A Cold Day in Hell (PG) Champagne Challenge 124 - Cold

[darkstarrising]

DSR, Beautifully sad, a poignant statement.

thanks, AussieJo It is a sad statement, but his time in the Ardennes was something that stayed with Mick more than a half century later. Thanks for reading.

[darkstarrising]

Beautifully written. The harsh realities of both war and weather don't care if you're 18 and have your whole life ahead of you. Eddie's mind escaped the horrors of war for what he thought were a few minutes and it wound up forever.

Mick will soon find the California sun he loves so much will no longer be his friend. Cold will become his new companion.

thanks, carol So true. 18 or 80, war doesn't care how old you are or who you are. The way I see it, Eddie's strength had gradually decreased in his five months on the front, and when he lay down to sleep, he just let go.

Mick, on the other hand, won't let go. He wants to live, he has things he's looking forward to when he returns home. Ironically, when he finally finds a girl and marries her, his life is changed forever and everything he wanted is now out of reach.

[Shadow]

Wow, what a haunting story. This is as cold as it gets. And what a graphic description of the conditions these men faced during that winter in the Ardennes. The end, where Mick simply lies down to sleep next to the body of his friend, brings home all of that despair, exhaustion and suffering.

But in terms of Mick's story, the part that really got to me was this:

I’d give anything to be home now, walking on the beach, feeling the sun on my face, just being warm again. I’d give even more to be free of the stench of blood, the sight of the dead and dying. I want to live.

What a foreshadowing of Mick's life to come as a vampire. Something he'll be longing for forever, and something he'll never have.

Very cold, very beautiful, very sad.

[darkstarrising]

Wow, what a haunting story. This is as cold as it gets. And what a graphic description of the conditions these men faced during that winter in the Ardennes. The end, where Mick simply lies down to sleep next to the body of his friend, brings home all of that despair, exhaustion and suffering.

But in terms of Mick's story, the part that really got to me was this:

I’d give anything to be home now, walking on the beach, feeling the sun on my face, just being warm again. I’d give even more to be free of the stench of blood, the sight of the dead and dying. I want to live.

What a foreshadowing of Mick's life to come as a vampire. Something he'll be longing for forever, and something he'll never have.

Very cold, very beautiful, very sad.

thanks, Shadow Writing it, I tried to think of the little things that makes the cold so miserable, like losing feeling in your hands and feet and having no place to go to get warm. Then I tried to imagine what it would be like to endure those conditions for weeks on end, hence the bleakness of the story. For Mick though, those weeks in the Ardennes would be seem like a brief moment relative to a half century of needing the cold to survive, living off blood, at times taking the life of another just to survive. Just as you said, his time in the Ardennes was a foreshadowing of things to come.

[PNWgal]

Oh Karen...

This is so very sad, but sadly realistic as well. Thousands of men like Mick and Ray and Eddie gave their lives during this horrible time in history. So much was asked of those men and boys, and they gave all they could.

Cold…..so cold…it’s like living in a damned freezer……

Oh, if only Mick knew...

When Mick got home, he'd would find a good, loving woman like Lila, settle down and have a houseful of kids. He’d seen enough of the world in the last few months to know he’d never want to leave home again.

And this is where I start sniffling, because while he never left L.A. again, Mick was cheated of everything he wanted there - home, family, love.

Eddie had found peace, but paid a terrible price. As exhaustion finally claimed him, Mick silently prayed that no one else would have to.

Unfortunately even that prayer would be denied.

Sad, yes. Wonderful, yes.

So well done, my friend.

[baywinger]

Wow, wow, WOW!

I REALLY like these challenge fics about the war. It's so appropriate, and I am absolutely blown away by the authenticity that you brought to this. Authenticity of the characters, description, and finally of the moment where Mick just sits down and sleeps next to the dead boy...

It's hard to process how much that generation went through...then personalizing it through the medium of characters we know as well as one we only glimpsed...the shivers run deeper than just cold.



Baywinger

[darkstarrising]

Oh Karen...

This is so very sad, but sadly realistic as well. Thousands of men like Mick and Ray and Eddie gave their lives during this horrible time in history. So much was asked of those men and boys, and they gave all they could.

Cold…..so cold…it’s like living in a damned freezer……

Oh, if only Mick knew...

When Mick got home, he'd would find a good, loving woman like Lila, settle down and have a houseful of kids. He’d seen enough of the world in the last few months to know he’d never want to leave home again.

And this is where I start sniffling, because while he never left L.A. again, Mick was cheated of everything he wanted there - home, family, love.

Eddie had found peace, but paid a terrible price. As exhaustion finally claimed him, Mick silently prayed that no one else would have to.

Unfortunately even that prayer would be denied.

Sad, yes. Wonderful, yes.

So well done, my friend.

Thanks, Jen Between the two of us, we've fleshed out what Mick experienced during his time abroad. In this story, there are parallels between what Mick endured as a human soldier and his immortal existence as a vampire. Only now, the cold of the brutal winter and the blood he abhorred are now critical to his continued existence. Even though he would return to LA alive and well, he'd never have what he really wanted; to fall in love, marry and grow old and gray with the woman he loved surrounded by kids and grandkids.

Sadly, his other prayer continues to go unanswered.

[darkstarrising]

Wow, wow, WOW!

