{"id":13773,"date":"2017-02-10T05:04:23","date_gmt":"2017-02-10T10:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13773"},"modified":"2026-07-29T11:33:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T15:33:09","slug":"night-trilogy-by-jc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13773","title":{"rendered":"Night Trilogy (by JC)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:<\/strong> Strange things are afoot on the Ponderosa in these three after-dark comic vignettes featuring your favorite brothers.<\/p>\n

Rating: K\u00a0 (1,040 words)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NIGHT TRILOGY<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam — The Nightmare<\/strong><\/p>\n

‘Twas the night before sometime a\u00a0few weeks ago,<\/p>\n

The Cartwrights were sleeping (at\u00a0least Ben, Hoss and Joe).<\/p>\n

Poor Adam was tossing and turning in bed<\/p>\n

While visions of Laura whirled in his head.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She was whining and moaning and all in a snit;<\/p>\n

She was nagging and droning and pitching a fit.<\/p>\n

“Don’t you love my new dress and my big eyes of blue?<\/p>\n

Adam, don’t go to sleep while I’m talking to you!<\/p>\n

I don’t care if you’re tired or how hard you’ve been working,<\/p>\n

It’s your duty to compliment me — and you’re shirking!<\/p>\n

And while we’re on the subject of duty…<\/em><\/p>\n

The shutters need painting; the fences need mending;<\/p>\n

Peggy wants a new pony;\u00a0the garden needs tending.<\/p>\n

Someone’s at the door — Oh look, it’s Aunt Lil!<\/p>\n

She’ll be staying six months.\u00a0What’s wrong, are you ill?<\/p>\n

Not tonight, Adam, I feel another one of my headaches coming on…<\/em><\/p>\n

I’d like some more tea — would you get me a cup?<\/p>\n

Blah, blah, blah…are you listening? Adam Cartwright! Wake up!”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He woke up in a sweat, his eyes wide with fright…<\/p>\n

A dream \u2013 \u201cThank the Lord! She\u2019s NOT Mrs. Cartwright!”<\/p>\n

(Not mine, at least,\u00a0 but still\u00a0— poor Will\u2026.)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss — The Uninvited<\/strong><\/p>\n

Saddle weary and bone tired, Hoss Cartwright tethered his horse outside the line shack. He\u2019d been working since dawn, riding fences and rounding up strays, and he felt as though he could sleep for a week.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t matter where; he could sleep on the ground if he had to. But the bunk sounded mighty fine.<\/p>\n

There was a can of beans in his saddlebag, but for one of the few times in his life he was too tired even to eat. Sleep was the only thing on his mind.\u00a0 He stopped at the door of the shack, pausing long enough to yawn and stretch, when an unexpected noise reached his ears. Someone was inside.<\/p>\n

His fingers curled around the butt of his gun, but he didn\u2019t have time to draw it before the door flew open and a familiar voice greeted him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, are ya comin\u2019 in or ain\u2019t ya?\u00a0 I got supper all ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss let out an exasperated breath.\u00a0 \u201cObie, what in the world are you doin\u2019 here?\u201d<\/p>\n

