Crisp green grass as far as the eye
can see, covering the rolling hills
into the distance.
Towering leafy trees,
swaying in the cool breeze.
A brook trickling over rounded pebbles
running into a crystal blue lake,
the smooth surface a mirror,
reflecting the sky with its scattered,
soft fluffy clouds.
Various wild animals, resting and grazing in the shade of the trees and drinking from the cool waters of the lake.
The sun, smiling down on the beautiful scene had just moved to its highest point between the east and west horizons.
Noon, good the herd will be here soon...
Searching the horizon, I see them
coming over the summit of a hill in the distance, but that's not what catches my eye.
A column of smoke rises from the shore side of the land.
What could possibly be the cause of such a monstrosity in this peaceful country?
The herds were then left in the capable hands of their caretakers and I journeyed towards the source of this commodity.
Many days of travel brought me to the shore lands, as I neared the cause of the smoke, a thundering tremored through the ground that got louder and stronger as I approached. I reached the top of the mountain and from the jagged cliffs,
a dreadful scene was unveiled before my eyes.
Great armies were gathered, in their gleaming armour, flags of so many nations, lifted up against each other.
Mammothic machines that launched large boulders were being pushed into firing position. The thundering of thousands of galloping horses, hooves tearing up the grass. The clash of steel against steel and the ghastly cries screams of the dying rang through the air. This accursed calamity causing Mother Nature to tremble.
The crisp green grass was trodden flat under foot. The towering trees, hacked down to fuel the fires of destruction. The blue lakes emptied and the wildlife slaughtered to feed the insatiable appetite of the armies. Alas, the armies continued to arrive and soon, the entire face of the land was covered in a war that was not its own.
Decades later, I am now old, the armies have at last come to terms of peace and have left our land. The once fertile soil is now bloodstained and the once green hills are now barren. Nothing remains of the trees but burnt stumps. The skeletons of men, horses and the wildlife scatter the dead ground.
