{"id":12607,"date":"2016-02-23T10:46:03","date_gmt":"2016-02-23T15:46:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12607"},"modified":"2025-02-18T19:10:22","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T00:10:22","slug":"the-razors-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12607","title":{"rendered":"The Razor’s Edge [aka A Close Shave] (by freyakendra)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>: \u00a0At thirteen, Joe decides to practice shaving, only to discover that growing up isn’t just about growing whiskers. (This story introduces an OC named Jackson Cooper, aka Coop.)<\/p>\n

\u00a0(Word Count: 4500; Rating: K)<\/div>\n

A Close Shave<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Original title: The Razor’s Edge)<\/p>\n

\u00a0XxXxX<\/p>\n

Thirteen-year-old boys pretending to shave with a well-honed razor were bound to get cut. And, sure enough, they weren\u2019t at it for long before the first boy cried out, \u201cOw!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot like that!\u201d Little Joe Cartwright took the folding blade from his friend\u2019s hand. \u201cHere. Watch me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shifting his position, Joe knelt on top of the rope they\u2019d left in a tangled mess on the ground, too anxious to bother moving it out of the way. He\u2019d waited a long time to get outside and expend all the energy he\u2019d been building up. After a hard winter and a particularly wet spring, Joe had gone about as stir crazy as a fella could get. His family was probably as happy as he was that this day had finally dawned bright and clear and dry — or at least bright and clear.<\/p>\n

The ground was soft and muddy, but that didn\u2019t much matter to the two boys at play. After weeks of confinement in their homes, they\u2019d finally been given some free rein, and they hadn\u2019t wasted a minute of it. They\u2019d tossed stones to see who could throw the farthest, lassoed bushes to see who had the best aim, and whittled sticks into spears to try their hands at fishing the way they\u2019d heard Indians would. Jackson Cooper, or \u201cCoop,\u201d as Joe called him, won the throwing contest; Joe beat his friend at lassoing; but neither of the boys could spear a fish.<\/p>\n

Now it was time for Joe to pull out his prize of the day: his big brother, Adam\u2019s, razor.<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t meant to take it. Not really. He\u2019d watched Adam shaving that morning, and something had compelled him to grab the razor from his brother\u2019s washstand after Adam had turned away. It wasn\u2019t as though Joe had actually stolen<\/em> it, of course. He would put it back in its place long before Adam came home for supper. Yep. Joe was just borrowing the razor. It wouldn\u2019t be too much longer before he started sprouting whiskers of his own. He ought to start practicing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam does it like this.\u201d Joe leaned over the stream, looking closely at his reflection in the calm waters as he guided the razor over his neck. \u201cOw!\u201d he cried out an instant later, just as his friend had.<\/p>\n

The razor fell from his hand, hitting the water with a tiny plop! <\/em><\/p>\n

Coop giggled. \u201cMaybe Adam ought to grow a beard!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt ain\u2019t funny!\u201d Joe hollered back.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, it is!\u201d<\/p>\n

Angry for no good reason, Joe splashed icy water into his friend\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019d you do that for?\u201d Coop sputtered.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo get you to stop laughing!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll show you!\u201d Coop launched himself at Joe.<\/p>\n

They wrestled on the bank of the stream until both boys were covered head to toe in mud and tangled up together in the rope. By the time they stopped, there wasn\u2019t a clean spot on either of them, except for the whites of their eyes.<\/p>\n

Stuck together with rope and mired in mud like that, Joe couldn\u2019t help but giggle. Then Coop giggled. Then both boys broke into a long fit of laughter, stopping only when their stomachs hurt and they found it hard to breathe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe gotta get outta this rope,\u201d Coop wheezed.<\/p>\n

Joe drew in another lung full of air. \u201cSure do.\u201d<\/p>\n

But getting out of it wasn\u2019t as easy as getting into it had been. Coils were still encircling the boys\u2019 legs when Joe\u2019s eye landed on Adam\u2019s razor gliding lazily downstream.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh no!\u201d Anxious to salvage it before it disappeared, he crawled back toward the water\u2019s edge, hauling Coop along with him. \u201cGrab it!\u201d he hollered as it slid out of his reach.<\/p>\n

But as Coop dipped his own hand into the water, a thunderous roar stopped him, drawing both boys\u2019 attention upstream and up the mountain.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d Coop asked.<\/p>\n

