The Thirty Year War
...uced to the horrors of war. Over the year, I have gained quite a fortune making explosives from coal. I had followed in the footsteps of my father, who was a revered alchemist. My mother is a doctor at the local hospital, which had recently been packed with wounded veterans. Including my baby sister, our family of four has grown accustomed to the ancient environment. The day started off just as any other day as I examined the coal freshly brought from the nearby mines. Suddenly, there was a scream at a distance, and I strode out into the streets to see what the commotion was about. At first I was dumbfounded. Were those horses that were storming down the streets? The riders thrust out their swords, ramming the blade into whatever body that stood in its way. The horses were followed by a river of foot soldiers, who made the air ring with gunshots. The townspeople scurried away, trying to escape the torrent of bloodshed. When I regained my senses, I instructed the nearby people to follow me. There was a secluded niche hidden behind the rocky walls of the mines. Although I tried to locate my family, I could already hear the pounding of the hooves. There was no time left, so I lead the gathered band of townspeople stealthily away from the town. As the cement road of the town disappeared, I turned back to see a familiar face in the midst of the invading soldiers. My father’s face twisted in pain as a sword tore through his chest. I heard myself scream as I started to make my way towards the thicket, but my companions held me back and dragged me into the darkness of the mines. Hours after the massacre, my eyes remained dry as I sat numbly on the cold stone. I had lost my family, and all the people I grew up with, all that was familiar to me. What have I done to deserve this, to provoke the anger of God? It was not until much later when I discovered why such a cruel act was enacted. The Catholic Albrecht von Wallenstein believed West Virginia to be allies of the Protestants, since we were trading more profusely with the Germans. He wanted to annihilate the threat we posed before we could formally declare war against the Catholics. We had no such intention of ruining the hard worked for peace, but now there is no choice but to fight back. Although only a small number of West Virginians remain, I will ensure Wallenstein along with the Catholics pay for the lives they have taken. My companions followed me along the countryside, until we finally found the Swedish king, Gustavus Adolphus who had achieved great success against the Catholic armies. With his support, I began to use my knowledge of explosives to create a demolition apparatus. Along with a few colleagues who had survived Albrecht’s attack, I worked on the West Virginia Project. The fruit of half a year’s work was the coal bomb, which would cause damage with the initial explosion and then take the lives of those who inhale the toxic fume the coal bomb emits. There was a drawback, however: the bomb must be installed in a strategic location in order to be activated. As the creator of the device, I volunteered to enter enemy territory as a spy. I became an officer of Wallenstein, and waited for the opportune moment to pla...