{"id":14449,"date":"2017-07-19T05:18:07","date_gmt":"2017-07-19T09:18:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14449"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:41:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:41:08","slug":"the-squirrels-stash-by-questfan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14449","title":{"rendered":"The Squirrel’s Stash (By Questfan)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:<\/strong> I’ve been playing in the Pinecone Challenge for a while and decided to post the collection here. Each chapter has a lyric prompt and had to be no more than 500 words.<\/p>\n

Word Count: 5205 \u00a0Rating: T<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.\u00a0 The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise.\u00a0 No copyright infringement is intended.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pinecone Challenges – The Squirrel\u2019s Stash
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thinking is the best way to travel<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Best Way To Travel<\/em> by Mike Pinder (Moody Blues)<\/p>\n

Adam leaned on his elbows and watched as Joe traced across the atlas. His eyes widened as he realised that Boston was all the way at the edge of the map. His finger paused at the spot that Adam had pointed out and tears welled in his eyes. Adam had explained the scale of the map, but he wasn\u2019t sure his explanation had really sunk in.<\/p>\n

Joe sucked in a breath and tried to control his bottom lip. \u201cBut that\u2019s \u2026 that\u2019s like \u2026 forever away! It\u2019s almost as far as \u2026\u201d The words dropped to a whisper.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s almost as far as what, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothin\u2019!\u201d The sulky tone to the word wasn\u2019t lost on his brother. Ben had been watching proceedings, but had said nothing. They all knew that explaining things to Little Joe was going to be the hardest part of Adam\u2019s decision to head for college once the snows had cleared. Ben stared into the fire as he considered the long trek he and his tiny young son had embarked on all those years ago.<\/p>\n

The sound of a chair scraping on the floor shook him back to the present. Joe was running towards the stairs as tears streaked down his cheeks. Adam hesitated for a moment as he watched his brother\u2019s retreating back. As he glanced at his father, he pushed out from the table and began climbing the stairs in pursuit of his brother. By the time he reached Joe\u2019s room, he could hear the sound of deep sobbing.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d Adam pushed the door open and quickly made his way across the room. Joe had buried his face in the pillow and was trying in vain to stifle the tears. As Adam reached to rub his back, Joe shifted away from him. He refused to give up and pulled Joe upright and onto his lap. \u201cJoe \u2026 what did you say downstairs?\u201d He thought he knew, but wanted his brother to confirm it.<\/p>\n

Finally the sobs slowed and Adam held out a handkerchief for him to wipe his face. As the last of the tears dribbled down his cheeks, Joe frowned at his brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t never gonna see you again!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course you will. It will just be a long time before I can come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMama didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam wrapped his arm around Joe and tried to answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour mama went to Heaven, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou said Heaven was too far to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is, but Boston isn\u2019t anywhere near as far away as Heaven. Besides, you can travel there with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d Joe stared at him and Adam hurried on.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy teacher once said that thinking is the best way to travel. You can imagine everything from right here in the comfort of your own bed. You can keep track on the atlas with Pa and it\u2019ll be like you are right there with me. Until I come back home again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe slowly smiled as he imagined travelling in the stagecoach with Adam.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Me and Bobby McGee<\/em> by Kris Kristofferson<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben clenched his hand tightly and tried to rein in the anger that was welling up inside him. He knew he needed to stay calm if he was ever going to get his son to listen. He blew out a slow breath before turning to face his youngest boy. The boy who thought he was all done with boyhood and had made it into manhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph.\u201d Ben paused as he looked into his son\u2019s face. Joe was struggling to hold his temper in check and Ben had to give him credit where it was due. Not that long ago, Joe would have just launched into an argument and been shouting at him by now. It wasn\u2019t too far below the surface, judging by the tense set of his jaw, but for the moment, his son had his mouth clamped shut. Ben almost smiled as he knew how much that was costing him.<\/p>\n

