When he first awoke he couldn't be sure that they'd told him that the war had just broken out of if it had ended. He was certain, however, that there would have been a war. The missing arm had to have meant war, but things were clearly out of sync. He could be certain that the loss of his own limb couldn't have inaugurated a war. This didn't, however, translate directly into what must certainly have been a logical conclusion, that the war must already have been going on and therefore they must be telling him that it is over now.

But it didn't seem over. In fact missing limbs must have happened many a time without a war as cause. Threshing machine accidents for instance. Duels.

Part of the problem was, over or just begun, the whole thing was taking up time that couldn't be consolidated and made to reckon with his own loss. Even if he'd lost it in the precise middle point of the war, somewhere statistically central to ever bit of affected action. Even then there would be a start and a finish, untold after effects and befores that couldn't be made to make literal sense with the events of the war.

And so in effect the war didn't matter. But now he was out one arm.