Book "Some Day You'll Know"

Nagasaki, Japan August 9, 1945. 10:02 A.M, one hour before Bockscar arrival.
He lied there, chuckling to himself, yet he was near dead.
“What a fool I’ve been…” he said, not knowing whether he said it aloud or in his mind. Lieutenant Joseph Carter knew he’d finally rest. He looked around, and noticed much debris, as well as partially decaying structures and the stone road he was laying on. It looked like a neighborhood. He tried to move his legs but the pain he was feeling was too great, along with the weight of the metal on top of him. He gazed upon the reddish-blue, war torn sky, which still had military fighters from either side, flying and whizzing around, getting blown from the sky. He gazed like it was night, like the millions of stars at night. He did so, for what seemed like an hour or two, but was five minutes, and was interrupted by the sound of a vehicle, and it was approaching him, fast. He craned his neck to see whether it was a few more minutes of life, or ten seconds of life. He was semi-disappointed to see it was a few more minutes of life, an American recruit.
“Hey!” the recruit called out, “Why’re you just lyin’ there? We have to move, NOW!”
Then suddenly, a thought popped back in Joseph’s head, and replied, “Does it look like I can move?! Get over here and-! ....Wait, no never mind, I’m stuck….” The rookie got out of his jeep and ran over to Joseph.
“What’s yer name?” Joseph asked in a slightly southern accent. The rookie told his name, saying it in the same semi-accent that Joseph has. Joseph’s thought was correct, now he can finally complete his father’s wish.
“I know this is kinda weird, especially at this moment, but it’s really important, it’s about stuff you’ll have to face later on… I’m telling you this, ‘cause I know you from a place, but you may not know me, but when I finish, you’ll figure it out. I know you really need to go, but life or death, this is way more important,” Joseph explained. The rookie looked puzzled, and confused, he checked his watch, it was an hour before it drops. The rookie finally decided to listen.
Joseph begins his story. “I remember way back then, when I was standin’, and glaring at my dad. We had both known I was wrong, but it was all I could do. No other job I looked for accepted me, so I had to do the dirty work, I joined the Air Force, in the hardest times there probably ever was, and ever is. My dad told to me to remember about my brother, who ran away, and he told me to find him, because my dad knew what he had changed his name to, and where he ran, but dad was too old to run after him, so he sent me to do it. I dunno why he ran off, but he was a very good brother, and, was my younger brother. After I signed up, I went to March Air Reserve Base, back in California. I was there with no friends, and training was even harder than leaving. The only person I even talked to was Lieutenant Commander Grayson Fouler, and we were on many trainings together. Later I remember receiving a message from my father, the other messages I never read because I was too busy. It said that I had missed his funeral and he missed me a lot, then Grayson was separated and put into a different squad. I actually made a few friends on that squad, but it was the same over, and over…same flight drills, same torpedo bombings, same everything!” Joseph coughed; the rookie seemed even more worried after checking his watch. Joseph continued on, “After about a few more years of this stuff, I finally got put back on a B-17, and Grayson was there too. After a few hours of flight, we finally saw some fighters, I ran to the turrets, and shot down two that were tailing us, then, they began to swarm, they surrounded us. The ones tailing us cut our wing loose, and then, blew up a hole in the side of the plane…we lost everyone, I couldn’t find Grayson either. Now I end up here, under the wing of my own plane, next to my lost brother before I die. What more could I ask for?” Joseph glanced at the damaged cockpit, “Get my journal, you’ll need to read that…”

The rookie glanced up, he saw it, “We need to get you out of here-“
Joseph interrupted, “No, you do, I’m done for…..” Joseph reached up, after taking off his dog-tags, and handed them to the rook. “Some day you’ll know, hopefully never, but if you do, remember, the war is the obstacle, home is our goal…”
The rookie got the journal, and looked at Joseph for a while, then, after one last goodbye, he was off. The rookie made it back to the retrieval planes.  He saw Bockscar, and watched the nuke fall, right where Joseph was. He felt like he knew Joseph somehow, and he remembered the journal. He took it and read it. Tears fell from his eyes.

He did know Joseph.


Joseph was his brother.

Feedback is helpful! I am open to any ideas!