The Midnight Watch: A Tale of Bravery and Legend

Muhammad Hasan Zarif
3 min readApr 6, 2023

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In the depths of the Soviet Union, there lived a young man named Ivan. He was a soldier, serving in the early warning system at the height of the Cold War. The early warning system was the first line of defense against a nuclear attack, and Ivan took his job seriously.

One fateful night in 1983, Ivan was on duty when the alarm sounded, signaling a possible nuclear attack from the West. Despite the urgent pleas from his superiors to launch a counterattack, Ivan listened to his gut and refused to act. He knew that if this was a false alarm, the consequences would be catastrophic. He took the time to verify the incoming data and determined that it was indeed a false alarm, caused by a glitch in the system.

Days passed and the world learned of Ivan’s bravery. He became a national hero and was given the nickname, “The Midnight Watchman.” People told tales of his unwavering bravery and how he saved the world from nuclear disaster. He was awarded the highest honors by the Soviet government and was even recognized by the international community for his bravery and quick thinking.

But as the years went by, strange things began to happen. Some claimed to have seen Ivan in the dead of night, wandering the forests surrounding the early warning system. They whispered of his ghostly figure, still standing guard, watching over the world even in death.

Others said that the forest was cursed and that strange creatures roamed the woods, hunting down those who dared to enter. Some even claimed that Ivan had made a pact with the devil to prevent the nuclear disaster, and that he was now cursed to roam the forest as a guardian of the world.

The tales of Ivan spread far and wide, becoming a part of the folklore of the Soviet Union. People would tell these stories to their children, warning them of the dangers of nuclear war and the bravery of the Midnight Watchman.

Years later, a young journalist named Elena heard of these stories and decided to investigate. She was a curious and adventurous woman who was always looking for a good story to tell. She journeyed to the forest surrounding the early warning system, determined to find the truth about Ivan and the strange occurrences in the woods.

She encountered many obstacles and strange creatures along the way, but finally, she reached the heart of the forest. There she found Ivan, still standing guard, watching over the world. He told her his story and how he had made a deal with a supernatural force to prevent the nuclear disaster. In exchange, he was cursed to stand watch over the world for all eternity.

Elena was amazed by Ivan’s bravery and selflessness, and she knew that she had to share his story with the world. She wrote an article, telling of her encounter with the Midnight Watchman and how he had saved the world from certain disaster. The article went viral, and people all over the world were inspired by Ivan’s bravery and selflessness.

As Elena continued to delve deeper into the story of Ivan, she discovered that there were many more tales of supernatural occurrences in the forest. Some claimed that the creatures roaming the woods were the spirits of soldiers who had died in battle, while others said that the forest was home to a powerful spirit who was said to control the winds and the weather.

Elena decided to write a book about the tales of the Midnight Watchman and the strange occurrences in the forest. She interviewed many people who claimed to have seen Ivan and collected as many stories as she could find. The book was a bestseller, and people all over the world were captivated by the tales of bravery, legend, and the supernatural.

And even now, on quiet nights.

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