Summary: \u00a0 When Adam, Hoss and Little Joe sneak out in the early hours for Adam\u2019s last childhood adventure, their father\u2019s reaction is not what they expect. \u00a0 A prequel set in the months before Adam leaves for college.<\/p>\n
Rating: K \u00a0 Word Count: 3,527<\/p>\n
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Sunrise<\/strong><\/p>\n The hinges on the door let out a long piercing creak as it was opened and three boys froze. As one, they turned towards the stairs, their eyes straining upwards in the semi-darkness of pre-dawn. No feet thumped across the room above them. No lamplight slanted along the upper hallway. No voice roared from the top of the stairs.<\/p>\n Together they let out a collective breath, and three pairs of hands pawed at the door in their eagerness to get going.<\/p>\n \u201cGo, go, go,\u201d urged Adam in a whisper, \u201cI\u2019m gonna put my boots on.\u201d<\/p>\n The brothers had crept downstairs, boots clutched to their chests, and Adam watched as Hoss and Little Joe ran across the yard on tiptoes and threw them in a pile outside the barn door. He held his breath as he inched the door shut and grimaced as the latch caught. The click as it lowered into place sounded like a gunshot bouncing off the walls of a narrow gully. He listened for a moment longer. Once satisfied, he shuffled to the edge of the porch in his socks where he dropped to the ground and pulled his boots on one by one. With a final reassuring look that all was still silent in the ranch-house, Adam ran to catch up with his brothers.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll take Miss Ellie, she\u2019s steady enough and strong enough to manage all three of us.\u201d<\/p>\n He heaved a saddle onto the horse\u2019s back.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Adam, Pa says I\u2019m getting bigger with every meal, how can she carry you, me and Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam dropped down to pull the cinch forward to its corresponding buckle.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, this old lady can carry the weight of two grown men, she\u2019ll be fine. And Little Joe\u2019s as light as a baby possum.\u201d He winked at the six-year old bobbing on his toes in excitement.<\/p>\n Miss Ellie was led from the barn and once out of earshot of the house, Adam mounted up. Little Joe was lifted into Adam\u2019s arms and settled in front of his oldest brother who then reached down to pull Hoss up onto the mare\u2019s rump.<\/p>\n The sun was pursuing its timeless path up the side of the earth, heralding its imminent arrival with a gradual lightening of the sky. The boys had their thick coats on to ward off the chilly, unheated air and their collars pulled high to their chins. A dim grey light was enough to light their way, but the pines that edged the side of the rough track loomed close, a forbidding concentration of black shadow and creatures that scuffled in the undergrowth. Hoss\u2019s arms tightened around his big brother\u2019s waist and Adam could feel the boy\u2019s head move from side to side as each new sound caught his attention. He imagined Hoss\u2019s eyes wide with trepidation, unused as he was to being away from the safety and warmth of his bed when the stars in the night sky still twinkled. Little Joe held no such fears. Squeezed between the saddle horn and his oldest brother, he was so full of anticipation at their early morning adventure that he could not stop himself from bouncing up and down; an action that caused Adam not a little discomfort.<\/p>\n \u201cSettle down, Little Joe, would ya?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t help it, Adam, I\u2019m too excited!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell jumping up and down on top of me ain\u2019t gonna make this journey go any quicker.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe quieted for a few minutes as they continued on their way, but it was not long before he was squirming once more.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, what did you say today was again?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked up at a pale streak scored across the dark sky.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s called the summer solstice, and it\u2019s the longest day of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe twisted around to look up at his big brother, his hat flopping over his eyes as it knocked back against Adam\u2019s chest.<\/p>\n \u201cHow can today be longer than every other day?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled. \u201cWell, it\u2019s not got more hours or minutes in it, if that\u2019s what you\u2019re thinking. It\u2019s just got more daylight.\u201d<\/p>\n There was no response from the small boy in front of him. Adam\u2019s smile widened as he waited for the next, inevitable question.<\/p>\n \u201cBut if there\u2019s more day, what happens to the night?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe sun rises earlier and sets later, so the night is shorter.\u201d<\/p>\n There was another pause as Little Joe thought through his brother\u2019s reply.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Pa wakes me up at the same time, and bedtime is at the same time, so how can night be shorter?\u201d<\/p>\n There was no faulting Little Joe\u2019s logic. Adam squeezed the boy\u2019s belly and laughed. \u201cTake my word for it, bud, it just is.\u201d<\/p>\n The track started to descend down a gradual incline through a thick wildwood of pines. The grey light had not penetrated the canopy of forest, and thick branches huddled over the path cast the horse and it\u2019s riders into dark shadow. Hoss\u2019s arms once more tightened around Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cYou okay back there, little brother?\u201d<\/p>\n There was silence then a twisting motion as though Hoss had looked behind him.<\/p>\n \u201cUh, Adam, I keep hearin\u2019 things. I think there\u2019s someone behind us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s just animals, Hoss, or your imagination.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not joshin\u2019, Adam, I think I can hear a horse.