The year was 1775, and we were fighting a war that would give us the right to live our lives as we pleased. It was a time I would never forget. You see, I fancied a soldier named, Taylor Hanson. He was only two-and-twenty. I, myself was nearing one-and-twenty within the next few months. Taylor and I had only been aquainted for the last three days, but we had fallen madly in love. I, myself was sure he'd ask for my hand in marriage one day soon. But, the war was his life. Soon, we'd both find out how much it would change both of our lives. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Promise me you'll come back, my love," I pleaded, as I kissed Taylor, farewell.
He held me in his arms, looking me in the eyes, and told me, "I will always come back to you, darling. Not the sun, the moon, nor the stars can stop my return. And I will arrive alive and well."
Slowly, a tear fell from my cheek staining his jacket, "O, how I'll miss you. Maybe one day I'll come watch the war to see how you're doing."
"Darling, I wish only for your safety, please," Taylor, too, now had tears in his eyes.
"As you wish," I sighed, "but I still wish to see you, and if that means going to the battlefield, so be it!"
"Katelyn..." Taylor had a disapproving look on his face, but he couldn't hold it, and began to smile, widely.
I smiled at him, nearly whispering, "You're going to miss the troops."
"It's worth the time," he looked deeply into my eyes, and I into his.
I really fancied his eyes most about him. They were as blue as the sky, and so pure looking. I felt comforted by just gazing into them this one last time.
"Now, go to mother's," Taylor ordered. He was sending me to his mother'd home while the war was ongoing and he wasn't present.
"Alright," I said, sadly.
After one final kiss goodbye, he left. Taylor closed the door behind him, as he left. He began walking down the dirt road, slowly, rifle in hand. O, how I'd miss him! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I sat there in the Hanson residence two days later, conversing with Taylor's mother and father. The two of them were for certain that Taylor and I were to be married. They talked of how they had never seen him behave in such a way with girls he fancied.
"Well, thank you, mother," I was already accustomed to calling her "mother."
She smiled as she poured my tea. She was always smiling. Taylor's mother was one of the most cheerful people I was aquaintanced with.
Taylor's father turned to me, asking, "Are you going to watch him at the battlefield later on, Katelyn?"
I smiled, bashful, I couldn't believe I was asked such a thing, "Taylor told me not to."
"Nonsense!" he laughed. "Go and watch! Someone in this family has to go and make sure he doesn't hurt himself out there! For heaven's sake, Isaac's out there, too!"
Taylor was the second of seven siblings. The youngest was only six-years of age, named Zoe. Isaac was Taylor's elder brother, and he was four-and-twenty. Isaac joined much earlier than Taylor, so he was in a different regiment, and couldn't watch over Taylor.
"Alright," I agreed, "I'll go after the sun sets."
"Good."
Changing the subject, I turned to Taylor's mother, "Mother, where's your green rosary beads?"
I noticed that they weren't around her neck. She always wore them. I really fancied her green rosary beads. I always told Taylor how much I wanted ones identical to them.
"I'm not quite sure, dear," she told me. "I can't seem to find them anywhere!"
"Have you checked all the drawers, Diana?" questioned Taylor's father.
"Indeed!" she assured him. "They are nowhere to be found!"
"I would be glad to help you search for them later on, Mother," I offered, as I fixed my white dress.
"That is sweet of you, Katelyn, dear," Taylor's mother said, "but I want you to go visit Taylor."
"If you insist."
I was practically bursting. I couldn't wait to go see my love at war. I would be a nervous wreck over him, but I knew he would fine in the end. I just knew he would. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later that evening, at the battlefield, I sat watching Taylor and his regiment advance towards "the enemy." This was a serious war, and our freedom depended on it. I felt proud to know that my love was helping our country become one step closer to freedom.
I sat on the grass, watching Taylor. It was then he spotted me. Tylor came running over to me.
"I thought I told not to come here, love," he reminded me, after he kissed me.
I smiled, sweetly, replying, "So you did, but it was your father who told me to come."
"I'm sorry, love, but I must go, be careful I mind you," he said.
"I will, I will," I promised. "Farewell."
Running back, over his shoulder, he yelled, "Farewell!" And that was the last I heard from him that day.
I sat there for hours, in hope that he'd return to talk to me. And hopefully, he'd tell me that he didn't have to fight anymore. But, Taylor never came for me. All that was heard was canon bursting, gun shots exploding, and deafening cries. The sounds pierced my ears, but still, I watched and waited for my one and only love.
Suddenly, a man who seemed to be in his late thirties approached me. He had a wire goatee, and bifocals. The man had the same type of badges as Taylor. He was form the same regiment, I assumed.
He removed his cap, and smiled brightly at me, "Good evening, ma'am. My name's Ronnie. I'm the messanger for Taylor's regiment."
"Is he alright?" I gasped, worried.
"Oh, yes, I assure you he's fine," Ronnie promised. "He just wanted me to give you this."
Ronnie held a package wrapped in paper. The paper had think red, white, and blue stripes. It reminded me of the French flag, but I thought nothing of it.
"Thank you, Ronnie," I thanked the man. "Was there any message from my love?"
He nodded, "He told me to give you the package and to tell you to 'git. It's too dangerous for you here. He also sends his regards."