Having no answer, Joe just shook his head.<\/p>\n

The rumble grew louder, closer. The boys held still, watching, hardly breathing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt ain\u2019t good,\u201d Joe said. \u201cWhatever it is.\u201d He tried to get up, but the rope still tying him to his friend had him stumbling so much he couldn\u2019t get off his knees.<\/p>\n

Then he saw a wall of water crashing down the mountain toward him. That realization struck him barely an instant ahead of the wall itself.<\/p>\n

The water slammed into Joe. And Joe slammed into Coop. What happened after that was a flurry of surging water that made it impossible to think clearly enough to be scared. It pummeled and pushed him, banging him against his friend and apparently every boulder in the stream. He was at the mercy of the swirling torrent and couldn\u2019t even begin to look for a means of escape. He had to devote his efforts to stealing swallows of air between much larger gulps of water, and had no way of knowing whether he would find himself facing the sky or the streambed at any given moment. The entire while, his fingers grasped aimlessly for something solid to cling to.<\/p>\n

He caught nothing but water.<\/p>\n

Then something grabbed hold of him.<\/p>\n

Joe coughed and panted for breath as the world stilled around him. Water continued to thrash at his chest, pressing him up against a tangle of sticks, but his head was free and the sticks at his back were effectively holding him that way. He smiled briefly at his good fortune, and might very well have started laughing if it hadn\u2019t been for the thin arm that dropped limply across his shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoop?\u201d The word stayed in Joe\u2019s throat, locked there by a raw feeling that made him realize he must have been screaming. Turning cautiously, mindful of the water\u2019s pull and none too eager to get caught up in it again, he saw his friend. Joe wasn\u2019t mindful of much of anything else right then. Jackson Cooper\u2019s eyes were closed and his arm was hanging at an unnatural angle.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoop!\u201d Joe shouted past the rawness. He was grateful to see his friend\u2019s eyebrows twitch and Coop\u2019s head turn slightly toward him. \u201cI\u2019ll get us out of this, Coop. I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Solid land was more than an arm\u2019s length away, and it didn\u2019t really look all that solid. But it was land, anyway. Stealing himself to fight the water again, Joe wrapped his left arm around Coop and took hold of the wall of sticks with his right. He\u2019d hoped to pull them both forward that way. But the wall shifted.<\/p>\n

A new surge of water slammed him against Coop again, jamming Coop deeper into the debris. Coop screamed. And something snapped in Joe.<\/p>\n

Joe would never quite be sure how he did it. He might swear he flew, if he didn\u2019t know that was plumb impossible. All he could figure was that instinct overrode conscious thought as he grabbed hold of his friend and leapt toward the river bank. He landed hard on his back in the mud, with Coop landing hard on top of him. And then the world swirled around him again, this time wrapping him in a blanket of blackness.<\/p>\n

XxXxX<\/p>\n

It was the cold that woke him. Joe was shivering so hard he had to clench his jaw to keep his teeth from clattering together. If it weren\u2019t for the fact that the mud enfolding him was soft, he would have thought he\u2019d been lying in a bed of ice.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoop?\u201d The word fell from his lips in a whisper. It was all he could manage, and even that small effort gnawed at his throat, tickling up a phlegmy cough that forced him to rise to his elbows. The fit pulled on bruises he didn\u2019t know he had until everything hurt from his hips to the top of his head, and that black blanket threatened to creep around him again. Finally the coughing stopped with an upsurge of watery vomit. He turned to spew it out, and then settled back into the soft, icy mud, waiting for his panting breaths to ease into something a bit more useful to his lungs.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d His friend\u2019s voice was strained, but had more volume than Joe had managed.<\/p>\n

Turning his head, afraid to move anything else, Joe saw Jackson Cooper leaning back against a boulder. Coop looked worse than Joe felt. He held his left arm in front of him, cradling it as best he could with his right hand. The angle where it hung from his shoulder looked so wrong the sight of it nearly turned Joe\u2019s stomach again. There was also a gash on the side of Coop\u2019s head.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou okay?\u201d Coop asked.<\/p>\n

Joe tried to nod, but his head protested any movement at all. \u201cBetter\u2019n you,\u201d he managed in something not much more than a gasp as he closed his eyes against the pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t look better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Confused, Joe opened his eyes again and looked at Coop. \u201cI don\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n

Coop raised an eyebrow, giving his friend a small, pain-shrouded grin. \u201cYou look like you wrestled with a man made of sticks and lost.\u201d<\/p>\n

