{"id":29575,"date":"2020-08-17T16:20:05","date_gmt":"2020-08-17T20:20:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=29575"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:39:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:39:00","slug":"to-clear-the-dust-by-vcls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=29575","title":{"rendered":"To Clear the Dust (by faust)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: <\/strong>Saturday night, Adam and Hoss got stranded in an abandoned cabin, and what Adam wants most is a bath. And hadn\u2019t Hoss just reckoned that? But there\u2019s more at stake than just washing off road dust.<\/p>\n

Rating: <\/strong>PG<\/p>\n

Word count:\u00a0<\/strong>6223<\/p>\n

My Story Index<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

To Clear the Dust<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was so much like him that it was downright laughable. But, yeah, the bathtub turned out to be the most incentive for Adam to get back on his feet as soon as possible, to not just give up and be done with the pain, the fatigue, and the misery. To immerse himself in hot water, to clean off grime and dust and blood from his battered body seemed almost more important than getting home to Pa and Joe.<\/p>\n

Well, not just almost<\/em>. If Adam was completely honest with himself, and he usually was, then to get into that tub and scrub himself clean and rosy was, at this very moment, his most important goal. And yes, it was also laughable, at least in his brother Hoss\u2019s opinion. A fact that said brother made quite clear by laughing his head off. Extensively. And repeatedly. And then, being Hoss, he turned it into a challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell you what, Adam,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m gonna fetch water with this here puny little bucket from that crummy well outside, running there and back \u2018bout a million times, just fer you. I\u2019m gonna heat gallons of it so you ain\u2019t gonna freeze your scrawny tail off, and gonna make you the best darn bath you had in a long, long time. But you gotta get into that fine ole tub there all by yourself. So you better don\u2019t die on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do not plan on dying on you,\u201d Adam replied, not without indignation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, up to now you did a good job of making me think you did.\u201d Hoss pointed to the canteen lying on the chair next to the cot Adam had fallen onto the moment they\u2019d made it into the cabin. \u201cProve me wrong and drink some.\u201d<\/p>\n

The very thought of drinking\u2026 \u201cI\u2019m not really thirsty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to drink if you don\u2019t want to die. You ain\u2019t so thick you wouldn\u2019t know that, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, I can\u2019t. I\u2019m not feeling up to\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss just pointed at the canteen, his silence more eloquent than any word he could have uttered. His eyes, too, spoke a very clear message as they wandered from the canteen to the tub and then back to the canteen. He nodded then for good measure and pointed some more.<\/p>\n

Adam closed his eyes, briefly, and had it not seemed too much of an effort, he\u2019d have pinched the bridge of his nose. As it was, he restricted himself to reaching for the canteen.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust a sip,\u201d Hoss said the moment Adam\u2019s fingers touched the flask. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to make yourself sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam would have rolled his eyes, but he instinctively knew that it\u2019d only make his headache worse. So he just took a tiny sip of the stale water, waited for a spell, then took another, waited, sipped, waited, sipped until he felt that any more would only make everything come up again.<\/p>\n

Hoss seemed satisfied with his brother\u2019s accomplishment. \u201cGood boy,\u201d he said. \u201cNow you rest, and I gonna read to you for a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had no idea where Hoss had found a book in this abandoned dwelling, but then again its former residents had left a bed and some other pieces of furniture, a couple of pots and pans, at least one bucket, and not to forget a bathtub. So perhaps it wasn\u2019t so unlikely they\u2019d left a book, too. There was no way Hoss had had it on himself. Not on a Saturday night when he was on his way to\u2026where? Adam had yet to ask Hoss that. The coincidence of the two of them meeting under these particular circumstances\u2026<\/p>\n

But before Adam could compose a question about that, Hoss produced a book from somewhere, opened it and started to read, and it oddly made sense to Adam that the book turned out to be a bible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want,\u201d Hoss read, and Adam was lured into sleep even before he heard the next verse.<\/p>\n

He woke up what could have been an hour later, or a minute or a day, or a year, as Adam had lost every sense of time. Nothing indicated he\u2019d not closed his eyes only for the shortest moment, nothing told him that even a second had passed. There was no change in his surroundings; nothing looked different, the cabin still bore the same air of abandonment, of an almost hasty departure. As if its former occupants had just snatched up their most vital belongings before they retreated and left behind everything they\u2019d deemed superfluous or unfit for their new dwellings\u2014like battered furniture, moldy curtains, mothy bedcovers, chipped kitchenware, a cumbersome bathtub, and, most probably by accident, a Holy Bible.<\/p>\n

The light might have dimmed a little, though. Or it could just as well be that his eyesight was fading. Adam was no stranger to having a concussion and to its effects on him. And even though the last had been a long time ago, he knew how to read the symptoms: this definitely was one and a big fat one to boot. His flagging eyesight was just another clue.<\/p>\n

