and you stutter when you’re around me. But now… well, it looks like you could make a living off of telling these stories, if the government allowed it, that is.”
Nick tucked his hands into his pockets and sighed. She had brought up something rather dismal, to be sure, but he was still glad to be able to talk so freely without worrying that government forces would silence him or arrest him on sight. This freedom of speech was a wonderful thing, as was being alone with the woman he admired.
“Well, the government didn’t want us to relive our past, so they made most of us forget it altogether. Sad way to wipe out a lot of good stories and honorable people, huh?” Nick commented as they finally broke out of the woods to see a wide expanse of open fields greatly overgrown with weeds, underbrush and numerous other natural traps. He sighed again, as if suddenly saddened at the view he had.
“What’s wrong? I thought you were happy to be here?” Reia asked, not seeing what he saw.
“I am… this place is wonderful and amazing, but… it’s really very difficult to bear knowing that society doesn’t want to appreciate any of this.” He looked out towards the horizon to spot what he was hoping to see in the distance, and there it rose like a spire; a glorious monument that stood high above all the others in the setting sun’s light.
When Reia followed his gaze to see it, she gasped in awe at the sight. “It’s… beautiful. What… state is that for?”
“Pennsylvania. Gettysburg, the place we’re in now, is in Pennsylvania. The people of the state wanted to honor the many thousands of soldiers they had sent that died here, and I think they may have outdone their brethren.” He laughed a little, but went back into a reminiscing, though serious tone. “This battle wasn’t the only one of that war, Reia. It was a five year long string of battles wherein countless men struggled to fight against each other, and all because they disagreed with one another for the way they were governing themselves.”
Reia shrugged though she was admiring the view. “That sounds stupid if you ask me. The fighting against each other part, I mean…”
“Yeah, it was, really, but I look back on it now… and I think they had it right. At least they had decent governments to fight for. Ours isn’t worth preserving. That’s why I love history and the stories it’s just full of. We could learn so much to help ourselves if we went back and just remembered what these men… what they all died for over the centuries.” Nick’s voice grew stronger and more confident, as if he were a bold new leader wanting to rise up for the people and speak out against corruption.
“They fought and bled for different reasons, but they all started with a similar concept; the freedom to do what they needed to do,” he went on, Reia listening closely and learning from the passion in his tone. “It started when the Mayflower bumped into Plymouth Rock – they were escaping tyranny and starting a new life. But their former government followed them and trapped them again, however there were so many independents now that they decided to fight against the monarch and claim themselves as separate states, but in a nation united. They learned from their experiences with oppression and dictatorship that they wouldn’t do it to themselves or their children…”
“Now here we are…” He grew quiet and somber, as if the sun setting behind the grand memorial before him had cast more than just a shadow over the land. “The sacrifices are forgotten and our nation is in ruin. I can’t believe how far we’ve fallen as a society…”
Reia followed him slowly inside the memorial, the only place not entirely overgrown with grass and shrubbery. On the walls were etched the names of numerous men who fought and died in this place and she felt a shudder of great humility run through her. This was so befuddling and yet inspiring. Nick was right – how could their government erase such a powerful thing?
“I know what you’re thinking, Reia.” Nick commented as he gazed up into the domed ceiling. “And the answer is that man is naturally afraid of the past because he doesn’t want to repeat it. In our case, a president of recent times must have been terrified of it and thought he could do away with wars altogether by erasing that our predecessors ever fought in them.”
“I don’t want to forget anymore.” Reia said to his surprise, her hand splayed over a collection of names. She touched the etchings lovingly as she began to cry, gaining her the comforting warmth of Nick’s arms wrapped around her for the first time. She wept quietly as he held her from behind, her emotions gushing and spilling onto the limestone floor; she was no longer wrestling with herself or her past. She wanted to move on – put it behind her, but not forget it. It would shape her, not hinder her.
“Nick, I know I’m being annoying, but tell me some more stories about all these people. Tell me more about the states and anything special about them. I want to know so much!” Reia pleaded sincerely, her hand clutching his to her pounding heart.