I REALLY like these challenge fics about the war. It's so appropriate, and I am absolutely blown away by the authenticity that you brought to this. Authenticity of the characters, description, and finally of the moment where Mick just sits down and sleeps next to the dead boy...

It's hard to process how much that generation went through...then personalizing it through the medium of characters we know as well as one we only glimpsed...the shivers run deeper than just cold.



Baywinger

Thanks, baywinger This was an interesting challenge to meet, having to weave in the words cold, blanket, smoke and shiver. For whatever reason, the image of Mick as a soldier popped into my head. Coupled with his comments about the terrible cold in the Ardennes, I tried to convey what those soldiers must have felt being so far away from home, cold, miserable and frightened. I'm glad that it came across that way to you.

But you're right, I still can't fully appreciate what that generation went through, both those on the lines and those waiting at home.

[Moonlighter]

Oh DSR, this was so sad! Poor Eddie. And my heart just aches for Mick (and Ray) for all the compassion they heaped on that young man only to see him lose his personal battle. I feel for anyone who had to endure that and you just paint it out so painfully real for us.

Sigh. I hate war. If we women were in charge, I think these conflicts would be settled so differently, don't you?

Very well done, DSR -- Thanks!

[darkstarrising]

Oh DSR, this was so sad! Poor Eddie. And my heart just aches for Mick (and Ray) for all the compassion they heaped on that young man only to see him lose his personal battle. I feel for anyone who had to endure that and you just paint it out so painfully real for us.

Sigh. I hate war. If we women were in charge, I think these conflicts would be settled so differently, don't you?

Very well done, DSR -- Thanks!

Thanks, Moonlighter This was an interesting piece for me....with the topic of cold (which I hate being), I tried to imagine cold that you just couldn't get away from and drew from Mick's comment about the Ardennes...cold that winter was a constant and miserable companion and many on both sides perished much the same way Eddie did.

Agreed about both war and having women in charge - we're always cast as being 'too emotional', but those emotions are typically positive ones, i.e., love and caring. Those who start wars are just as emotional, but in their case, it's more about hatred and greed.

[jen]

We make plans for our future, safe from the harsh realities we encounter in our lives. bit somehow things rarely turn out exactly as we plan.

Maybe not as far off as Mick's plans, but somewhat different than we dreamed.

Wonderful story!

Thank you!

Jenna

[librarian_7]

I was glad Jenna bumped this today, as I hadn't read it before. I think the quality of the comments, dsr, are such an excellent indicator of the depth in this story.

One of the things I love about it is that it's such an understated moment. There's not a lot of "action," no battlefield heroics, no hand to hand combat. Just the cold reality of a winter campaign. What Mick and Ray and Eddie are facing is what soldiers have dealt with in winter for as long as there have been soldiers...cold, tedium, loneliness, homesickness, and the unfairness of the universe. They might have been at Valley Forge, or retreating from Moscow with Napoleon. Or crossing the Alps with Hannibal, for that matter.

A perfect mood piece, a perfect answer to the challenge.

Lucky

[allegrita]

This is indeed a perfect story for Memorial Day. Thank you for bumping it up! And thank you, dear DSR, for writing it. It makes me think, and it makes me sad. And I think that's the perfect response to a story about the toll that war demands.

[darkstarrising]

We make plans for our future, safe from the harsh realities we encounter in our lives. bit somehow things rarely turn out exactly as we plan.

Maybe not as far off as Mick's plans, but somewhat different than we dreamed.

Wonderful story!

Thank you!

Jenna

Thanks, Jenna for bringing this up on Memorial Day I was out of town, or I'd have responded sooner. Interesting point about how we make plans for ourselves, but rarely do things turn out exactly as we would have liked. For those that went off to war, their own plans were put on hold or in many cases, never realized. Many never returned home, and for those that did, life was never the same.

I was glad Jenna bumped this today, as I hadn't read it before. I think the quality of the comments, dsr, are such an excellent indicator of the depth in this story.

One of the things I love about it is that it's such an understated moment. There's not a lot of "action," no battlefield heroics, no hand to hand combat. Just the cold reality of a winter campaign. What Mick and Ray and Eddie are facing is what soldiers have dealt with in winter for as long as there have been soldiers...cold, tedium, loneliness, homesickness, and the unfairness of the universe. They might have been at Valley Forge, or retreating from Moscow with Napoleon. Or crossing the Alps with Hannibal, for that matter.

A perfect mood piece, a perfect answer to the challenge.

Lucky

Thanks, Lucky and you're right. The misery of these soldiers is timeless. They had no escape from the cold, the loneliness or being homesick. The only comfort they had was the company and camaraderie of their fellow soldier. Eddie's death is tragic, but at least he's escaped the misery. The ones left behind continue to suffer.

This is indeed a perfect story for Memorial Day. Thank you for bumping it up! And thank you, dear DSR, for writing it. It makes me think, and it makes me sad. And I think that's the perfect response to a story about the toll that war demands.

Thanks, alle I had the opportunity to see the Memorial Day Concert in DC earlier this week and the toll is evident all around you. Yet were it not for the sacrifices of the soldiers and their families, we wouldn't have the quality of life we have today. We owe them all a debt of gratitude.

[jen]

Fabulous, fabulous answer to the challenge.

Ray, Lilah and Mick started on a path that lead each of them through a lot of painful change, but Mick most of all.

Hopefully, in time the pain grew less for Ray and Lilah, but for Mick the changes just kept coming.

Wonderful fic!