And yet, brother, that kind of story haunts this one throughout, and deepens it, and makes your last line one of the more tear-eliciting lines I've read on Medium. Here are kids being kids, but their play is a respite from the struggle that could claim them the next week, or month, or year. Most kids, I imagine, "play" at killing and dying--I know I did--but this game distracted them from their very real struggle. That poignancy is just powerful. Beautifully, beautifully done.

I'll see you for a beer in a couple of hours. Looking forward to it.