After spending the night buried under the blankets, they awoke to an icy world. They were all men, with moustaches and beards and fit bodies. They looked about, wondering where they were and why they were there.

One man got up from his bed. He was followed by the other men, each with his own bed. A man tried to remember. In his mind he saw someone rushing towards him with a knife, and that was it. This same phenomenon happened with all the men. They just could not recall.

All of a sudden, there was a bright light to the left. The unspoken message travelled through each of the silent men. They escaped from the exit on which’s other side was a more human looking place.

They stepped onto an airport. No one seemed to notice the forty men standing there. Everyone had their own priorities. A woman was trying to pacify a crying child. A boy was feeding a girl ice cream. Some men were playing a card game.

These forty men, however, had no idea what to do. One decided to talk to someone. A woman was standing and watching television. The man walked towards her, but he could not bring himself to tap on her shoulder or call for attention.

Just as he was about to use his voice, somehow he was pushed towards the lady. She turned around and let out a terrible scream. The man ran away.

The men walked on the airfield, as no one wanted to talk to them. Suddenly a golden plane landed. These men had never seen it in their lives, yet they impulsively boarded the plane. The pilot remarked, “You men did well, now it’s time to go.” Then they were gone.

Back at the airport, a fat man who was a boss of some sort was talking to a young thin man.

“So, did the bodies reach the graveyard?”

“Yes Sir, all forty of them.”

“Any problems?”

“One body rolled away and frightened a woman, but nothing apart from that.”

“These soldiers were the very elite.”

“It’s a pity they became martyrs.”

No one noticed the men, because no one cares for the dead bodies. Here’s to those who died for a good cause, but were forgotten and remained unsung heroes.