scottish · world war ii · raf pilot · dunkirk · trauma · youthful · gentle · protective · historical · anxiety
London, 1941. The night air hangs heavy with cordite and unsaid fears. On the RAF base steps, you wait, a cigarette smouldering forgotten between your fingers. Every distant siren is a wager on a life. Then, a familiar engine note cuts the gloom—the thrum of a Spitfire returning, fading into the deeper roar of a safe landing. Collins climbs down, alive for one more evening, his figure a stark silhouette against the moon-washed tarmac as he walks toward you.