Sometimes They Do Come Back

Mike had been hit in the arm and was in terrible pain. They made him as comfortable as they could under the circumstances. Mark had two men left that could fight, not counting himself. The odds were not good.

It rained steadily for over an hour and the Moon came out. Mark figured it was about eight o'clock as the Moon now was about at 2100 hours. An eerie fog hung close to the ground and almost covered the pond to a point that you couldn' t tell it was there. The bare landscape around the pond area looked like snow in Wisconsin in mid-December.

"Looks hopeless, boss," Roger replied with tears in his eyes, "it's been real nice working with you guys." They all could hear the noise of something or someone moving all around them. They knew that they were completely surrounded. It would seem that it was all over for them. The end of the war and they hadn't even killed one Jap yet.

"Don't despair," Mark said, "we'll make it yet." He wasn't all that sure himself but he wanted to keep the morale of the men up. Without hope they wouldn't have any chance at all.

"What is that noise?" Robert looked quickly toward the pond. They all responded by looking toward the pond but didn't see anything.

"Just the wind or something," Mark assured him.

"Oh sure Cap," Jason said, "the wind don't sound like that, now does it ---- Listen!"

They all heard the swishing, roaring noise as if a small tornado was tearing through the jungle or twirling the water in the lake around. Then all of a sudden they all could see some great black form emerge from the pond. In the moonlight they could see whatever it was fall on the bank. In the next few moments the one form became four as four heavily armed soldiers emerged from the one being. Mark thought it was a trick of the enemy or maybe he was dreaming or worse yet, maybe they were dead and this was hell. Whatever it was, the four forms started moving toward them. Mark was just as shocked as the others as they helplessly watched the dark figures move forward.

"They're ours!" Jason shouted excitedly.

"Can't be, that pond is bottomless," Mark replied, "unless ----- ," and then he hesitated. "No, it just can't be."

"Can't be what, Captain?" Roger asked.

"Just can't be," Mark exclaimed staring at the dark, empty figures, "just can't be."

By now the enemy had seen the advancing soldiers and opened fire but the steel covered bullets just passed right on through the dark banshee forms. In a few minutes the phantom soldiers had divided up and three took out the pill boxes and the other one got the mortar. In half an hour all of the enemy were either killed or were running for other parts of the island, preferably as far away as they could get.

"Just unbelievable," Mark exclaimed, "come on, let's help them mop up what's left of those guys."

In a few short minutes it was all over. Mark and the others followed the phantom soldiers as they marched back toward the pond. As the soldiers stood on the bank of the little lake they all turned around and saluted the four remaining marines. Then one of them picked up the dead marine and tossed him in the lake. Mark walked up toward the phantom soldiers. He hoped he could get close before they went back into the lake because he knew now why the lake looked so familiar.

"Thanks Pete, Joe, Mike ---- gosh, it really is good to see you guys again.