Still Working on My Novel

November 2025 short story of the month

The day was scorching hot and bone dry, the air smelled like burnt toast, and everyone’s nerves were on edge. Only Zeke was calm. He patrolled the perimeter, making jokes about everything. He found absolutely everything funny.

Finally, Sarge walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Zeke, I think you need to get out of the sun.” Sarge glared at Zeke.

“Nah, I’m good. No worries,” Zeke answered and then he playfully punched Sarge in the bicep.

Everyone held their breath.

Sarge looked down at his arm and then back up at Zeke, and then with very little effort, his other arm snapped up and a perfectly executed chop brought Zeke crumpling to the ground. Sarge didn’t say anything else. He scooped the limp form of Zeke up and carried him away.

After Sarge was off the wall, the rest of us went back to breathing normally and baking in the sun. It was nice and quiet without Zeke there, and everyone was more relaxed despite the heat.

The heat was getting to all of us though. Zeke was only the first to go sun crazy that day. In the short span of three more hours, four more of our squad had to be pulled off the wall. Our shift was ten hours, and at hour five, we were down to half strength.

I was walking the wall, scanning the horizon, and trying not to let the sweat dripping down my spine gross me out. My entire body was drenched under my gear. No matter how much water I drank, it wasn’t enough. It was leaving me faster than I could replenish it.

I couldn’t wait for this shift to be over.

As I rounded the corner and bumped fists with Marcus, I saw something sparkling in the distance. I stopped in my tracks and focused on the glint. I couldn’t tell what it was. It looked like something metallic reflecting the sunlight.

I took another step towards it, but I still couldn’t figure out what it was.

“Hey, Tony!” I yelled.

Tony was on the center of the wall on the part we called the tower. “What?” He asked.

I pointed towards the flickering in the distance. Tony looked where I was pointing. He picked up his binoculars and focused on the point.

The next moment felt like time slowed and sped up at the same time.

I saw Tony lower the binoculars.

Tony said, “Shit!” Then he sprinted to the alarm button.

“Oh shit!” I said, realizing what he’d spotted.

“Enemy approaching,” Tony yelled.

The wall became a flood of activity. Those of us on shift all took a spot along the wall. People not on shift started pouring out of the buildings and joining us, many of them not in uniform or with any gear.

That nonsense didn’t last long. Sarge came outside and anyone not supposed to be there fled. Only those with gear on and properly armed joined us after that. Sarge also joined us on the wall.

Tony remained on spotting duty, calling out distances and approximate locations of the approaching enemies.

I stood, looking at the approaching band, thinking that this day couldn’t could get any worse. All I wanted was my shift to end and to not be covered in dried and dripping sweat at the same time. I didn’t want to engage with the enemy. I wanted a cold glass of water.

Sarge came by, pacing around the wall, he tapped each of us on the shoulder when he passed. “Hang in there,” he said as he walked behind me.

More and more soldiers were joining us on the wall. Soon the wall was filled with properly geared up and armed ready to fight men.

The people who hadn’t been on shift brought an excited energy with them to the wall. They were eager and willing to fight. Those of us who’d been on shift felt the opposite. We weren’t enthusiastic. Our enemy that day wasn’t the approaching army. Our enemy was the sun.

 I looked at each of the people beside me. I didn’t know either of them.

“Hey, take this spot,” I told the guy on my left.

“Sure,” he said.

I kept switching places with others until I was next to Marcus. When I stepped next to him, he glanced over at me and sighed.

“Boy am I glad to see you,” he said quietly, leaning towards me. “This is going to be a very long day.”

I nodded. “Think we’ll actually have to fight?”

He shrugged. “Never know. Maybe a few will make it past the field.”

We both stood there watching and waiting.

This happened about once a week. An enemy would try to ambush our fort. The only road in was practically impassable though. When the base was built, the engineers had teamed up with magic users and designed a magic bubble. It surrounds the base. No one can get through it. The only way it goes down is if someone on the inside turns it off.

In my two years stationed here, not a single enemy had made it through. They all were vaporized on impact. I don’t know why they kept trying.

Our base protected the most valuable thing on the planet — the well of life.

The well was a magically pool deep in an underground cave. The waters within could cure any disease or repair any injury.

One of the perks of being stationed here was that if you fell ill, you got to take a dip in it.

I still couldn’t understand why the other nations were literally throwing lives away though. It wasn’t worth it.

“Here we go,” said Marcus. He closed his eyes.

I understood why. After watching countless armies run into the magic without pausing, I too didn’t want to see more pointless death. Despite my apathy, I kept watch. If for some reason one did make it through, it was our duty to stop them.

The first wave hit the bubble and turned into dust. It looked like glitter bombs going off. There were little pops right before each one turned to nothing.

“Any news?” Marcus asked with his eyes still closed.

“No, just glitter,” I said. I kept my eyes trained on the next wave of enemies.

They did something unexpected. They stopped before they hit the bubble. They just stood there, waiting for something.

“That’s odd,” I said. I nudged Marcus. “Look. They are just standing there.”

Marcus opened his eyes. He leaned forward to watch finally. “What are they doing?”

“I don’t know.”

Everyone on the wall was suddenly on high alert. This hadn’t happened before. The rest of the enemy army had filled in behind those who were waiting. None of them were doing anything.

Three hours went by like that. They stood there. They did nothing. We stood on the wall, all of us on high alert, and we did nothing.

The sun continued to heat up the place. The sweat continued to fall down in rivulets, drenching my already soaked clothes. I was miserable. My whole body ached.