\u201cSon, I know that you think I am being unreasonable, but \u2026\u201d He held up a hand as Joe began to open his mouth. \u201cBut hear me out, Son. Your brothers are both adults and get freedoms that you have not yet earned. Being an adult does not mean you can just do as you please. In fact, it very often means just the opposite. There are usually others to consider besides yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe gripped his hands around the edge of the chair and Ben could see his knuckles were rapidly turning white. It was costing him enormously to put into practice his newly-declared ability to keep quiet and listen.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, freedom to make your own choices comes with a price tag. And sometimes it\u2019s a very costly one. It means that a man must take responsibility when those choices go bad. Or when there is a consequence that is unforeseen.\u201d Ben waited to see if his words were sinking in. \u201cSome men believe that freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose. They value nothing so there is no cost involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben watched as his son weighed up that last comment and his hands seemed to loosen a little on the back of the chair. Joe scowled at the floor as if tossing something back and forth in his thoughts. Ben was fairly certain what that something was and he tried again to get his point across.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s an empty kind of freedom, Joe. And it always takes more than it gives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa \u2026 I just \u2026\u201d Joe felt his anger slowly dissipating as he really looked at his father\u2019s face. Where his friends had tried convincing him that his father\u2019s strict boundaries meant one thing, he was slowly beginning to see it another way.<\/p>\n

As Adam and Hoss returned from putting up their horses for the night, they could see that the storm had blown over and Joe was nowhere to be seen.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it safe in here, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben smiled and nodded. \u201cFor now. Until the next time he wants his freedom!\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

All of us get lost in the darkness, dreamers learn to steer by the stars.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Pass<\/em> by Rush (Neil Elwood Peart, Gary Lee Weinrib, Alex Zivojinovich)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The stars slowly wheeled overhead as he lay back in his bedroll and watched them. The inky black sky held a threat of rain and he hoped it would hold off for another few hours at least.<\/p>\n

He had no idea how long it had been since they had crawled into the well-used blankets and tried to catch a few hours of sleep. Tired muscles ached with a deep nagging that would not leave easily and he felt every rock and stick underneath him.<\/p>\n

The sound of Hoss snoring across the fire brought a smile to his lips. There was something vaguely comforting in it despite the fact it almost certainly meant he wouldn\u2019t get to sleep at all. Hoss could sleep through an earthquake \u2013 at least according to Little Joe.<\/p>\n

Or cause an earthquake!<\/p>\n

He grinned in the dark as he considered the way they bickered and traded insults, but somehow always managed to wrap an arm around each other\u2019s shoulder and find something to laugh about at the end of each day.<\/p>\n

It had been a long three weeks on the trail as they had driven the herd the long way around to the railhead. It wasn\u2019t planned that way, but a flooded river and a washout had taken a good section of the trail with it and forced them to backtrack. It had cost them almost two full days. And the life of one of their hands when the sodden riverbank crumbled beneath his horse\u2019s hooves.<\/p>\n

He sucked in a sharp breath and looked again at the stars overhead. All his life he had looked to the stars and seen something bigger than himself. A plan that stretched across eternity that was written across the vast expanse. It made him feel simultaneously small and yet infinitely blessed.<\/p>\n

A cloud scudded across the face of the moon and for a few moments, the sky darkened. It was almost as if the heavens sensed his dark mood. There was always a risk in ranch life and every man who worked for them knew that. Yet it still tore at him that he had failed to bring one of them home. The darkness crowded in as he closed his eyes and tried to push away the lasting images of a drowning man clutching desperately at tree roots.<\/p>\n

It was no use. Sleep was not going to come any time soon so he shrugged out of the bedroll and made his way over to the fire. A half-filled coffee pot sat to one side and he edged it into the coals to reheat.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t the first time he\u2019d lost a man under his command. As he stared up at the stars again, he could hear the deep voice of his mentor and captain. Abel had tried to bring comfort the first time it had happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cBenjamin, all of us get lost in the darkness, dreamers learn to steer by the stars.\u201d<\/p>\n

Look for the light. Find the hope. Come home.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I never thought about love when I thought about home.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The National<\/em> by Bloodbuzz Ohio<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Her dainty fingers twisted in his hand and he felt lost for words. He\u2019d always known how to fix most anything that needed fixing, but he didn\u2019t know how to fix this.\u00a0 He thought things were going well with Anna agreeing to dance with him, but then maybe he really was as clueless as Sally told him he was. Her hands had sat on her hips and just in case her face didn\u2019t get her point across, her words had stung like a whole nest of bees.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat would you know about anything, you \u2026 you oaf!\u201d<\/p>\n

Maybe he really didn\u2019t know much at all. Anna pulled her fingers back from his grasp and she dabbed at her eyes with a lacy handkerchief.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Hoss. I didn\u2019t mean to over-react like that. I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

