Use of Weapons

STATES OF WAR

The path up to the highest cultivation terrace followed an extravagantly zig-zag route, to allow the wheelchairs to cope with the gradient. It took him six and a half minutes of hard work to get to the highest terrace; he was sweating when he got there, but he had beaten his previous record, and so he was pleased. His breath smoked in the cold air as he undid the heavy quilted jacket and wheeled the chair along to one of the raised beds.

He lifted the basket out of his lap and balanced it on the retaining wall, took the cutters from his jacket pocket and looked carefully at the selection of small plants, trying to gauge which cuttings had fared best since their planting. He hadn’t chosen the first one when some movement up-slope attracted his attention.

He looked through the high fence, to the dark green forest. The distant peaks were white against the blue sky above. At first he thought it was an animal, then the figure moved out of the trees and walked over the frost-whitened grass towards the gate in the fence.

The woman opened the gate, closed it behind her; she wore a thin-looking coat and trousers. He was mildly surprised to see that she didn’t have a rucksack. Perhaps she had walked up through the grounds of the institute earlier, and was now returning. A visiting doctor, maybe. He had been going to wave, if she looked at him as she took the steps down to the institute buildings, but she left the gate and walked straight towards him. She was tall; dark hair and a light brown face under a curious looking fur hat.

“Mr Escoerea,” she said, extending a hand. He put down the cutters, shook her hand.

“Good morning, Ms…?”

She didn’t reply, but sat down on the wall, clapped ungloved hands together, looked around the valley, at the mountains and the forest, the river, and the institute buildings down-slope. “How are you, Mr Escoerea? Are you well?”

He looked down at what was left of his legs, amputated above the knees. “What is left of me is well, ma’am.” It had become his usual reply. He knew it might sound bitter to some people, but really it was his way of showing he did not want to pretend that there was nothing wrong with him.

She looked at the trousered stumps with a frankness he had only known before from children. “It was a tank, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” he said, taking up the clippers again. “Tried to trip it up on the way to Balzeit City; didn’t work.” He leant over, took a cutting and placed it in the basket. He made a note of which plant he’d taken it from, and attached it to the twig. “Excuse me…” He moved the wheelchair along a little, and the woman got out of his way as he took another cutting.

She stepped round in front of him again. “Story I heard said you were dragging one of your comrades out of its—”

“Yes,” he interrupted. “Yes, that’s the story. Of course I didn’t know then the price of charity is developing extremely strong arm muscles.”

“You get your medal yet?” She squatted down on her haunches, putting one of her hands on a wheel of his chair. He looked at the hand, then at her face, but she just grinned.

He opened his quilted jacket, showed the uniform tunic underneath, with all its ribbons. “Yes, I got my medal.” He ignored her hand, pushed the chair along again.

The woman rose, squatted down again, beside him. “Impressive display for one so young. Surprised you weren’t promoted faster; is it true you didn’t show the right attitude to your superiors? That why—”

He threw the clippers down in the basket, wheeled the chair round to face her. “Yeah, lady,” he sneered. “I said the wrong things, my family were never very well-connected even when they were alive and now they’re not even that, thanks to the Imperial Glaseen Air Force, and these…” He clutched at the chest of the tunic, hauling at the medal ribbons, brandishing them. “These I’d trade you; all of them for a pair of shoes I could wear. Now,” he leant forward at her, took up the clippers. “I have work to do. There’s a guy down in the institute who stepped on a mine; he hasn’t got any legs at all and he lost an arm. Maybe you’d find it even more fun to go and patronise him. Excuse me.”

He whirled the chair around, moved off a few metres, and took a couple of cuttings, tearing at two plants almost at random. He heard the woman on the path behind him, and put his hands on the wheels, pushing himself away.

She stopped him. Her hand held the back of the wheelchair and she was stronger than she looked. His arms strained against the wheels; the rubber buzzed against the stone path, wheels turning but not propelling him anywhere. He relaxed, looked up at the sky. She came round in front of him, squatted down again.

He sighed. “What exactly do you want, lady?”

“You, Mr Escoerea.” The woman smiled her beautiful smile. She nodded at the stumps. “By the way; the deal with the medals and the shoes; fair enough.” She shrugged. “Except you can keep the medals.” She reached into the basket, took out the clippers and stuck them into the earth under the plants, then put her hands, clasped, on the front of the seat. “Now, Mr Escoerea,” Sma said, shivering. “How would you like a proper job?”

END