Glancing down as all the scratches on his clothes and the thin trails of blood from the similarly torn skin underneath, Joe couldn\u2019t help but grin back. \u201cLeast my arm ain\u2019t broke.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t my arm; it\u2019s my shoulder. I think it just came out of joint, is all. You gotta help me put it back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPut it back?\u201d Joe sat up so fast his head spun.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw Doc Martin do it once. I can tell you what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI got a better idea; we\u2019ll get you to Doc Martin.\u201d Joe glanced around him, trying to figure out just where they were. \u201cWe\u2019d better start walkin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHurts too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll hurt more if I go messin\u2019 with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI reckon it will, but not for long. Honest, Joe. I can\u2019t do anything with it like this. You gotta try to set it to right. From what I saw, that fella\u2019 at Doc Martin\u2019s felt a whole lot better after.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe felt sick all over again. \u201cBut \u2026 what if I make it worse instead of better?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t know that for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust do as I say. It\u2019ll be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe stared at him for a long while, and then he felt a slow grin start creeping up on him again. Then he started giggling.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s so funny?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou and me, that\u2019s what\u2019s funny! You\u2019re tryin\u2019 to make me feel better \u2018cause you\u2019re too dumb to realize you\u2019re the one who\u2019s hurt!\u201d<\/p>\n

Coop\u2019s brow grew about as stern as it\u2019d been before he\u2019d started wrestling Joe earlier. \u201cYou\u2019re hurt, too; and I ain\u2019t dumb!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to fight me about it?\u201d<\/p>\n

It took a few moments, but then Coop started giggling, too. Neither boy felt well enough to burst into a laughing fit like the one that had preceded the floodwaters, but what laughter they could manage buoyed both of them through Joe\u2019s effective, if painful, resetting of Coop\u2019s dislocated shoulder.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until afterward that the seriousness of their predicament turned laughter into tears. Joe didn\u2019t recognize any of the landscape around him; he had no idea how far the water had taken them. On top of that, he was so cold he couldn\u2019t help but shiver; and it was clear Coop didn\u2019t feel any better about his shoulder. In fact, Joe was pretty sure his friend was too hurt and sick to walk anywhere. But they didn\u2019t have much choice, did they?<\/p>\n

Frightened but resolute, Joe tried to make light of the situation by pretending he was a sergeant in the Army and Coop was his recruit. \u201cMarch!\u201d he commanded.<\/p>\n

Trouble was, Joe discovered he only had one boot. He must have lost the other one in the water. To make matters worse, the soil there on the riverbank was too muddy for marching, and the ground beyond was too rocky and steep. Every step became a struggle.<\/p>\n

Somewhere along the line, Joe lost his other boot. He discovered that little fact when he stumbled on a piece of driftwood and had to look to the ground while he struggled for balance. He thought it was odd that he hadn\u2019t felt the boot slipping off his foot in the mud. Then he realized it wasn\u2019t just odd, it was plumb scary. He knew what it meant to get so cold you couldn\u2019t feel things anymore.<\/p>\n

Then Coop fell down and didn\u2019t get back up; and Joe realized he was more scared for his friend than he was for himself.<\/p>\n

XxXxX<\/p>\n

Joe lost track of time. He was disappointed to notice how low the sun had fallen in the sky. And he was both disappointed and glad to notice how cold he was. The numbness was wearing off. Cold and pain were seeping in. His fire, such as it was, had been enough to start warming him. Of course, he was a long way from warm. The fire was more smoke than flames. He hadn\u2019t had a whole lot of dry wood to choose from. Frankly, much of the warmth that had chased away the numbness was more likely to have come from the energy he\u2019d expended trying to get the sparse wood to burn at all. Without matches, he\u2019d had to rely on what Hoss had taught him about rubbing sticks together, using something Adam referred to as friction.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d worked hard to get it done, but he\u2019d done it. He\u2019d made a small, smoky fire. Now Coop was lying next to it, looking dazed and ill. And Joe was so tired he couldn\u2019t imagine taking another step.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll buy you a new razor, Adam,\u201d he mumbled to the lick of a tiny flame. \u201cI\u2019ll do your chores for a week.\u201d Frowning in concentration, he added, \u201cHeck, I\u2019ll even stay put to listen to your whole lecture when you find out I took your razor in the first place. Just\u2026.\u201d Joe turned his attention and his thoughts far upstream. Somewhere up there he\u2019d left his horse. And somewhere up that way he hoped his family had already started looking for him. \u201cJust find me, okay?\u201d Another glance toward his friend elicited a heavy sigh. \u201cFind us<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coop looked bad. Real bad. He was rolling his head this way and that, and shivering a whole lot more than Joe. Joe wished he could make the fire warmer, but how? There wasn\u2019t a dry spec of wood anywhere around him.<\/p>\n