A tear slid down her cheek, followed by another and another. He swallowed a gulp of air and tried to think of something to say.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s alright. I didn\u2019t mean to make you cry, Miss Anna. I didn\u2019t think that \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Anna reached a hand out and laid it against his broad chest. It looked so small and fragile. Just like her really.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss \u2026 you didn\u2019t do anything wrong. I promise. Sally was just being protective of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss chewed on his lip as he considered her words. He didn\u2019t think she needed protecting from him, but then again, maybe Sally had just read it all wrong. It wouldn\u2019t be the first time his size and clumsiness had been mistaken for something more menacing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t mean to scare you none.\u201d He looked at his boots as his face flushed with remorse.<\/p>\n

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

Hoss looked up at her words and shook his head. \u201cYou sure looked scared to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anna raised her fingers to touch the side of his face and she smiled at his look of concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was nothing you did. It was \u2026\u201d How exactly did she explain years of fear that she thought she had left behind in Utah? How did she tell a wonderful man who had been nothing but kind to her, that a momentary flash of memory had caused a flood of fear that threatened to drop her to the floor?<\/p>\n

Hoss waited as she seemed to be weighing up her words. Anna pulled her hand back and twisted her hands together as though steeling herself to speak.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know I haven\u2019t been entirely forthcoming with you about myself. I was married once.\u201d She held her breath as she waited for Hoss to turn and walk away. He was an honourable man and she\u2019d kept huge secrets from him after all. When she dared look up, he was simply waiting, silently encouraging her to go on.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never thought about love when I thought about home. \u00a0My father arranged my marriage to a man with no idea what love is.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the dark truth slowly came out, Anna felt the fear finally losing its grip.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A world without heroes is like a world without sun, you can\u2019t look up to anyone.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A World Without Heroes<\/em> by Kiss (Lou Reed, Bob Ezrin, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The clock in the drawing room chimed the hour and he startled to realise how late it was. It had been hours since he sat down to read the letter, yet he had no recollection of the passage of time. As though the world had stopped turning.<\/p>\n

Maybe he just wished it had.<\/p>\n

The writing on the envelope was his father\u2019s strong, looped style, but the words within seemed to be written by another hand. Less strong. Less defined. As his eyes skimmed the words, it soon became apparent why the words were somehow diminished. His father\u2019s strong hand must have shaken as he penned the awful words to his eldest son.<\/p>\n

Adam shifted from his seat and slowly paced across the room. His heart could not reconcile what his head knew to be true.<\/p>\n

Hoss was gone.<\/p>\n

His big, strong, ox of a brother was gone.<\/p>\n

He found himself standing at the window, staring into the street below. Lamplighters had been past and done their job in the time he had sat at the desk, staring into the past. People strolled on the street below. Young lovers with their arms intertwined and bright, shiny futures before them. A horse and carriage rumbled past, carrying a family to parts unknown.<\/p>\n

Adam twisted the flimsy curtain fabric in his hand and bowed his head in defeat. He\u2019d never spoken the words out loud and now in the darkness of his room, he knew he never would. The educated man who was never lost for words had managed to keep a whole world of words close to his chest. He struggled to speak from the heart sometimes and had always assumed his family knew what he thought and how he felt.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss.\u201d He whispered the name into the darkness, knowing he would never again hear his name spoken back. Tears welled in his eyes and he scrubbed a hand across his face.<\/p>\n

It was another day before Adam could bring himself to put pen to paper and reply to his father\u2019s letter. So many words competed for attention in his thoughts and they simply would not stop until he began to write them down. He\u2019d missed the funeral and had no idea when, or even if, he would return to pay his respects at his brother\u2019s grave. The eulogy would have been spoken by others. Pa. Or maybe Joe. Adam shook his head as he tried to envisage either of them being able to stand and speak through their grief. He wondered if he could have done it, had he been there.<\/p>\n

The words began slowly. A trickle of his heart as it leaked out its pain onto the paper. Soon it began to flow and he feared he may drown under its weight. He looked down and began to read his own words again.<\/p>\n

