[JirQUEST]

Synopsis: Just another guard duty? A story for my creative writing assignment. (1562 words)


I looked at the company of soldiers gathered in battalion formation on my left. The Company Orderly Sergeant was reading out their schedule for the day. I turned to look at the pouches on my waist.

24 more hours, I thought.

Someone tapped on my shoulder and I turned. It was my partner, Ng. He was pressing the buttons on his mobile phone as he leant forward.

"Hey, are you bringing the mosquito coils?"

"Of co-"

"Alright gentlemen, today I am your D.O," Staff William said, as he appeared at the entrance of the administration building.

All of us kept quiet and turned to look at him.

"Do your duty good and everyone can sleep tomorrow morning. Prowlers, don't let me catch you writing advanced timing. Sentry and tower personnel, don't let me catch you sleeping."

"Yes Staff."

Ng leant forward and whispered into my ear.

"As if he'll ever come up."

I suppressed my smile. Staff William proceeded to check our equipment, then body-search me and the other three tower guards. The guard commander stepped forward.

"I shall now read to you the standard operating procedures. All soldiers..."

I imagined walking through the entrance the next day, tired but eager to rush for the barracks. I imagined getting ready to go home the next evening, packing my bag and getting dressed in civilian clothes.

"... and contraband items include mosquito coils, mobile phones, cigarettes..."

Staff William stepped away and gave a nod. I watched him as he went inside the administration building.

"... all military personnel can be charged in the Court of Martial for these offences..."

I imagined playing my guitar at home, strumming that new song I learnt two days before. I hummed the tune softly.

"... proceed to the armoury to collect your rifles now."

"Yes sergeant!"

We picked up our helmets and walked towards the armoury, which was at the back of the administration building. I moved ahead of the rest, turning towards the armoury and walking out the backdoor. I looked around. The area was empty. I fastened my pace, looking around again as I walked past the smoking point and the mess into the barracks. I removed my keys from my pocket as I headed for my locker. I opened it and took out the mosquito coils and lighter, slipping them into my side pocket. I smiled as I walked out of the barracks to the armoury.

****

Around me, it was pitch-black. The nearest streetlights from my tower, about 100 metres away, cast a dim glow around the ammunition storehouses. I yawned and checked my watch. 7:55 pm. Ng was lying on the inner side of the tower snoring. A thick, un-used searchlight stuck out like a sore thumb in our narrow space, separating us. I shifted for a more comfortable position on the stool, leant my head against the wall, and looked out the window, observing the distant end where the GP (General Purpose) car would first appear. I closed my eyes.

A mosquito buzzed around my ear. I waved it off. I took the coils and lighter from my pocket, and placed them on the empty box perched on the side of the wall. I watched the distant darkness again, as I took a coil and placed it against the flame of the lighter. A spiral of smoke drifted upwards and an incense-like smell hung in the air, mixing with the smell of the waste from the trash bag behind me. I placed the mosquito coil on the ledge beside me, then lit another and placed it on the box. I lit another again, and placed it under my stool. I sat and waited, my eyelids becoming heavy.

****

The headlights of the GP car appeared before it did, shining like a ghostly light in the distance. I sat up and looked at my watch. 10:02 pm. I sprang from my seat and took the mosquito coils, placing them on the floor against the wall. I grabbed my helmet and put it on. I took the night-tracker and shone it on the car as it approached.

I calculated the number of hours of sleep I could get in my head. 8 hours. I grinned. The GP car turned towards my direction. I aimed the night-tracker at the vehicle, its powerful light creating a road in the air. The GP car slowed, stopping near the first prowler checkpoint, about 50 metres away from the tower. A sudden thought flashed past me and I frowned. My heart beat fast.

Staff William and the duty driver came out of the vehicle. They stood together for a moment; it looked as if they were conversing.

"Hoi. Wake up. They came out of the vehicle."

"Nah, they won't come up. They just want to look at the checkpoint book," Ng said.

I observed as I kept the light on them. They started to walk towards the tower.

"Oh shit! Hoi, wake up! Staff William's coming up."

"What the fuck?"

Ng struggled to his feet. I bent down to take the mosquito coils. He put on his SBO and helmet, and opened the lid of the searchlight. I scraped the lit end of a coil against the wall. A black mark ran across and the flame went out. I placed it on the box and looked out of the window. Staff William was about 15 metres away. I looked at Ng. He was placing both his mobile phones among the folds of the mosquito net inside.

"Hurry up," I said.

"Okay, okay."

He adjusted the mosquito net and closed the lid slowly. I handed the other mosquito coil to him.

"Put it out."

