Like a Ringing in Our Ears

a short story about those who march off to war and those who come back

"Every man dies. Not every man truly lives," the generals told us when we shipped out.

Those who survived brought the war back inside us like a ringing in our ears, like a roaring in the deep and quiet places that once held joy. We had not died, but this did not feel like life.

The generals had it all wrong.

Every man lives. Not every man truly dies.

Short story written by Peter Chiykowski

Story prompt taken from a photo by US Official Photos of the World War