Nick smiled tenderly and gained the courage to peck her cheek softly. “I don’t find it annoying at all. Any questions you have I’ll do my best to answer and I promise to tell you every story I know. Don’t worry… you won’t forget anymore.”
Fandom: Original
Prompt: #306 Redemption
Character(s): Reia Landon & Nicholas Essman (Original)
Pairing(s): Nicholas x Reia
Genre(s): Drama & Friendship
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,550
Summary: In an age where nothing is what it once was, monuments and a select educated few are all that know of our past...
Warnings: This is an original story extracted from a much larger work I am toiling with regularly. This is a stand-alone piece, I feel, because it doesn't involve any of the other plots/characters I've developed. Plain and simple, the story is of two characters with one educating the other on some classic Civil War history.
A mild chill was setting in as Nick and Reia continued to explore the forgotten battlegrounds, finding monuments and statues of all kinds telling stories not heard for decades. Reia found it fascinating and heart-wrenching all at the same time; Nick was reminiscing from his days in school, feeling almost giddy to get to experience these moments with a woman he was becoming so fond of. History was his forgotten strong suit.
“So these all represented the states of the country?” Reia inquired as they approached a statue of two men, one leaning on the other for support.
“Yeah, there used to be fifty states in all, two that weren’t even part of this connected region; Alaska and Hawaii.” Nick replied, coming up beside her to admire the artwork of the statue before him. He smiled knowing what it represented and Reia was oblivious to its significance.
“Are there statues for those states here?”
“No, those weren’t states yet when this war was fought. They came in the 1900s. These are from the mid-1800s.”
“Oh…” Reia said, feeling a little dumb that she didn’t know hardly anything about what Nick was so enthralled by, but she wanted to know more. This was all so intriguing despite all the frustration around her. For once she wasn’t considering her long gone Eli and how much he’d love to experience this with her. “What’s this one for?”
Nick brushed away some tangled weeds and vines from the base so that Reia could read the bronze lettering. “Mary-land?” She said aloud, not knowing how to pronounce it.
He chuckled and corrected her. “Maryland, one word. Keep the Y quiet… it’s the state we’re technically in when we’re in East Hampton, which used to be Washington D.C.”
“D.C.?”
“District of Columbia.”
Just as Reia opened her mouth to ask what that meant, she refrained and walked on, but not before letting her hands brush the cool bronze icon with some sense of wonder and amazement. This was all so incredible and still a little scary. She loved it.
As they walked on, having passed many monuments great and small, Reia continued to ask questions that seemed hard, but were in truth quite simple. Nick was, of course, happy to answer all of them. “Why did they fight here?”
“Good location and strategic ground. General Buford of the Union thought it would suit the terms of battle well, and he was right. Brilliant strategist, that man.” Nick replied with pride – he was eating this up for all it was worth.
“It seems so peaceful, though… I wouldn’t take it for a hospital town…” She paused, digging deep in her mind for something when it popped suddenly. “Who was that guy again on the horse?”
Nick grinned happily. “General Robert E. Lee – he was the commander of the Confederate army. Also a brilliant man.”
“Did he and that Buford guy face off here?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes, but not directly. See, Buford commanded the Union cavalry corps; a smaller division of soldiers on horseback. Lee was the commanding general of all the Confederate forces, and while his men did meet up with Buford’s, the officer in charge of that corps that stumbled into Buford was named Harry Heathe…”
Reia blinked, confused and Nick chuckled. “Sorry about that. I get a little carried away with the subject. I never get to talk about it as you can see.”
She smiled a little for him and shook her head. “You know, it’s good to see you excited about something. You’ve always been so shy and you stutter when you’re around me. But now… well, it looks like you could make a living off of telling these stories, if the government allowed it, that is.”
Nick tucked his hands into his pockets and sighed. She had brought up something rather dismal, to be sure, but he was still glad to be able to talk so freely without worrying that government forces would silence him or arrest him on sight. This freedom of speech was a wonderful thing, as was being alone with the woman he admired.