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sighed and reined Miss Ellie to a lumbering halt. The boys sat unspeaking in the middle of the track for a full minute, and heard…nothing. Even the ground-crawlers and the birds waking to announce the day in a chorus of song were silent. Adam broke into the stillness.<\/p>\n \u201cSee, I told you, there\u2019s nothing there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t like this, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, what are you so worried about? You know these woods like the back of your hand. You\u2019re so jittery.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Hoss, you\u2019re so\u2026jittery,\u201d chimed up a small voice.<\/p>\n Hoss leaned around his big brother\u2019s back. \u201cShut up, Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou shut up!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t you both shut up!\u201d Adam\u2019s raised voice echoed off the spindly pines. He took in a long breath of air. \u201cLook, I promised you an adventure, probably the last one before I go to college, so enough with your jawing.\u201d He turned around the best he could\u2014it was a tight fit with all three of them\u2014to look at Hoss. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing following us, so stop fretting. And you,\u201d he poked Little Joe in the shoulder, \u201cstop teasing your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n There were mumbles of acquiescence. Adam nodded, satisfied, gathered the mare\u2019s reins and nudged the docile old lady back into motion.<\/p>\n The three travelers did not say another word as Miss Ellie trudged along the tree-filled ridge that bordered the big lake. The water was hidden from view as they descended, but then came a break in the trees. Adam pulled their mount to a stop and they gazed over the scene before them. Little Joe mouthed a wow and Adam grinned as a wide smile of wonder opened up the child\u2019s face.<\/p>\n The lake was bathed in a silver sheen from the pale sky above, and the unbroken surface rippled in the almost windless air. In the distance, a lone eagle\u2014silhouetted black against the glistening light\u2014soared inches above the water, its wingtips stirring the surface into flickering movement. Then, a vein of orange and red flared over the low horizon, reflecting off the cloudless sky upon the tranquil waters.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, it\u2019s not long now,\u201d said Adam, and he kicked Miss Ellie into a canter down to the cove that was their destination.<\/p>\n Within minutes they had arrived at a rocky, boulder-strewn beach. Adam clasped Little Joe\u2019s wrist to lower him to the ground and straightaway the boy scampered to the water\u2019s edge. Hoss slithered off the back of the mare and soon followed, dancing across the pebbles on his tiptoes.<\/p>\n \u201cPut your boots on,\u201d Adam shouted to his brothers who were playing catch with the lapping water.<\/p>\n Hoss looked up and put his hand to his mouth. \u201cI forgot to pick \u2018em up. They\u2019re still next to the barn.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam groaned. \u201cWell, be careful, you can\u2019t run around barefoot, not on this beach.\u201d He untied his bedroll from the saddle and unfurled it over the stones so they would have something to sit on. But then he heard a squeal and a splash, and spinning at the waist he saw Little Joe on his backside in the water, his pants soaked and most of his shirt and coat too. A pair of wide eyes stared at him, clearly unsure at the reaction he would receive.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe! I said to be careful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI slipped, Adam. I was tryin\u2019 to catch a fish I saw.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam raised his eyes to heaven as he stomped down to the water. He picked his little brother up, held him at arm\u2019s length, and carried him back to the blanket.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll catch your death,\u201d he said as he stripped Little Joe down to his underdrawers and rubbed him down briskly with the blanket. The boy stood shivering in the pre-dawn chill but with a grin on his face as he enjoyed his big brother\u2019s attentions.<\/p>\n With a last\u2014affectionate\u2014rub over Little Joe\u2019s hair, Adam shook his head and could not help but smile at the impish face that grinned back at him. \u201cHere, keep the blanket around you, it\u2019ll keep you warm until the sun comes up.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a sudden yelp behind them. Twisting around, Adam saw Hoss on his butt, his foot clutched in the air. Adam rose to his feet, his hands on his hips.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat have you done?\u201d Some trip this was turning out to be.<\/p>\n \u201cI done trod on somethin\u2019. It hurts awful bad, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam pursed his lips, his eyes narrowed to a blazing scar in the dawn twilight. \u201cLet me see.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss\u2019s big toe was bleeding, the skin broken where he had trodden hard on a jagged rock.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll live,\u201d said Adam. \u201cI\u2019ll wash the cut and get a bandage.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss\u2019s big toe was soon wrapped in a huge padded swathe of white cloth. Little Joe waddled over in his oversize blanket and hunkered down next to them, his arms around his knees.<\/p>\n The little boy laughed. \u201cYour toe looks funny, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n His comment was met with a glare. But no one could remain angry for long at Little Joe\u2019s guileless expression and open-mouthed grin, and before long, all three boys were laughing at the huge pad of material on Hoss\u2019s toe.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a good thing I\u2019m not going to medical college,\u201d said Adam, \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve got the aptitude for it.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked across the lake towards the distant low-lying mountains and saw that the orange and red streak had intensified into a rich golden hue.