Loire Valley to make a stand. The other two men are placed in infantry units, but they send us back with you to seek medical aid. Eventually we meet up with Doctor Bertrand who brings us back to his surgery in Nantes.”
“We hear on the radio that Pétain has sued for an armistice, and Marcel decides to head home before the Germans move in. They promise to find my father when they get back. I guess you know the rest.”
When Young Yann finished his narrative, he searched his father’s eyes for the slightest sign of encouragement or perhaps even sympathy, but if he expected any, he was surely disappointed. Old Yann grunted, got to his feet and began adjusting the sail.
But then he turned to me, and I was looking into the eyes of a young man who had seen so much in so short a time. He had been a player on the world’s stage for just a millisecond and had paid dearly for that privilege. What could I say to him? What words were there to comfort him? For the rest of his life he would struggle just to move around. Perhaps he could still fish for a living, but it wouldn’t be easy.
Young Yann had been born into a world of poverty where his only asset was his healthy body and youthful vigor. And now that had been taken from him. I reached over and put an arm around his shoulder and gave him a squeeze. But even I, Padrig the storyteller, had no words of comfort for my friend. There was nothing I could think of to say that would have even an ounce of truth. So I sat there in the stern of our tiny boat, forlornly clutching his shoulders as the huge swells rolled in off the ocean systematically picking us up and letting us gently back down.
The following afternoon, we dropped anchor in Kérity harbor.
d
Peter James Quirk is an author, freelance writer and outdoorsman who spends his winters skiing and snowboarding and his summers hiking, biking and playing tennis. His novel Trail of Vengeance has a strong ski theme; indeed, the villain of the story is a disgraced ski instructor. Many of his stories, however, cover World War II and its aftermath. It is a fascinating if tragic period to explore, and the villains and heroes are so easy to find.
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