A world without heroes is like a world without sun, you can\u2019t look up to anyone. I looked up to my brother in so many ways \u2026.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t know what you\u2019ve got until it\u2019s gone.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Big Yellow Taxi<\/em> by Joani Mitchell<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe dismounted and slung the reins over the railing. He noted that the wood had almost rotted through and he frowned as he added it to a mental checklist of the things that needed doing before they left for home. Of course, Miss Carrie would fuss and complain and he\u2019d grumble and bicker right back and his pa would wonder just what the devil had gotten into his youngest son to be so rude to a woman. And then Miss Carrie would shake her head and purse her lips at him and he\u2019d break into a grin and bust out laughing while his pa would be left floundering for words as he and Miss Carrie enjoyed their own private game.<\/p>\n

It had been the same for the last day or so since his father had arrived with Hoss and that Mister Jenks, just in time to save Joe from a bullet in the head.\u00a0 The doc had patched them both up, then tended to Miss Carrie\u2019s hand, in amongst her grizzling and complaining that it was all better and didn\u2019t need no doctorin\u2019 no more.<\/p>\n

Joe grinned to himself as he patted at his pocket once again. The sliver of paper of the title deed felt like it could have been the Declaration of Independence itself. It was certainly the most important piece of paper that Carrie Pickett could have ever held in her hands. Joe shook his head at the thought as he turned to look at the house. No. It was the second most important. The first would have been her marriage licence.<\/p>\n

Joe found himself once again wondering what Amos Pickett looked like. Miss Carrie had never said anything of his physical appearance. She had only talked of his character. It was clear that he was a man to be reckoned with, having carved out their piece of paradise up here in the mountains. Of course, he\u2019d also managed to stay happily married to the most stubborn, cantankerous woman he\u2019d ever laid eyes on! The man deserved a sainthood.<\/p>\n

As Joe glanced up into the piney woods that the Picketts had both loved so much, he frowned at the thought that it could have all been destroyed. Greedy men had plans that included the wholesale destruction of the forests with nary a thought to the consequences. His pa had taught them different. For every tree they cut down, they planted another. He held a hand to shade his eyes as he looked up into the hills and swallowed hard.<\/p>\n

What was it his pa had said?<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t know what you\u2019ve got until it\u2019s gone.<\/p>\n

Miss Carrie so loved her piney woods and they were as close to paradise as she could get on this earth.\u00a0 Joe glanced upwards into the bluest of skies and smiled. They\u2019d won the battle for the time being. Nobody was going to tear down paradise today.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Now I think I understand how the world can overcome a man.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fiction<\/em> by Avenged Sevenfold<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben paced across the floor, aware that the space suddenly felt so very empty. The great room that had echoed with so much life and laughter, now stood empty and silent. Memories swirled around him as he stared at the furnishings. What had been a home now felt like a museum. A memorial to another time when his family was busy living.<\/p>\n

Adam had left years before, seeking his own dreams. He had gone with his father\u2019s understanding and blessing, but it didn\u2019t change the dull ache his absence left behind.<\/p>\n

The weary father scrubbed a hand across his face as he paused to consider his middle son. Hoss filled a space, not just by his physical size, but by the size of his presence. His deep wisdom and compassion for others was greatly missed and there were still days where Ben found himself turning for his son\u2019s opinion and pulling up short when he realised again that Hoss was no longer there.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll be back.\u201d<\/p>\n

The words shattered his thoughts and he turned back to see Candy standing across the room. Hoss would never be back and Ben was about to say something when his mind caught up with him. It wasn\u2019t Hoss that Candy was referring to. The young man eyed him cautiously, as if sizing up a skittish colt. They were all on edge and as he looked up again, he saw his own doubts mirrored back at him. In spite of his words to the contrary, Candy wasn\u2019t any more sure than he was.<\/p>\n

He glanced at the clock across from him and shook his head at his own thoughts. Was it too early in the day for a drink?<\/p>\n

Candy ran the rim of his hat through his fingers as he slowly approached. \u201cHe\u2019ll be back, Mister Cartwright. He promised you, didn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded slowly as he recalled his son\u2019s stilted words before he finished strapping his bag closed and ran for the door. The bandages were still wrapped around his son\u2019s burned hands and he wished he could grasp hold of those hands and force him to stay. It was pointless, he knew. Joe needed to run and find a way to deal with his grief. He, of all people, understood that.<\/p>\n

