A Fable

On Tuesday night, two British privates stand on a fire step in their trench. The sentry was a groomsman in civilian life; in mysterious circumstances, many of the other men in his battalion have made him “beneficiary of their soldiers’ life assurance policies” (58). This situation was investigated by the officers but the only explanation they could discern for this behavior was love. The other private is a successful architect who distinguished himself as an officer but who asked to be demoted back to the rank of private because he hates humankind. Since the officers refused to demote him, he orchestrated a scandal with a confused sex worker to ensure that he was punitively demoted and sent back to the front line. While traveling, he learns about 13 French soldiers who have become infamous along the front lines. He learns about the soldiers through an elderly private, who explicitly compares the leader of the 13 to Jesus Christ. The man preaches the message that the war should end, that the men should say that they have had enough. The private almost refused to believe the elderly man because he was certain that humanity “can’t be saved now” (69). While he reflected on the importance of these 13 men, he was made a runner and used a motorcycle to run messages between majors and colonels.