I took the last coil and scraped it against the wall. The flame refused to go out. I tried again. A charcoal-like trail ran across the green paint. It still won't go out.

"Just throw it down."

"What if he sees the light when I throw it down?"

We heard Staff William's footsteps and the tower vibrated. Ng was looking out the other window, the side where the stairs were.

I'm going to really die this time, I thought.

"Faster, he's coming up."

I pressed the flame against the wall again, scraping it hard. The lit end was still visible. My heart beat faster. I looked around for something else to help snuff out the flame. Nothing. I pressed the flame against my palm.

I screamed and flung the mosquito coil to the ground.

"What's going on up there?" Staff William said. The steps rang out hurried and hollow clunks that vibrated with the tower.

I stamped on the coil a few times with the rear end of my boot. The flame went out. I picked up the coil and took the one lying on the ammunition box.

"This one also," Ng said, handing me the coil. He looked out the window.

"Good evening, Staff!" he said. He waved his hand behind him, signalling me. I threw the coils down the other side. I watched as it disappeared into the tall grasses. Staff William appeared at the entrance.

"What's going on up here?" he said.

"Urm... Staff..."

"I nearly dropped my helmet out of the window, Staff."

Staff William looked at us. I kept my hands behind my back, my fingers rubbing against my palm.

"Urm... Yeah. Staff, he was trying to put on his helmet and it nearly dropped," Ng said.

"You are supposed to be wearing your helmet in the first place. What if a sniper is aiming for your head?"

We kept silent. I became aware of the thick smell of incense. I held my breath.

"Guys, don't think that just because it is dark, you can slack around huh."

"Yes, Staff."

"I don't want any hanky-panky around here. Be serious about your duty and you can sleep peacefully tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Staff."

He stepped forward to search our bodies. The duty driver looked at us from behind him and shook his head. I gave a slight smile and shrugged.

"Okay, gentlemen, remember not to sleep. Staff William will come in again later. I won't tell you what time, but I will come in. So don't try to play punk. Staff William has eyes behind his back huh. He knows when you are up to mischief. He can see."

I rolled my eyes, and wished he were gone as soon as possible.

"Yes, Staff."

He looked at us and at the searchlight. He glanced around the narrow enclosure, looking at the walls. He held his gaze at the black marks, as if contemplating. Then, he stepped away from us and turned to walk down the steps. As he was about to go down, he sniffed and looked at the trash bag tied around one of the railings.

"Hey Tan. Make sure one of you ties up this trash bag or else this whole place will stink and tomorrow's guards are going to curse and swear at you."

"Err... yes, Staff."

He walked down the stairs. The duty driver smiled at us and followed behind him. I let out a breath, and inspected my wound. A blister was forming.

"Thank god he never checked this, man," Ng said, tapping the metal of the tower searchlight.

"Yeah. Luckily he didn't notice the smell-"

I looked at Ng, and he looked at me as well.

[BoonBa]

HAHAHA!!!!!A story that any Singaporean guy can relate to.

Btw, SBO means Skeletal Battle Order, and it includes the webbing, the helmet and your rifle. It just means a certain attire. The proper term would be "He put on his webbing and helmet", not "He put on his SBO and helmet". Just a note. You might have used SBO because many of us use that term to describe the webbing anyway.

I think you also exaggerated the difficulty in snuffing out the mosquito coil because they ain't THAT difficult to extinguish. A hard knock on the wall would suffice. If not, just break off the end and throw it somewhere. I think another contraband item would be better, like trying to hide a stack of pronography mags or maybe trying to wear your uniform because you guys took them off when you think no one was looking, and then maybe discovering the uniform slipped off the window where you hung it.

Well, just a suggestion. The mosquito coil problem seems unrealistic.

[JirQUEST]

LOL unfortunately it really happened to me. it was that difficult

[Peppy]

wierd night in the tower. I enjoyed the read.

[orinthemad]

i enjoyed this story, i think anyone who is or has been in the military would laugh at those situations. (usually the situations are not funny as they are happening, but after...it's freakin hilarious) good stuff

[marty2shorty]

hmm, i really love stories like this
it's like the movie 'jarhead', i bought this movie for my 'psp' and thought it was full of war and violence, i felt like watching an action film,
even though the story was placed in kuwait, operaton desert shield and storm, there was little action, but it is still a very good movie, nice laid back story, not too intense but still interesting, jarhead is funny
stories like this written here is proof that stories can be interesting in a short amount of time and not too 'big' of a conflict

[JirQUEST]

Thank you for the comments... I had to cut it short from almost double the word count, and I didn't quite like that. I read a portion of Jarhead during my Uni days as part of a mini-critique. You just reminded me that I have to look for that book