The old man smiled.\u00a0 \u201cMe and Walter decided to pay you a little visit,\u201d he drawled. \u201cIt wuz his idea, actually.\u00a0 He said he knew you\u2019d be comin\u2019 this way, even figgered when you\u2019d get here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss raised his eyebrows.\u00a0 \u201cWalter figgered that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, ain\u2019t he a caution?\u201d\u00a0 Obie gazed fondly at the dog.\u00a0 \u201cJust look how glad he is to see ya.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walter lay sprawled on the bunk, eyes half-closed, limp as a rag doll.\u00a0 Hoss frowned. \u201cListen, Obie, it\u2019s not like I ain\u2019t glad to see you, but I gotta be honest. I\u2019m just about dead on my feet, and I gotta get some sleep!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the way I figger it, a man\u2019s gotta eat.\u201d\u00a0 Obie dished up\u00a0a heaping plate of beans and set it on the table.\u00a0 \u201cNow sit down \u2013 me and Walter fixed your favorite, just the way you like \u2018em.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss swallowed hard, beads of perspiration forming on his forehead at the spicy memory.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t have to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, it weren\u2019t no trouble at all.\u201d\u00a0 Obie sat down across from Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cWhen you\u2019re done eatin\u2019 I\u2019ll set up the checkerboard.\u00a0 Walter said he\u2019ll play the winner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know Walter played checkers. How come he didn\u2019t play with us last time?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, he didn\u2019t want to embarrass ya, you bein\u2019 company and all.\u201d\u00a0 Obie hooked his thumbs on his suspenders and leaned back in his chair, puffing on his pipe.\u00a0 \u201cTruth is, checkers is his most favorite game.\u00a0 See how excited he is?\u00a0 He can\u2019t hardly wait.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss studied Walter, whose only movement was to close his eyes completely.\u00a0 He shook his head before turning back to Obie.\u00a0 \u201cHe any good?\u201d<\/p>\n

Obie nodded.\u00a0 \u201cBeats me two outta three,\u201d he chuckled. \u201cAin\u2019t he a caution, though?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss sighed.\u00a0 He knew he was no match for Obie and Walter in checkers or anything else for that matter.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow \u2018bout pourin\u2019 me some of that scaldin\u2019 hot coffee of yours?\u00a0 I figger I\u2019m gonna need it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yep. It was gonna be a mighty long night.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0Joe — The Haunting\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Darkness falls, as silent as a stone. The stars burn bright and cold; there is no warmth in the moon\u2019s silver glow. My breath hangs in the air like an eerie apparition. How fitting. It is indeed a night for ghosts, for even in my solitude I know I’m not alone.<\/p>\n

A lot of things can haunt a man, mistakes for things he has done, regrets for things left undone, but nothing like a woman and love gone awry.\u00a0 She is with me always, wherever I go, waking or sleeping, wherever I turn, I see her face, her eyes, her lips, her smile.\u00a0 Her arms reach for me, teasing, beckoning, pleading with me to come away and forget everything\u00a0and everyone I knew before her. It almost happened. Somewhere in time, enchantment became obsession and then right became wrong \u2013 so very wrong.<\/p>\n

There were those who saw what I couldn’t, but their warnings fell on deaf ears.\u00a0 The spell of her kiss was strong and I was an eager and willing subject, and so I happily offered myself as a sacrifice on her moonlit rock of love.\u00a0 A wolf howled in the distance, and that\u2019s when things got a little hazy. I woke up later in a cold sweat on a pile of chicken feathers after dreaming I was kissing a fish.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been a red meat man ever since.<\/p>\n

I also earned a valuable lesson that night. Never trust a schizophrenic gypsy woman, no matter how oddly attractive she is.<\/p>\n

I shiver, and not just from the chill memory.\u00a0 That darn Tirza took my favorite green jacket.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

~END~<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My heartfelt thanks to David Dortort for the Cartwrights, and to Bonanza writers Ed Adamson (\u201cThe Waiting Game\u201d), Lois Hire (\u201cAny Friend of Walter\u2019s\u201d) and Anthony Lawrence (\u201cDark Star\u201d) for their unforgettable characters Laura Dayton, Walter & Obie and Tirza.<\/em><\/p>\n

If you enjoyed this story, you may like these as well:<\/p>\n

Shirtless Joe (by JC)<\/a><\/p>\n

Stranger in the Night (by JC)<\/a><\/p>\n

A Day in the Life — A Bonanza of a Tale<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For a complete up to date list of my stories, check out\u00a0JC’s Author Page<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: Strange things are afoot on the Ponderosa in these three after-dark comic vignettes featuring your favorite brothers.<\/p>\n

Rating: K\u00a0 (1,040 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10253,"featured_media":30710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","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_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1008,4,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family","category-humor","category-whn","wpcat-1008-id","wpcat-4-id","wpcat-13-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/eliz-my-love.jpg?fit=566%2C450&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10253"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13773"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13773\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}