The Five Gnomes of the Great War. ®. (In English)

The Five Gnomes of the Great War. ®. 

Micro-story.

This narrative has shades of speculative fiction

and surrealism, with a touch of fantastic historical drama.

This mix is what makes it so special.

Author: Jorge Ofitas.

Captain González Domínguez de Pérez sighed, the sound of his uniform's canvas rustling in the still garden air. The indignation was a weight as heavy as his helmet. Beside him, his regiment comrades, the Soviet Boris, the British William, the German Hans, and the Japanese Kenji, awaited his order.

"Everything... it was all in vain," the Captain muttered, his voice hollow. "We fought for a better world, so that the future would be free. We saw borders rise again and heard words of hatred return."

The five, comrades who had once fought on opposing sides of the Great War, now shared the same indignation.

William lowered his hand, his frustration transforming into sudden perplexity.

"And besides," he said in a grave tone, "have you noticed? We've become tiny."

They all looked at each other. Suddenly, their frustration over the future mixed with the strange reality of their present. Captain González Domínguez de Pérez studied his plaster hands. Boris, with a grimace of disbelief, tried to jump and barely lifted himself from the ground. Hans shrugged with resignation.

"Yes," Hans murmured, "now we are just lawn ornaments. The future doesn't need us."

They were about to respond when a strange glow, the color of the most distant stars, enveloped the five of them. Their stone eyes closed, and when they opened, they were no longer in the garden.

They had appeared in a vibrant place, full of colors they had never seen before. The air smelled of fresh flowers and new promises. War was a distant shadow, a memory from another time. Around them, a scene of serene peace unfolded. The five looked to their sides and, instead of their comrades in arms, they saw smiling faces full of life: beautiful women and children playing without a care. The bitterness and frustration they had felt dissolved, replaced by a deep peace.

So beautiful was the dream. A single drop of dew rolled down the painted cheek of the Captain.

END

Author micro-story: Jorge Ofitas. ®.

England. 2025. ®. Europe. 2025. ®.