Sheer desperation drove him to grab a damp stick from the pile he\u2019d gathered. He held it near the flame, thinking maybe — just maybe<\/em> — it might dry faster. After a moment, the stick started to sizzle, sending a thin, smoky trail skyward. As Joe watched the trail blend with the rest of the smoke, his tired mind painted a daydream about a band of Indians signaling their tribesmen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe smoke,\u201d he realized.<\/p>\n

Excitement borne of a new sense of hope surged inside him with a force almost as strong as the flood that had caused all this trouble, stirring up a wild burst of energy. He gathered up all the damp wood and brush he could find, intent on building up more smoke, if not more fire. With any luck, someone would notice and choose to investigate. Maybe even — hopefully — Joe\u2019s family.<\/p>\n

XxXxX<\/p>\n

In Adam\u2019s hands, the razor glided across skin like a spatula across frosting. Joe knew the blade was sharp, but when Adam tilted it just so<\/em> he didn\u2019t draw a spec of blood. It looked easy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat on earth are you staring at?\u201d Adam said into the mirror, raising an eyebrow to where Joe sat on his bed, just beyond his own reflection.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019d you learn to do that?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? Shave?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s nod prompted a grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cPractice,\u201d Adam said. Then, chuckling, he toweled off the last of the shaving cream and splashed his face with cologne. \u201cDon\u2019t you think you\u2019d better get down to breakfast?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI reckon so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go, little brother.\u201d Adam patted Joe\u2019s shoulder and started toward the door.<\/p>\n

Joe kept his eyes on the razor.<\/p>\n

\u201cChop, chop<\/em>, boy!\u201d Adam said playfully mimicking Hop Sing. \u201cBefore breakfast ruined.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe matched his brother\u2019s grin and got up to join him. But when he moved past the washstand, he couldn\u2019t help but grab the razor, pocketing it before his brother could notice. Adam\u2019s smile would vanish if he knew what Joe had done. Joe would just have to make sure Adam never knew about it.<\/p>\n

XxXxX<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe?\u201d Adam\u2019s brow was drawn, and his eyes, dark.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d Joe mumbled. His tongue felt oddly thick.<\/p>\n

Adam glanced sideways, saying nothing. His gaze was as stern as ever when he looked at Joe again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll buy you a new one.\u201d Joe added. Why was it so hard to talk?<\/em> Joe tried to sit up; he didn\u2019t get far before falling back into his brother\u2019s oddly cold and squishy mattress.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake it easy, little buddy.\u201d Adam gently gripped his shoulder.<\/p>\n

Buddy?<\/em> Joe looked at his brother\u2019s dark eyes again and started to wonder if some of that sternness he thought he\u2019d seen looked more like concern, instead. \u201cYou\u2019re not mad?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s brows moved lower. \u201cWhy would I be mad? This wasn\u2019t your fault. As a matter of fact, I—\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I took it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTook what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour razor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked to the side again. Joe couldn\u2019t even tell if his brother had heard him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got \u2026 money saved up.\u201d It sure was hard to talk. Joe couldn\u2019t seem to draw in enough breath. \u201cYou \u2026 can have it. \u2026Buy a new one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam didn\u2019t respond to Joe. Instead, he shouted, \u201cOver here, Pa!\u201d Then he rose and moved away.<\/p>\n

XxXxX<\/p>\n

Joe had a hard time figuring out whether he was dreaming or not. He wanted to believe his family had come. He wanted to trust in the blanket they\u2019d wrapped around him, the rocking motion of the horse beneath him as it plodded through mud, and the comfort he took from the strong hand clutching him tightly to Pa\u2019s broad chest. But sometimes he found himself being swallowed up by water and mud, instead. He shivered and couldn\u2019t help but wonder if maybe he\u2019d never even made it out of the river.<\/p>\n

