Man at War – Excerpt No. 282

19 June 2026

He hopped on the train used primarily to evacuate casualties. But this car was made available for ambulatory officers like him. He kept busy by working on reports and other administrative tasks that he brought with him in a messenger bag.

Marc spent nearly a century in Paris over the span of his life. He had never seen the City of Lights entirely in the dark. Even during his earliest memories, there would have been candles and firelight within homes, businesses, and oil lamps in the streets with an army of lamplighters.

Black and white dramatic photograph of a Canadian CEF colonel in full World War II-era uniform walking alone down a narrow, dark cobblestone street in Paris during a wartime blackout. He wears a peaked cap, service tunic with medals and rank insignia, Sam Browne belt, and carries a leather messenger bag. The scene is almost completely dark with deep shadows, faint moonlight, and minimal light reflecting off the wet stones, evoking the tension of occupied or wartime Paris.

Disclaimer: This novel is an work in progress and readers may encounter grammatical errors and inconsistencies. Please view this a draft and not a published work.