Family of a Soldier

A house. In a small, quiet neighborhood. No traffic in the street; children running, screaming, playing everywhere. The sun is shining.1

A car. It pulls around the corner, quickly and silently. The children stop and stare. Everything goes quiet. The car stops in front of the house. Two men step out into the sunshine, straighten their uniforms, and begin to approach it. A cloud covers the sun.2

An eye. Peeking out from behind a curtain near the front door. It moves over the two men coming up the front walk - then suddenly disappears. Voices sound inside the house, feet pounding. A woman appears at the window, watching. She closes her eyes and breathes deep - she knows why the men are there. Another cloud passes over the sun, the day grows darker.3

A knock. The men have reached the door; she pushes her youngest children away, tells them to go to their rooms. (They do not listen, instead they hide in the hallway and listen.)The younger man begins to speak quietly; he reaches into his bag and pulls out a triangular-shaped object. It is a folded flag. As the woman takes it, she begins to cry. More clouds gather together; they cover the sky and blot out the sun completely.4

A scream. It comes from the house, and it is mournful in nature. The two men turn and walk down the walk and get into their car. They drive away around the corner. The children in the street are called inside as the sky darkens even further. It begins to rain heavily.5