Under the Ginkgo Trees
By Edward Harris Heth, first published in Town & Country
Two American soldiers lost in a Japanese jungle must slowly come to accept their mortality.
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Plot Summary
Lenicheck and Gill are two soldiers from the US on a mission in Japan. After a long day of fighting, their commander informs them that supplies had been messed up, leaving an adjacent camp of soldiers without toilet paper. Gill and Lenicheck volunteer to travel with a native to the other camp to deliver the supplies. Midway through their trek, the native abandons them and retreats into the jungle, leaving them lost. At first, Gill tries to hide from Lenicheck the fact that they're lost, prompting him to speak about his past life and retelling stories from his own. The two walk for hours, distracting themselves from the present by reminiscing on the past and possible futures. Gill and Lenicheck are out of food, running out of water, and beginning to feel exhaustion settle into them. But Gill is determined not to let Lenicheck know how grave their situation is, pitying him because he's so young and never got to live his own life. Late into the night, with no rescue in sight, the two accept that they've been lost.
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