Rip Two

    Rarely did they see the enemy.  No man's land was only a couple hundred yards wide and everyone stayed behind and below the dirt barricades.  When they did see them, there was no time to study their appearance.  Dodging green lasers and someone trying to knife you was not conducive to studying.The enemy did not seem that different though.  A few may have two heads or double limbs and maybe different colored skin but everyone bled the same.  No one seemed that interested in killing anyone though.  It just seemed as if everyone was trying to survive.  This was not a war that anyone had a vested interest in other than staying alive, so mostly they all stayed in the trenches.
     Entertainment has changed little since war began eons ago.  Makeshift card tables were set up all along the trenches.  Five card no draw was the favorite game.  There was no money, so anything went, from bragging rights to the shoes on their feet.  Rip was the most popular player, for he would entertain the solders with stories.  Some were disturbing, but most were of a young man in Dutch Pennsylvania.
     He was a lazy gent that had no ambition whatsoever.  He would go to the local tavern and drink well into the night, hoping that his nagging wife was asleep when he got home.  He was never that lucky though.  After tending to the children all day and having to save a cold supper that she had slaved over she could not go to sleep.  So when he finally staggered in, she was pissed.  The young man was tall and gangly, with arms to long for his body, a small head and a pot belly made him popular with the children of the village.  Before he went to the tavern he would tell the children in the town square of his Indian exploits.  In his eyes he was the only one that could fight the Indians and win.
     His wife married him because he had money, but laziness and bad business dealing left her disappointed and broke.  The more she nagged, the more he stayed away.  Since he could not spend the night at the tavern, he began to wander into the mountains on the outskirts of the town.
    "I wish that I could escape this place and go into the mountains with that fella." mused Tom.
     "Me too, Tom." replied Rip, "What you got?"
     Orson and Justin threw their hands away in disgust.
     "Pair of sixes, Jack high."  Tom said.
    "To bad," smiled Rip.  "I have three deuces and a couple of Queens."
    All of a sudden, Tom jumped up, overturning the table showering cards in all directions.  Every one scattered, thinking that Tom was upset about losing the hand.  But when he threw Jack across the yard, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, except Jack.  Jack was the smallest of the group and had eight legs.  He had slowly eased up behind Tom and pinched him on his bright red butt.  Tom was afraid of nothing but spiders and Jack took advantage of that every chance he got.
     "One day Jack,  one day."  Tom sheepishly said.
    Jack gave that mischievous grin and everyone laughed.