Candy watched as a father\u2019s anguish began to seep out again. The same pain and frustration they all felt at being unable to do anything to help.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I think I understand how the world can overcome a man. But, Joe \u2026 he promised you and Jamie he\u2019d be back and Joe don\u2019t break his promises.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben felt his fists clenching by his side and he found himself heading for the brandy sitting on the sideboard. Too early in the day, be damned! He poured a couple of glasses and held one out towards the foreman his son counted as another brother. God knew, Joe needed his brothers.<\/p>\n

Promises.<\/p>\n

Joe had promised Alice forever.<\/p>\n

That was what scared him the most.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Nothing but the dead and dying in my little town.<\/strong><\/p>\n

My Little Town<\/em> by Paul Simon<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There ain\u2019t nothing but the dead and dying in my little town.<\/p>\n

The words came back at him like a river in flood, washing over him and threatening to drown him. Paul dragged his fingers through his thinning hair before scrubbing a hand across his face. The bristle on his chin reminded him that it had been days since he had really stopped to take care of anything more than the most urgent needs.<\/p>\n

It had been so many years and yet that day stuck firm in his memory, like some kind of albatross around his neck. He\u2019d been so very young and so full of his own self-importance. His newly printed medical degree declared to the world that he was a healer. A man who could work miracles. Except there was no miracle cure for the fever that had run amok through that long-forgotten town. He\u2019d arrived on the stage, completely unaware of the horror that awaited until they\u2019d almost run into the quarantine blockade. It was pure chance that had brought another doctor to the tiny town that barely graced the map and he was too late. The draw of a frontier life had suddenly been slapped back into reality when he saw the makeshift hospital. A few tents had been hastily erected in an attempt to keep the dying separated from the living. The stench of death was something that he would never forget.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoctor? Are you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul glanced up to see a petite woman standing before him. He knew her name, but for the moment it totally escaped him. His eyes were bleary from lack of sleep, but his nose caught the scent of coffee in the enamel mug she thrust towards him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

A momentary chuckle escaped his lips as he looked across at the closest bunk. It was the exact same thing the young man had been saying for days as he helped tend to the sick. Of course, they were all functioning on determination and grit more than anything else. They\u2019d been forced into helping hold the quarantine, having been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Paul was eternally grateful for the trio who had helped him as their patients outnumbered them four to one.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

The young woman looked as exhausted as he felt and he smiled as he took the coffee from her hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI finally convinced him he needed to sleep. He\u2019s just sleeping. He was dead on his feet. \u201d As the words left his mouth, Paul felt fear clutch at him. It was just a turn of phrase and yet in the current moment, it was the wrong one to choose. \u201cHe\u2019ll be fine!\u201d<\/p>\n

Lissa turned and headed back toward the small stove where she had set more water to boil. A hand reached out towards her from one of the bunks and weakly grasped at her skirt.<\/p>\n

\u201cWater \u2026 \u201d The word was barely whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s coming,\u201d she smiled. \u201cYou\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Old man, look at my life, I\u2019m a lot like you were. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Old Man Take a Look at My Life<\/em> by Neil Young<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The smell of salt filled his lungs as the foam churned up against the prow of the ship. It glowed in the moonlight and a faint tinge of phosphorescent algae gave it a surreal air. He stared into the depths, his eyes seeing nothing of the ocean. Instead, they gazed upon a far-off land that was thousands of miles behind him.<\/p>\n

It was well past his watch and he should have been in his bunk. Instead, his mind refused to allow his body to rest. Thoughts of home mingled with regrets and those same thoughts kept tugging him back. He felt the chill of the salt spray as the vessel shifted to port and dipped into a trough. His sea legs were still developing, unlike the seasoned sailors on board and his body pitched with the rolling deck. The sharp motion was enough to pull him back to the present and he looked up towards the crow\u2019s nest. He couldn\u2019t recall who was on watch up there, but he didn\u2019t envy the man. He didn\u2019t have any problem with heights, but the tiny wooden bucket, tied high on the mast, still seemed like a crazy idea. Maybe he really was just a landlubber after all and the sea was not for him.<\/p>\n

As he tugged at his pea coat, lifting the collar a little higher, he wondered yet again if he had made the right choice. It had seemed so clear at the time. Adventure and new challenges beckoned him like some kind of dream. The sea had been calling him for a long time and he\u2019d managed to drown out the siren song for years. Instead, he\u2019d followed his father\u2019s dreams.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d done his level best to listen to the voice of reason. The one that told him to stay put and live the life he\u2019d been born to. He\u2019d tried. God knew, he\u2019d tried!<\/p>\n

