"...he went out in the ocean, alone. He was never seen again."

"Hey Webster! Pass me that beer, would you?"

David Webster froze, taken aback by the interlocution, for he was supposed to be alone. His heart felt like he had stop beating for one or two seconds. That just couldn't be true.

"Web? Are you listening? I said pass me that beer."

The little boat rocked back and fourth slowly, and Webster didn't know when he decided to turn around, but he did, facing the voice, facing the impossible.

"Liebgott?"

His mouth was dry. He took a step backward, his back finding the little cabin he was headed to, moments ago. He just couldn't believe the man was out there, in the middle of the ocean, on his boat he called "Currahee" because he could, for the one and only good reason that Joe Liebgott was currently in New York, driving his cab.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Liebgott smiled. He was sitting on the deck, legs sprawl out, and he was wearing his old uniform from D day, his shirt open on a white t-shirt. He crossed his legs at his ankles, and motioned at the cooler Webster kept under a tablet.

"Gimme that beer first."

Webster walked slowly, and reached for the beer. He then carefully approached the soldier and handed him the beer. Fingers brushed, and Webster jerked his hand away, suddenly afraid. Joe Liebgott was really on his boat.

"No", he though, backing away once again."It must be the Sun. This is not... This is an hallucination."

"Thanks" said Joe, ignoring the frightened face of his friend.

As he opened the bottle, David heard more voices. They echoed around him, circling him.

"Hey! Look at that! It's Webster!"

Muck was testing the ropes, his body whole, not a single scratch on him. Webster's heart clenched. This couldn't be happening. He slept alright last night. He drank water, he ate normally. Why was this happening?

"He look tired, right guys?" Luz's voice was, as usual, mocking.

Then they all approached him, Liebgott jumping on his feet, faster than a cat. Luz, Muck, Joe, but then Babe and Malarkey, and Doc Roe, and Bull, and Guarnere, and Webster thinks he's going to faint when Perconte and Winters and Nixon and everybody pats him on the shoulder, all in uniforms, smiling and laughing with each other.

His boat rocked up and down harder because of the men. The Sun was suddenly clouded and waves began to crush on the deck. It all happened so fast, like most of the storms at sea. David had spotted the clouds earlier, but he never thought they would be so big. He looked up, then down again, to his fellow companions.

"What... what are you all doing here?"

They all stopped talking. Winters took a step forward, and smiled at him: they were all young, and they were all here, the dead, the wounded, the lost.

"It's time to go, Webster."

And just with that, David understood. He nodded, and smiled back at his superior, feeling completely alive since his last patrol, so many years ago. All his friends nodded too, and just with that, the Sun reappeared from behind the clouds. The chatter was now loud and happy, and, blinking, David had a beer in one hand and his uniform on. The Sun was up, he was on his boat, he was surrounded by all his brothers. He smiled:

"Currahee!"

Sorry if I made any grammar mistakes, English is not my first language: if you see some, please, tell me so I can get better :)

Thank you so much for reading, and leaving a review, perhaps? That would be amazing.

Audrey