Battlefield Louisiana

My mind was completely empty- and then it struck me. A withered arm, with a kick like that of a stone shot from the taut elastic band of a cleverly aimed slingshot. Its force knocking me off my feet and into a timbered ravine, where sheltered, I bore witness to what followed.

 A flair. A scream. A fire. We had made good on our target- mitigating the French caisson before it could advance. A great cloud of sulfuric vapor, made sweet with the smell of burning flesh, titillated my battle starved senses. From the depths of my shrouded hiding place, I savored the sickly stench as my reward.

A near impish cry of relief went up from the troops. Their solace however, was short lived. Within seconds it exploded into blood curdling screeches of terror- when without warning, what could only have been the gaping mouth of some mysterious, unseen god, latched on and sucked the very earth out from beneath them.

The resulting cave in- swallowing our beleaguered armaments and what was left of my already maimed platoon.

Leaving in its wake, only myself. Alive to curse the wretched day, I failed to be counted among the casualties.

This piece includes the writing prompt #14, My mind was completely empty and then it struck me, provided by Peter Wyn Mosey and the twelve words supplied by the MLMM Wordle #159 this week which are:

1. Fire
2. Cave In
3. Flair
4. Scream
5. Impish
6. Mysterious
7. Withered Arm
8. Elastic
9. French
10. Vapor
11. Kick
12. Caisson

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