“Well, the government didn’t want us to relive our past, so they made most of us forget it altogether. Sad way to wipe out a lot of good stories and honorable people, huh?” Nick commented as they finally broke out of the woods to see a wide expanse of open fields greatly overgrown with weeds, underbrush and numerous other natural traps. He sighed again, as if suddenly saddened at the view he had.
“What’s wrong? I thought you were happy to be here?” Reia asked, not seeing what he saw.
“I am… this place is wonderful and amazing, but… it’s really very difficult to bear knowing that society doesn’t want to appreciate any of this.” He looked out towards the horizon to spot what he was hoping to see in the distance, and there it rose like a spire; a glorious monument that stood high above all the others in the setting sun’s light.
When Reia followed his gaze to see it, she gasped in awe at the sight. “It’s… beautiful. What… state is that for?”
“Pennsylvania. Gettysburg, the place we’re in now, is in Pennsylvania. The people of the state wanted to honor the many thousands of soldiers they had sent that died here, and I think they may have outdone their brethren.” He laughed a little, but went back into a reminiscing, though serious tone. “This battle wasn’t the only one of that war, Reia. It was a five year long string of battles wherein countless men struggled to fight against each other, and all because they disagreed with one another for the way they were governing themselves.”
Reia shrugged though she was admiring the view. “That sounds stupid if you ask me. The fighting against each other part, I mean…”
“Yeah, it was, really, but I look back on it now… and I think they had it right. At least they had decent governments to fight for. Ours isn’t worth preserving. That’s why I love history and the stories it’s just full of. We could learn so much to help ourselves if we went back and just remembered what these men… what they all died for over the centuries.” Nick’s voice grew stronger and more confident, as if he were a bold new leader wanting to rise up for the people and speak out against corruption.
“They fought and bled for different reasons, but they all started with a similar concept; the freedom to do what they needed to do,” he went on, Reia listening closely and learning from the passion in his tone. “It started when the Mayflower bumped into Plymouth Rock – they were escaping tyranny and starting a new life. But their former government followed them and trapped them again, however there were so many independents now that they decided to fight against the monarch and claim themselves as separate states, but in a nation united. They learned from their experiences with oppression and dictatorship that they wouldn’t do it to themselves or their children…”
“Now here we are…” He grew quiet and somber, as if the sun setting behind the grand memorial before him had cast more than just a shadow over the land. “The sacrifices are forgotten and our nation is in ruin. I can’t believe how far we’ve fallen as a society…”
Reia followed him slowly inside the memorial, the only place not entirely overgrown with grass and shrubbery. On the walls were etched the names of numerous men who fought and died in this place and she felt a shudder of great humility run through her. This was so befuddling and yet inspiring. Nick was right – how could their government erase such a powerful thing?
“I know what you’re thinking, Reia.” Nick commented as he gazed up into the domed ceiling. “And the answer is that man is naturally afraid of the past because he doesn’t want to repeat it. In our case, a president of recent times must have been terrified of it and thought he could do away with wars altogether by erasing that our predecessors ever fought in them.”
“I don’t want to forget anymore.” Reia said to his surprise, her hand splayed over a collection of names. She touched the etchings lovingly as she began to cry, gaining her the comforting warmth of Nick’s arms wrapped around her for the first time. She wept quietly as he held her from behind, her emotions gushing and spilling onto the limestone floor; she was no longer wrestling with herself or her past. She wanted to move on – put it behind her, but not forget it. It would shape her, not hinder her.
“Nick, I know I’m being annoying, but tell me some more stories about all these people. Tell me more about the states and anything special about them. I want to know so much!” Reia pleaded sincerely, her hand clutching his to her pounding heart.
Nick smiled tenderly and gained the courage to peck her cheek softly. “I don’t find it annoying at all. Any questions you have I’ll do my best to answer and I promise to tell you every story I know. Don’t worry… you won’t forget anymore.”