Then, finally, he came fully awake. Somehow, he was in his own bed, in his own room. He was home. He was sure of it. The linen sheets felt too real to be part of a dream; and his brother\u2019s unshaven face looked coarse enough — real<\/em> enough — to scratch him if he were to reach up and touch it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s brother shot up from his seat by the bed. The book he\u2019d been reading fell to the floor with a heavy thud<\/em>. \u201cPa! Hoss!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe started at the harshness in his brother\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, little buddy,\u201d Adam said with a sheepish smile. \u201cI shouldn\u2019t have shouted. Guess I got carried away.\u201d He sighed and raised an eyebrow. \u201cI have to admit you scared me this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cScared you? How?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe!\u201d Pa\u2019s voice pulled his gaze to the doorway, where Joe saw nearly a mirror of Adam\u2019s smile amidst the fledgling whiskers of an equally coarse if grayer beard. \u201cIt\u2019s good to see you awake, son!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you lose your razor, too?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n

Pa rubbed his chin and chuckled. \u201cI\u2019ve been a bit too — preoccupied<\/em> — to bother with shaving.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Little Joe!\u201d Hoss called in then. \u201cBoy, it sure is good to see you!\u201d His grin was even deeper than both Pa\u2019s and Adam\u2019s, although his stubble wasn\u2019t quite so thick.<\/p>\n

Confused at how he seemed to have lost a couple of days, Joe tried to sit up. But he grew dizzy, and his chest and stomach felt all tied up in painful knots.<\/p>\n

Somewhere through the haze of his dizziness, Joe sensed his pa\u2019s hand pushing lightly on his shoulder; and a shift in the mattress beneath him told him that Pa had eased himself onto the edge of the bed. \u201cEasy, son. You\u2019ve been pretty sick. You\u2019re going to need to rest for a while yet, so you can start to build your strength back up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe focused on his pa\u2019s worn features. \u201cI don\u2019t remember being sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa\u2019s gaze turned to his brothers, and then Joe watched his family\u2019s eyes dance around one another before looking back at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you remember?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lost your razor,\u201d Joe said guiltily. It was the first thing that came to mind, pushing itself past all that ruckus with the river. After all, if he hadn\u2019t lost the razor, he wouldn\u2019t have lingered so close to the river\u2019s edge. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Adam. I didn\u2019t mean to take it. I just—\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa\u2019s grip on his shoulder tightened. \u201cCalm down, Joe. You and Adam can work that out later. We\u2019d like to know what you remember about the river, and your friend, Jackson.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t really want to think about all that, but the questions in his pa\u2019s eyes made it clear he had better. \u201cIt was \u2026 like that avalanche we saw last year. Remember? It tore down those trees like they were sticks. It was just like that, only \u2026 it wasn\u2019t snow.\u201d Joe found that talking so much was making it hard to catch his breath, but he wasn\u2019t quite done. He took a quick swallow of air and pressed on. \u201cIt came down so fast we couldn\u2019t get out of the way. We just started tumbling around in it. Half the time I didn\u2019t even know which way was up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe watched his pa\u2019s chest pull in a deep breath and wondered why he couldn\u2019t manage to do the same. Then Pa nodded. \u201cYou\u2019re very lucky you found your way out. What else do you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCoop\u2019s arm looked funny. I didn\u2019t want to mess with it, but \u2026 he said I had to. I didn\u2019t make it worse, did I, Pa? He\u2019s okay, isn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s fine, son.\u201d Pa\u2019s brow went up and he smiled again. \u201cHe\u2019s doing very well, in fact. You did exactly what you had to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoc Martin said he might not\u2019ve done better,\u201d Hoss added, filling up his chest just as Pa had and puffing it out like he was proud.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad.\u201d Satisfied to hear Coop was okay, Joe concentrated on breathing and let his eyes slip closed.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d Adam waited until he opened his eyes again. \u201cWho gathered all that wood and got that fire going?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019d you get it started?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike you and Hoss taught me. You know, with friction.\u201d Joe was puzzled by the glances his family exchanged. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa cocked his head — sort of, but not quite a nod. \u201cIt couldn\u2019t have been easy, son, after all that tumbling you did in the river.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell someone had to do it and it sure wasn\u2019t gonna be Coop. I tried to get back to the horses first, but Coop couldn\u2019t walk anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou had to be hurting quite a bit, yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe sighed. \u201cTruth is\u2026.\u201d He didn\u2019t want to show them how scared he\u2019d been, or how much comfort he\u2019d taken from finding himself clutched tightly in his pa\u2019s arms. \u201cI was kind\u2019a numb.\u201d That really was the truth. He had been numb. He\u2019d been so numb it had scared him. He\u2019d fought to stay awake, because he\u2019d always been warned that he could die in his sleep if he was too cold. He hadn\u2019t wanted to die in his sleep. He hadn\u2019t wanted to die at all. Yep, he surely had been scared. And all that fear had proved to him more than anything else had that he was a long way from being ready to use a razor. A grown man would never be afraid to fall asleep.<\/p>\n

