Posted in Hoss Cartwright Hurt/Comfort Short Stories Writing Challenges

A Question of Beauty (by Heather-Chrysalis)

Summary: A Cat and Hoss teach a hard-hearted boy about love and forgiveness.
This piece started out as a pinecone in August 2023, then I developed it a bit more into a short story.
It was also inspired by a story I heard on the radio long ago.

Rating: T  Wordcount: 2,228

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Posted in Alternate Universe Drama Hurt/Comfort Post Timeline

A Shadow Returns – Marauders (by BettyHT)

Summary: This is a sequel to A Shadow Calling with the same OCs. A tragic experience from a decade earlier has consequences for the Cartwright family and triggers memories and fears until the threat is faced. It is a story within a story, and both tales are told.
T  12,921

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Posted in Family Hurt/Comfort Poetry Ponderosa

I Like Dreamin’ (by Heather-Chrysalis)

Summary:  A special and personal poem about what Bonanza means to me.

Rated G          Wordcount: 478

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Posted in Drama Family Hurt/Comfort Prequel

Adam’s Heart (by nappajackie)

Summary:  Faced with the trials of heart failure, young Adam Cartwright embarks on a journey of courage and resilience, drawing on the memories of the mother he never knew and the solidarity of his loving family to confront his limitations and cherish every moment of life. Rating:  K+ Word Count:…

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Posted in Adam Cartwright Hurt/Comfort Short Stories What Happened Next/Later

Serenity (mcfair_58)

Summary: A follow-up to The Crucible.  An unexpected visitor helps Adam Cartwright heal his broken heart before breaking it again.  A story for Valentine’s Day.
Word count: 3296
Rated: G

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Posted in Adam Cartwright Hurt/Comfort What Happened Next/Later

Scars You Can’t Ignore (by HarpistforHim)

Summary: Just when it seems like certain scars have begun to fade, a chance encounter sends Adam spiraling back into the torment that still follows him more than a year after Eastgate. A WHN for The Crucible. Word Count: 7,332  Rating: G

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Posted in Action/Adventure Hurt/Comfort Prequel

Pine Tree Challenge (by BettyHT)

Summary: Another prequel, but Little Joe is eleven in this one, Hoss is seventeen, and Adam is twenty-three. Climbing that pine tree is again key to the story, but it is what happens after that which is most significant.
Rating: T  Word count: 5, 575

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Posted in Alternate Universe Drama Hurt/Comfort

Cold Hearts, Warm Hearts (by BettyHT)

Summary: The third story in the Vine series answers the last question of who sent the vine, but there is also an examination of Marie’s background to explain the motivation for that act. The story may not make sense in every part unless you have read the first two stories in the series.
Rating: T  Word count: 5,865

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Posted in Adam / Joe Hurt/Comfort What Happened Next/Later

Scars That Distort Reality (by HarpistforHim)

Summary: While it’s become abundantly clear that some hurts never heal, a small bullet wound and a night trapped out in the rain reveal that the scars that stick around do so with a vengeance. Every time Adam tries to take a step toward healing, his mind forces him to…

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Posted in Action/Adventure Drama Hurt/Comfort

Reborn On a Birthday (by BettyHT)

Summary: Heading out on a hunting trip that Adam had requested for his birthday, the family runs into a lot more trouble than expected when they find signs of rustlers working on the Ponderosa.
Rating: T  Word count: 2,919

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Posted in Drama Hurt/Comfort

Mind Escape (by BettyHT)

Summary: Ben witnessed a robbery and murder. Threats to his life have caused him to go into hiding until the trial, but it is Adam who suffers the consequences as accomplices of the accused set out to find Ben’s location by questioning Adam who finds that his mind is his only weapon against their relentless brutal inquisition.   
Rating T  Word count 4,354

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Posted in Alternate Universe Drama Hurt/Comfort Mystery

The Painful Truth (by BettyHT)

Summary: The Ponderosa is in crisis and the family asks Adam to come home to help, but that sets in motion a plot that leads to tragedy and loss and surprises too with the two drifters who showed up on the ranch. 
22,010  T

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Posted in Drama Hurt/Comfort Prequel

Detour Through a Snake Pit (by MissJudy)

Summary: !5-year-old Adam is awaiting a letter from San Francisco, but his plan to  check for its arrival at Cass’ store are detoured by his father’s directive to head the opposite direction for the day instead. Something about this feels off to Adam, and he lets his frustration at being kept from his simple request billow into anger. After hearing something that seems to confirm his feeling that all is not right with this situation; he lets his emotions ride unchecked, causing a chain of  painful events he has to sort through. He settles on writing it all out just as it happened, including each step and misstep he made and the feeling that drove it. Meanwhile his father will have to examine his part it what happened as well, and we see this conclusion through Adam’s eyes as well.

Rating: K          Word Count:  16841

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Posted in Alternate Universe Drama Hurt/Comfort

Aces and Eights (by BettyHT)

Summary: A poker game leads to some dire problems for Adam, but with the family members helping, a solution is found for those problems and for the ones that led up to that situation.
Rating: T  Word count: 11,327

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Posted in Alternate Universe Drama Hurt/Comfort

His Own Way (by BettyHT)

Summary: The first Christmas after Hoss is gone is difficult for everyone even with Adam there.
Rating: PG  Word count: 1223

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