Reddit Challenge story #9

Theme: “An old man goes for his last walk of his life. It is autumn, grey skies, crisp, cool air.”

It is autumn. The sky is grey; the air, crisp and cool, flows through the trees. Leaves, wrinkled and browned, are tossed effortlessly into the air, forming patterns more beautiful than any artist could dream of. It is the kind of autumn night that stirs up emotions, the cold air darkening the mood and the clouds obscuring the moon. Arnold Babish walks alone amidst the trees.
He walks slowly, but with determination. He is wearing tan pants and a navy sweater, providing him little protection from the wind. In Arnold’s mind, decades of memories are playing back. D-Day, Cherbourg, Market Garden, the Eagles Nest. Arnold struggles as the memories overcome him.
Before his eyes he can see Tom, Joey and Rich, his best friends in the unit. They stand amidst the flowing leaves as if they had been brought back mysteriously from 1944, unharmed. Arnold immediately recalls all three of their deaths in detail. Arnold can see the moment when Tom was hit accidentally by English artillery; they tried their best to save him but the bleeding was too great. He then sees Joey and Rich’s death, at the hands of the Nazi’s at Carentan; they were outflanked by German infantry and though Arnold and his unit were able to take out nearly half of the German contingent, they still managed to hit Joey and Rich. Arnold falls to his knees and grips his heart.
Arnold bends over in pain, then struggles to lift himself upright. Slowly he manages to turn up to the images of his friend. “Joey, Tom, Rich…” Arnold whispers “I only wish I could have joined you sooner.”