The Soldiers' Flowers

A man once marched off to war with all the other soldiers. His wife and his little girl waved him goodbye as he went off to war with the rest of the men. At the front line the General gave the Sergeant-Major the order to attack the enemy in full force. The battle raged on bitterly and the man fell alongside his comrades in arms. The battle was all but won. The battle was all but lost. The Army gave the wife and the little girl a war medal and told them how bravely the man had fought. What a great service he has done to the King and the country. That his effort would never be forgotten by any of them. ‘A noble warrior and a true man of honor’ was all that stood on his solemn gravestone. The little girl looked at the stupid old war medal and wished that her father had never marched off to war on that fateful morning. ‘I wish that all soldiers' weapons would fire nothing but flowers from now on. And that all stupid wars would end at once.’ she said to herself as she sat crying on her little bed in her tiny room so sad and gloomy still. Her Fairy Pal had overheard her little heart’s greatest wish and waved her magic wand in wonder and amazement to the child herself and said ‘It shall be as you wish little one. From now on all rifles will shoot only flowers and all ugly wars will end once and for all.’ At the next great battle the soldiers all lined up to face the terrible enemy in mortal combat once more. Both sides lifted their guns to their shoulders and let loose with a terrible volley of gunfire. The General had given the order to the Sergeant-Major once more that the men shall fight unto death and the end of it all. Victory shall be theirs at last. But for once their mighty guns roared out nothing but beautiful flowers in bloom. Beautiful red roses and lovely blue violets was all that the General and the Sergeant-Major got for their troubles that day. The Island girls came by dancing from the hip and wove splendid garlands out of all the lovely flowers laying around on the bloodless battlefield. They adorned each soldier with a magic flower wreath and said ‘Aloha, make love not war.’ with a smile and kiss of dear love indeed. Each soldier danced away with a pretty young maiden both friend and foe alike. It was truly the war to end all wars, and the little girl smiled a smile of love and happiness once more. She walked off into the sunset with her little Fairy by her side. Sometimes our best wishes do come true. Sometimes they come true just in time. And we all lived happily ever after.