<\/p>\n \u201cLook, the sun is about to rise. Let\u2019s settle down and watch. And try not to get into any more trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam reached out his arms, and like fledglings under a mother bird\u2019s wings, his two younger brothers shuffled close to his side. He hugged them tight, aware of the chilly air on Little Joe\u2019s naked skin and their bare feet. Pulling off his jacket, he laid it in front of them.<\/p>\n \u201cScoot your feet under there to keep warm. As soon as the sun hits they\u2019ll soon heat up.\u201d He looked down at both boys tucked beneath his arms and frowned. \u201cWeren\u2019t your feet cold on the ride out?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss looked up. \u201cI was too scared to notice.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe pulled his brother\u2019s arm tighter around his neck. \u201cAnd I was too excited.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chuckled and gazed out over the water. The pale colorless sky had brightened to that of a sage flower and a fiery yellow flare the color of corn peered over the low mountains.<\/p>\n There was a low sigh from Hoss. Adam saw his middle brother\u2019s lips turn down at the edges.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, Hoss? Aren\u2019t you happy to see the sun rise on the longest day of the year?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss sighed again. \u201cYeah, but I wish Pa were here. I feel sorta guilty that we snuck out and left \u2018im.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s head lowered down to his chest and he started to pick at a loose strand on the edge of the blanket. \u201cMe too.\u201d He raised his head, his eyebrows drawn low. \u201cWhat\u2019s guilty?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked at the small boy with his mop of thick wavy hair and large hazel eyes staring back at him.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s when you know you\u2019ve done wrong and feel bad about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe went back to pulling at the loose strand. \u201cI feel guilty too then\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked at each of his brothers in turn and then up at the brightening sky. A low heavy sigh escaped him.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I feel guilty too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you should!\u201d A loud voice thundered across the beach and the three boys scrambled to their feet. Little Joe\u2019s blanket slipped from his shoulders and he whipped behind Adam\u2019s leg to peep out at his father as he strode across the beach towards them.<\/p>\n \u201cUh, Pa, I can explain,\u201d stammered Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can, can you?\u201d<\/p>\n Was it possible for his father to grow in height as he watched, or had he shrunk from the shame of sneaking out in the early hours of the morning with his two younger brothers?<\/p>\n \u201cWhat possible excuse do you have for dragging your brothers out whilst it was still pitch black outside?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa, it wasn\u2019t quite pitch\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd where are your brothers\u2019 boots?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey got left behind by mist\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy is Little Joe wearing only his underclothes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe fell in, Pa, if you\u2019d only just\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe fell in! He\u2019ll catch his death.\u201d<\/p>\n At any other time, Adam would have smiled that his father had repeated what he himself had said only minutes earlier. Like father like son.<\/p>\n \u201cExcuse after excuse. Such sorry excuses.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI rubbed him down with the\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what\u2019s happened to Hoss\u2019s foot?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam did not even try to respond. He hung his head, conscious of his brothers mirroring his actions. They stood in a chastened hush.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n There was no response. Adam braved a look. His father stood with his arms crossed across his chest. But did he detect a slight softening of his pa\u2019s stance?<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, umm.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben Cartwright took a step forward. \u201cWhatever possessed you to do it, boy?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sighed and whipped the hat off his head, letting it flap against his leg, and took a hesitant step towards his father.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just, well, I\u2019m leaving, Pa, I\u2019m not going to be here next year. I wanted something to remember, to think back on when I\u2019m up to my neck in college work. I wanted\u2026\u201d he paused and lowered his head, \u201cI wanted to see the midsummer\u2019s day sunrise with my brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut not with your father?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s head rose sharply. The tension fell from his face as he shook his head. \u201cNo, Pa, that\u2019s not it at all. We just thought\u2026we thought you\u2019d\u2026we didn\u2019t think you\u2019d\u2026\u201d his voice petered off.<\/p>\n \u201cYou thought I\u2019d say no.\u201d<\/p>\n Three heads nodded in unison. Little Joe and Hoss sidled up next to Adam and pressed in close. He put his arms around their shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you think to ask?\u201d<\/p>\n The side of Adam\u2019s mouth quirked upwards.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, no.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben stepped forward and knelt on one knee before him, his large hands curling around Hoss and Little Joe\u2019s heads.<\/p>\n \u201cBoys, am I so frightening that you couldn\u2019t ask? All of this sneaking around could have been avoided.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked down at Hoss and then at Little Joe who both met his gaze with one as perplexed as his. Little Joe looked at Hoss and Hoss shrugged as he looked back at Little Joe. Adam found his voice.