The East PacificBoard

Lieutenant Daniel Gavreau of the 21st GLR Battalion brought his violin everywhere, even at war. The black and silver case lay in his tent right beside his carbine rifle at all times. Since he was an officer, no one really questioned it. Sometimes by the firelight he would play a rousing tune and morale would increase noticeably. Tonight was different.
Tomorrow was their first real battle since any of them signed up. The Great Lakes Republic had been at peace for decades, and this battle would change everything. Excitement and fear were the underlying emotions of the camp tonight. Anxiety gripped the men's hearts, and West Virginia, the GLR forwarding center, was a foreign land to every single one of them.

At 9:33 PM, Lt. Gavreau picked up his violin, and an eerie tune whistled through the night, slow and soft. The camp fell silent.

Gavreau played through the song once before the men recognized it. No one knows who was the first to start singing. Soon the whole camp was belting out the song. Over and over again. The violin picked up speed, and so too did the chorus of soldiers, but no one could hear Gavreau over the singing.

Almost Heaven
West Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountain
Shenandoah River
Life is old there
Older than the trees
Younger than the mountains
Blowing like a breeze

Country roads
Take me home
To the place
Where I belong
West Virginia
Mountain Mamma
Take me home
Country roads

The song filled the night with hope. Hope. Acceptance. The next day, Lt. Gavreau was found amongst the dead. They had won the battle. Gavreau was buried where he fell, with his violin, his carbine rifle, and a chorus of singing soldiers. The 21 gun salute led him to the afterlife with a song in his heart.