But that voice came to him at the oddest of times and whispered in his ear that there was a whole other world he needed to explore. He\u2019d fought it and tried to silence it with hard work. He\u2019d played the part expected of him as a dutiful son.<\/p>\n

And he\u2019d nearly drowned.<\/p>\n

He snorted at the thought as he stared at the waves crashing against the side of the ship. Drowning in the depths of the ocean was not something he feared. Suffocating under unfulfilled dreams was something else altogether.<\/p>\n

He scrubbed a hand across his face and recalled the night he\u2019d told his father. He\u2019d had it all prepared.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, before I\u2019m an old man, look at my life. I\u2019m a lot like you were.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

He\u2019d expected a fight, but his father had already known. He\u2019d seen the restlessness his son had tried so hard to ignore. He\u2019d seen the faraway gaze in his boy\u2019s eyes as he scanned the horizon.<\/p>\n

Yes, his son was a lot like him.<\/p>\n

And like his father before him, Ben released his son to the sea.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

All lies and jests, still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Boxer\u00a0<\/em>by Paul Simon<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was all lies and jests.<\/p>\n

Still, a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.<\/p>\n

I wanted to deny it, but that was the way of it with my youngest son and me. I knew he was lying to me. The sound of his voice in the darkness betrayed his words. The fact he was trying to make a joke told me more than he could possibly know. I knew that despite his words, he was anything but okay. I also knew there was nothing I could do about it.<\/p>\n

So my son lied to me.<\/p>\n

To protect me.<\/p>\n

When had the shift begun from protector to protected? I had missed it somehow. For so many years my boy had needed his father and brothers to protect him and save him from himself. He was born with his mother\u2019s high spirits and wilfulness and both had caused him a measure of grief that seemed out of proportion to his seventeen years. I\u2019d lost count of how many trips we had taken into the doctor\u2019s office over the years to patch him up. I didn\u2019t want to think of how many other times Paul had been summonsed to us because my son could not make the trip to him.<\/p>\n

What I wouldn\u2019t give for my friend to be here right now. To have him tell me that my boy was young and strong and as tough as an ox and twice as stubborn as a mule! My son needed Paul more than he needed me and I was a poor substitute. Still, if I could keep him talking to me, I knew that at least he was still breathing on the other side of that rock fall.<\/p>\n

My hands were bleeding more and more as I pulled at the rocks, but I was beyond caring. I needed to reach my son. I knew my other sons would be working on the far side of me, trying frantically to reach us, but I had just one goal in mind. In the darkness, I could not see the wall that blocked us, but I could feel it. I could feel it with my hands and with my heart. It was like a dark chasm that lay between us, forcing us apart.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

I called again, well aware that Joe hadn\u2019t spoken for several long minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still here, Pa. Ain\u2019t goin\u2019 nowhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

The words were tinged with pain and yet they sounded beautiful to my ears. I choked back a comment and kept moving rocks. As if reading my thoughts, Joe tried to comfort me again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course you are. As fine as \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrog\u2019s hair.\u201d<\/p>\n

My boy finished my thought with his brother\u2019s joke.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll have you out of there in no time, Son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now it was my turn to lie. I might not be able to see the wall of rock, but I knew what I was up against. So did Joe.<\/p>\n

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

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 Adam Cartwright,\u00a0Angst,\u00a0Ben Cartwright,\u00a0Candy Canaday,\u00a0ESJ,\u00a0Family,\u00a0Hoss Cartwright,\u00a0Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright,\u00a0JPM,\u00a0multiple stories,\u00a0SAS,\u00a0SJS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: I’ve been playing in the Pinecone Challenge for a while and decided to post the collection here. Each chapter has a lyric prompt and had to be no more than 500 words.<\/p>\n

Word Count: 5205 Rating: T<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9743,"featured_media":13256,"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":[23,1008,41,30,13,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-family","category-hurtcomfort","category-prequels","category-whn","category-challenges","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1008-id","wpcat-41-id","wpcat-30-id","wpcat-13-id","wpcat-40-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\/2016\/08\/four.jpg?fit=298%2C300&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14449","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\/9743"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14449"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14449\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}