A Distrubance At Twin Rocks
by Weyandt V. Dettis
Copyright 2014
This a departure from my sci fi / sci fantasy writings. I thought that I’d try a western for once.
Darkness loomed over the land, and it enveloped the whole countryside. Every leaf on every tree turned color from orange to black, from yellow black and on it went.
The darkness was turned into night. That’s when he rode in.
“Wow, got mighty dark fast. Reminds me of the mudslide of 1820. Those were bad times. Looks like we’re in for more of the same.” The cowboy said to his pale brown horse. Twin Rocks, Arizona was his home, and he knew the land better than most. It was just the darkness that spooked him. His boots crushed the dust as he got down off of ‘Lorraine’. Jacob never had a horse of his own so Dora Mae (Jacob’s wife) bought Lorraine for Jacob. He named the horse Lorraine, after his father. The door creaked open, and the cowboy drew his gun.
“What are ya gonna do kill me with that thing Jacob? Are ya stupid or what?” Dora Mae, his wife yelled.
“Why no ma’am. I got to thinkin’…”
“Always a thinking never a doin’…” She said.
“No, I got to thinkin’ that it might not be you at the door. You know how bad that mudslide was. Just look at the sky! It’s the same sky. I’m a tellin’ ya woman something’s gonna happen. Call me stupid if ya may, but I know better. Why my great Grandma Odella told me if the sky looks like darkness, and the leaves turn black then there’s trouble comin’.”
“Jacob now I don a tole ya that your great Grandma was crazy! Why don’t you believe me? I thought husbands were supposed to believe their wives.”
“Not when it’s an old wife tellin’ an old wive’s tale! Got ya on that one.” Jacob thought that he had a penchant for telling stupid jokes. He could roll out a mean yarn, but what was coming he might not be able to stop.
“Say woman! What’s for dinner? Hopefully that bear I shot last week. Maybe that will calm me down to size.”
Jacob was just starting to calm himself down when he and Dora heard a loud “BOOM”. They stared at the door. The door was wide open, and winds faster than hurricanes rushed into the small cabin.
“Jacob…what…what is that?”
“Trouble.” Jacob said calmly. He knew it. He knew when he saw the leaves that when this moment came he would be calm. Not for himself, but for Dora. Yeah, she screamed a lot, but he could concentrate through all of her screaming. He took out his Colt .45 and held it as tightly as he could. Then he carefully got shells for his shotgun out of the new cabinet he made for Dora. It was solid oak. He put the shells in his vest, and reached behind the cabinet. He took out his shotgun and loaded it.
“Dad, mom? What?” Little Jimmy barely said.
“YOUR ROOM, NOW! Jacob yelled. He watched the front door with his right eye and with his left eye he saw Jimmy close and lock the door to his room. Now Jacob could focus both eyes on the door. “DORA! GET IN JIM’S ROOM OR THE FIREPLACE NOW!” He yelled over the thunderous winds.
“OKAY.” He heard his wife scream. Then she screamed a second time when she saw the beast that walked through the door frame. It took most of the front of cabin off. The creature was big and hairy. It roared at Wallace, and tried to grab the shotgun. Jacob emptied his Colt into the beast. It kept coming.
Now, when Jacob and Dora built their cabin they only made it three rooms. That was enough for them and Jim. But Jacob thought he’d better build on. Just in case they needed the room. Now was the time that they needed the room. Jacob took the shotgun and aimed at the beast. He shot twice. One hit the beast square in the head, and the other shot blasted its ear off. But it kept coming. Jacob knew that he only had two shots left. Quickly he reloaded the shotgun, and he threw the pistol at the beast. That’s when the beast picked Jacob up, and threw him into the next room.
“Sure glad I made this extra room.” Jacob barely got out as the beast picked him up and threw Jacob on the floor. “Okay, that one hurt.” Jacob grimaced as he picked up the shotgun and fired quickly at the creature. “Great, no more shells left. Maybe…”
Jacob started, but the beast picked him up and threw Jacob through the wall. Jacob lie on the gravel dazed. He was sure that he was beaten. Then he remembered Jim. “Jim, you’re a lifesaver!” Jacob said. He pulled out his dagger, that Jim got his dad for Father’s Day, and lunged at the creature. The creature and Jacob fell down.
Jacob could still fell a heartbeat in the creature. The creature slowly opened its eyes, and saw Jacob run to a shack. The beast thought Jacob had run off, but that’s when it heard Jacob’s loud scream. Jacob raised his axe and thrust it into the beast. Jacob fell on the creature.
“What? No more heartbeat…it’s dead!” Jacob said and crawled off of the ten foot creature. “That thing had more punch than a bear when its been shot.” Jacob said. As he looked up he saw Dora holding onto Jimmy. He walked over to them, and they saw that the creature left its mark on Jacob. Jacob’s shirt was torn apart, and he was bleeding.
“Dad….are you ….”
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!” Dora screamed as she saw the creature was still alive and coming right at them..
“BOOM BOOM” Shots rang out over their heads then, “BOOM BOOM,” then “BOOM BOOM” They looked, and saw that the six shots finally killed the beast.
“Bet y’all didn’t even know I could shoot like that?”
“Well…” Dora said slowly, “no, quite frankly we didn’t but we sure are glad that you did.”
“All in a day’s work in all.”
“Well thank you.” Dora said as Jacob and Jim just stood there dumfounded.
“Ah, hun,” Jacob started, “how long did you know that Lorraine could talk?”
“Just found out now.” She said. “I’m sure glad Lorraine can fire a gun too!”
“Yeah, dad,” Jim said, “It might come in helpful…like now.”
“Well, Lorraine I want to thank you. Without you I couldn’t have defeated the thing! I wondered why that creature looked up so confusing like.
“Ya did kind of look funny balancing on your hind legs firing dad’s gun.” Jim added.
“Now Jim! That wasn’t nice!” His mom scolded.
“That’s alright ma’am. It happens all the time.” The pale brown, talking, gun slinging horse said as it galloped into its stall before it said, "Woman! Now what's for dinner?!"
