Curse of War

Abdul Malik Abbott

Brooklyn native, Sergeant James Powell is a U.S. Marine suffering from symptoms of PTSD and struggling with his demons spawned from the gruesome atrocities he experienced during the war conflict in the Middle East. James seeks the professional psychological help of Dr. Dent who does her best to help the psychologically devastated James during their frequent sessions as he continually recalls his war experiences in painful systematic detail. During this particular visit, James reveals a very tragic and disturbing detail about his experience in the war he’s never mentioned before to anyone, including Dr. Dent. Frequently self-medicated with alcohol and prescription drugs, James lives alone, alienated from his family while utilizing voice recordings of his children as a source of comfort. During a cold winter’s day, James reminisces about his tumultuous relationship with his wife Sherri and their children David and Ali Powell. As James falls deeper into depression, he makes a decision to let it all go.