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not mad, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben chuckled. \u201cNo, Adam, I\u2019m not mad\u2026anymore.\u201d He rose to his feet. \u201cJust next time, ask.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A sudden burst of golden light lit up their faces and they all turned as one to witness the creation of a bright new day. The warmth crept up their bodies from their feet to their hairlines and tingled across their skin as the lingering darkness of night was chased away by the sun.<\/p>\n \u201cCome, boys, sit, sit.\u201d<\/p>\n Together the family sat down on the rocky beach and raised their faces to the sun, unwittingly mimicking centuries of worshipers before them. Little Joe climbed into Adam\u2019s lap and Hoss leaned in close to his older brother, his hand rested on his father\u2019s knee.<\/p>\n The sun was a glare and they all had to shield their eyes from its rays as it climbed through the sky and reflected off the lake surface. A finger of gold reached out across the water towards where the family sat in awe at nature\u2019s spell-binding show of splendor.<\/p>\n They did not speak or move until the sun had completely risen above the distant mountains and it was only when Little Joe stood and shook off his blanket and clasped his arms around his pa\u2019s neck that the spell was broken.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Pa, for not being angry too long.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben laughed and patted the boy\u2019s narrow frame. He pulled back to look into his face. \u201cIt\u2019s difficult to stay angry on a day such as today.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam was next in line for a hug.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks for bringing us, Adam. I don\u2019t want you to go away but if going away means we get adventures like this, then you can go away all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n They laughed and climbed to their feet; Adam with a small boy\u2019s legs hooked around his waist and a pair of arms around his neck.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, boys, it\u2019s time we were home for breakfast. Hop Sing will be wondering where we are and has probably already threatened to leave for China.\u201d<\/p>\n As they followed the track home to the big wooden ranch-house\u2014Little Joe had chosen to sit with his father for the return journey\u2014Adam threw a question out to his pa.<\/p>\n \u201cDid we wake you when we left, Pa? We didn\u2019t think we\u2019d made a sound.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben kept his eyes on the trail ahead. \u201cYou three boys were as quiet as one of those mice that live in the barn and which make you jump when they suddenly scurry across the floor in front of you.\u201d<\/p>\n Three heads nodded in mutual understanding.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, a father just knows. I woke up in the small hours feeling\u2026something wasn\u2019t right. You\u2019ll understand what I mean when you have children of your own. I checked your rooms and you can imagine my fright to find you were all gone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut how did you find us?\u201d asked Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cI tracked you. There was just enough light to see where you had led Miss Ellie out behind the barn and mounted up. It didn\u2019t take long before I could hear you talking ahead of me.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss poked Adam in the back of his shoulder. \u201cI told you we was bein\u2019 followed.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam pulled Miss Ellie to a stop. His father soon followed suit, turning in his saddle to face his oldest son whose head was cocked to one side.<\/p>\n \u201cYou were there the whole time? You saw Little Joe fall in; you saw Hoss cut his toe?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben grinned.<\/p>\n Adam nudged Miss Ellie along the track until he was beside his father.<\/p>\n \u201cBut you acted like you didn\u2019t know what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I couldn\u2019t let you get away with scaring your old pa half to death, could I?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam tutted. \u201cPa,\u201d he said in an admonishing tone.<\/p>\n Ben reached out and laid a hand on his boy\u2019s arm. \u201cSon, I didn\u2019t only see your brothers\u2019 mishaps. I watched a young man looking after his two brothers with care and love. I\u2019m proud of you, son.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam ducked his head down to hide the rosy blush that colored his cheeks.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then,\u201d Ben looked over at Hoss and squeezed Little Joe who had leant back against his chest, \u201cwhen I heard you all admit your guilt, I knew I couldn\u2019t stay hidden in the trees any longer. You knew you\u2019d done wrong. I just drummed it in a little further.\u201d<\/p>\n They rode on a short way and then a small voice said, \u201cPa, I learned a new word today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know you did, son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGuilty. It means when you feel bad for doing something you know is wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell done, Little Joe, that\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n They rode on in silence, and then Little Joe piped up once again.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you feel guilty for making us feel bad when you weren\u2019t really mad at us?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben looked over at Adam and Hoss, both wearing grins from ear to ear, and reached around to chuck under his youngest\u2019s chin. He laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s go home, boys.\u201d<\/p>\n The End<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Written for the 2017 Ponderosa Paddlewheel Poker Tournament.<\/p>\n The words\/phrases dealt to me were:<\/p>\n Barefoot<\/p>\n Excuses<\/p>\n Guilty<\/p>\n (Joker)<\/p>\n Not before bedtime<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tags:\u00a0 Adam Cartwright,\u00a0Hoss Cartwright,\u00a0Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n