He looked at his family again, wondering if he\u2019d given away his secret. Hoss was chewing on his lip and had his hands stuffed in his pockets. Pa was studying Adam, whose arms were crossed in front of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are you staring at me like that?\u201d Joe said to the scrunched up brow of his oldest brother. Was Adam mad<\/em>? \u201cI told you I\u2019d buy you a new razor, didn\u2019t I? At least\u2026.\u201d Maybe that had been a dream. \u201cI think<\/em> I told you that. If I didn\u2019t, then I\u2019m telling you now. I will, Adam. Honest!\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa\u2019s hand came down on Joe\u2019s shoulder again. \u201cEasy, son! There\u2019s no need to get so worked up. Now just let yourself catch your breath.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud of you, Joe.\u201d Adam\u2019s words stole what little breath Joe had been able to take in.<\/p>\n

Before Joe could see past all the dark spots that had started to cloud his vision, he felt the pressure of his pa\u2019s hand releasing him, and Adam swam closer into view.<\/p>\n

\u201cY-you,\u201d Joe said to the apparition of his oldest brother. \u201cYou\u2019re what?\u201d<\/p>\n

When the apparition solidified, Adam was smiling and he\u2019d dropped his arms. He even reached out to ruffle Joe\u2019s hair. \u201cI said I\u2019m proud of you, you little scamp.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all proud of you, son,\u201d Pa said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure are,\u201d Hoss added with that wide grin of his.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou handled yourself well out there, little brother,\u201d Adam went on. \u201cYou took care of your friend. You gathered all that wood and started a signal fire even though you were hurting, too. You even admitted to taking my razor.”<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re proud of me for taking your razor?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019m proud of you for admitting<\/em> it. I will hold you to that promise you made about replacing it, but I\u2019m pretty confident you\u2019ll keep that promise, because from what I can tell, you are finally growing up. Frankly, I know a few men who wouldn\u2019t have done as well as you did out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen \u2026 will you teach me how to shave without cutting myself?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely. In a few years, when you have something to actually shave off.\u201d<\/p>\n

And suddenly Joe realized it didn\u2019t even matter. He didn\u2019t need to shave make-believe whiskers to prove himself a man among men. He\u2019d already proven it. He had Adam\u2019s word telling him so. And something even better.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud of you,\u201d<\/em> Adam had said.<\/p>\n

Pa squeezed his arm, pulling Joe\u2019s eyes open. When had he closed them?<\/em> \u201cYou get some more rest son. I\u2019ll have Hop Sing bring up some broth in a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe wasn\u2019t about to argue \u2026 except, \u201cAdam?\u201d he asked then.<\/p>\n

\u201cHmmm?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe you won\u2019t need to teach me after all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe I\u2019ll just let my whiskers grow, like all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d Pa chuckled. \u201cThat\u2019s enough. You, Little Joe, are going back to sleep. And the rest of us are going to shave right now<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow<\/em>, Pa?\u201d Adam asked. \u201cI\u2019m afraid I no longer have a razor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, now! You can borrow mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe drifted back to sleep, imagining himself on Adam\u2019s bed again. He saw his own reflection in his brother\u2019s mirror, where he expertly guided the keen edge of a well-honed blade across his neck without drawing a drop of blood. Just like his big brother.<\/p>\n

XxXxX<\/p>\n

end<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 JAM, JPM, SJS<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0At thirteen, Joe decides to practice shaving, only to discover that growing up isn’t just about growing whiskers. (This story introduces an OC named Jackson Cooper, aka Coop.)<\/p>\n

\u00a0(Word Count: 4500; Rating: K)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":12608,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2,23,41,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actionadventure","category-drama","category-hurtcomfort","category-prequels","wpcat-2-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-41-id","wpcat-30-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1964,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/razor-river.jpg?fit=571%2C640&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7603,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7603","url_meta":{"origin":12607,"position":0},"title":"Wanting Whiskers (by DJK)","author":"DJK","date":"May 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0While trapped by a snowstorm, the Cartwright brothers learn a little something about each other. 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