"Thank you, Ronnie," I said, taking the package sent from my darling, Taylor. "Return my regards to Taylor."
"Will do, ma'am," Ronnie bowed slightly, and then put his cap back upon his head.
After I put Taylor's package in my pouch, Ronnie left. O lmew I had to leave. Taylor was right sbout it not being safe. So, I stood up, and ran. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me throughout the woods.
I ran for about a mile deep into the woods until I fell. My brand new white laced dress had torn on a fallen branch in the woods.
"Oh, no," I said aloud to myself, "I'll have to get Mother to sew it back up for me."
I wasted no time sulking over my dress. The canons were still nearby, so I had to keep on moving. I promised Taylor that I wouldn't stay here. I returned to my feet and ran, again. But, the entire time I was running, not only was I gasping for air to breathe, but for Taylor to give me my breath. I worried about him out there. I prayed to God that he would return to me after the war was over, safely. We were meant for each other. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, I sat in Taylor's room, penning a letter to him for the messanger to deliver to him. I missed him dearly.
I read my letter to clear my thoughts and to see if I had anything to add:
As soon as I finished revising my letter, a knock was heard at the door. The knocks were more like thumps, and spaced apart. It sounded extrememly labored.
One of Taylor's little sisters, Avery yelled gleefully, "It's Taylor!"
Immediately, everyone rushed to the door, as Taylor's mother flung it open. We all crowded around the door surprised to see him, standing there.
"I'm here...," he gasped, "...only briefly. The regiment...is about...to leave."
Taylor stepped into the house, and kissed both his mother and father, saying, "I love you both very much."
Taylor's father smiled, "And we love you, too, son."
Taylor proceeded on with his siblings, telling each one of them that he loved them. And each one of them responded with an "I love you" and a kiss. He finally came to me, and embraced me.
Still holding me, Taylor whispered, "I'll always love you." Then, he softly pressed his lips to mine.
Looking at all of us, he started to gather tears in his eyes, choking, "I must go now."
He turned around, swiftly after that last look, and headed out the door. But, as he headed to the front stairs, with shock he fell violently down the front steps. I couldn't believe what was happening right in front of my own eyes.
His younger brother, Zachary, who was not even nine-and-ten, shrieked, "Taylor!"
Taylor's mother and I burst through the door, which Taylor himself had closed. My own face was drenched in an ocean of tears that were as constant as river flowing. My love had fallen, and it looked as if he was not going to return to his feet.
I fell at Taylor's side, in hysterics, and screaming, "Taylor! No! This can't be! It just can't be!"
His mother was clutching her husband, screaming with tears running down her cheeks, "Taylor! My second eldest! No! Why God, why!?"
She was just as hysterical as I. She too, was in a great amount of shock, although I would imagine her pain was a great deal larger than mine, because there is no stronger love than a mother's.
I sat at Taylor's side, sobbing and clutching his lifeless hand. I refused to believe that this was real. Surely, any minute he would stand up, and I would see his smiling face, again.
"Turn him over on his stomach, Katelyn," commanded Taylor's father.
I did as I was told. I noticed before that Tay was gasping and stumbling, it was now I knew why. My love had been shot in the back. His blood seeped trough his shirt, covering his back in its entirety.
"Oh my God!" screamed his little sister, Jessica, as she ran into the house. She couldn't take the sight of her brother covered in his own blood. And frankly, neither could I, yet I remained at his side and unable to move.
Taylor'd father knelt down at his son's side and grabbed his limp wrist, feeling for a pulse, "He doesn't have a pulse. He's gone..."
As he stood up, I sobbed and sobbed even harder. I couldn't believe it. I had fancied Taylor so much even though I only knew him for a short while. We didn't get a chance to have a future together.
As his mother and father turned around, his mother said, "We better call the minister."
Everyone headed inside except for Mrs. Hanson and I. We sat there on the stairs, gazing in disbelief at Taylor's lifeless body. It was there, she spoke.
"You said Taylor gave you a package, what was it?" she questioned.
I had completely forgotten about Taylor's package until now, "Actually, I never opened it. I'll open it, now."
I took the red, white, and blue striped package out of my sack, and carefully unraveled the paper. What it contained brought tears to my eyes. Inside, was his mother's green rosary beads, which I had fancied ever since I met her.
Also, in the package was a note from Taylor that read:
It was then Taylor's mother stood and gave herself leave into the house. I sat there on the stairs, not able to leave Taylor's side. He was now lying on his back. I brushed my fingers through his long blonde hair, which was still soft. It made me sad to see that even though his cheeks had gone pale, his lips were still lush and tinted pink. Slowly, i leaned over to him and kissed his lips for one last time.
I still looked at him, and I noticed his eyes were closed. He didn't look like he was in pain, though. He looked as if he felt peace. Yet, I still knew I'd never be able to see his bright blue eyes ever again. O, how I fancied his eyes.
Finally, I stood. I kept my eyes on my love, though. I knew I would never fancy another as I did him. Our love was too passionate, too strong. But, I had to face that he was gone...and never to return to me. Regretfully, I went inside the house, closing the door on my love I never see, again. I knew he would always have my heart whether he was alive and well, or in the presense of God, He is a person I'll never forget. Taylor, my love, my soldier.
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