He was also no stranger to a dislocated shoulder, and the excruciating pain that rendered his right side almost immobile combined with the numbness of his right hand told him unmistakably that he\u2019d somehow managed to get himself one of those, too.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately neither his headache and nausea nor the pain of his shoulder would leave him anytime soon, not without proper medical treatment. Out here, there was little to be done but resting and waiting for help.<\/p>\n

Although, the shoulder\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

He tried to roll onto his left side, turn around to face Hoss a little more comfortably but abandoned the hare-brained idea at the sudden onslaught of a new level of agony, and instead just moved his eyes to where Hoss sat.<\/p>\n

Hoss was still in the same spot with the bible still open in front of him on the table, but instead of reading in it, he chewed on a wooden pick and looked at Adam with concern. That almost ridiculously comforting sight, though, was quickly spoiled by the speaking-to-an-injured-animal tone of Hoss\u2019s voice. \u201cWhoa there, don\u2019t move. Stay put, will ya? You\u2019re just hurtin\u2019 yourself even more.\u201d<\/p>\n

This time Adam did<\/em> roll his eyes\u2014and regretted it instantly. Only after the pain in his head subsided to its normal level of excruciating did he find himself able to retort, \u201cWell, yes, how considerate of you to remind me. I\u2019d almost forgotten. Thank you, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019s frown made room for a wide grin. \u201cWhy, yer welcome,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Adam almost rolled his eyes again.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou gotta help me,\u201d he said instead. \u201cJust\u2026push it back in. My arm. You can prop me up here.\u201d He made a vague gesture towards the wall his bed was pushed against.<\/p>\n

The grin slipped off Hoss\u2019s face. He stared blankly at Adam, slowly chewing on the stick.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeverage,\u201d Adam clarified, wondering that he even had to. \u201cTo hold me steady.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss looked miserable. \u201cAdam, I can\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not? You\u2019ve done it before. Might be a couple of years, but this is still the same shoulder. I\u2019m<\/em> still the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I wouldn\u2019t bet the ranch on that last. But that ain\u2019t the reason anyway. It\u2019s too late.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWha\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at that shoulder, Adam. It\u2019s swollen like nobody\u2019s business. There\u2019s no way I can set it till the swelling is down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam actually was fool enough to try and establish the state of his hurt shoulder. By touching it.\u00a0 Of course, it wasn\u2019t worth the pain that inflicted just to ascertain Hoss was right; in particular because Hoss was always right on such matters. He\u2019d have suggested setting the shoulder himself if he\u2019d deemed it doable.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d Hoss said. \u201cNot much I can do for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo reason to be sorry. And you\u2019re doing a lot. Heck, without you, I\u2019d still be lying out there in the dust.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cY\u2019know, Adam, I never asked you how come you were lying there in the dust in the first place. Horse threw you? Have you forgot how to sit a horse properly?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t thrown. I\u2019m not a\u2026not outta practice that much. It\u2019s not as if I\u2019ve been coach riding all the time this past couple of years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why\u2019re you in this here predicament now? Without a horse but with the mother of all concussions?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe horse lamed. It had a stone in its shoe, or at least that\u2019s what I thought and why I stopped. To check, to remove it and spare the horse the pain. No need to let it suffer, especially if the solution was so easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd was it a stone in the shoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam smiled sheepishly. \u201cI actually don\u2019t know. The moment I tried to lift the beast\u2019s hind leg it spooked. Threw everything everywhere, legs flailing, lotta fuss. One second I was bending down, reaching for the hoof, next I saw black.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blinding pain. Some part of him had known he\u2019d been struck by a flailing hoof. Some other part had scolded him for being so careless, in a voice eerily reminiscent of his father. Unfamiliar horse, too close. And his head\u2026 \u201cAlways be mindful of your head.\u201d Hadn\u2019t Pa hammered that into him? Into all of them?<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways be mindful of your head, Adam,\u201d Hoss provided on cue. \u201cAnd always listen to yer Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam raised a hand to his head, fingered at the now clotted blood on the sloppily administered bandage, and flinched. \u201cI might have forgotten that particular lecture.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI reckon you did.\u201d Hoss grinned. \u201cGood thing I\u2019ve done found you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYah, good that you did. You didn\u2019t see the horse, though, did you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNope, sorry. There was no horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMight be a good thing, too. If the horse finds his way to the livery stable they\u2019ll know something went wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded. \u201cChances are they\u2019re smart enough to send someone to the Ponderosa. Then Pa and Joe will go and look for you. Find you. Bring you home and put you in your soft, clean bed. Get the doctor to look at that Yankee granite head of yours. Make Hop Sing feed you something hearty to put back some meat on that skinny chest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam resisted the urge to put an arm over his chest where his sweat-soaked shirt clung to prominent ribs. It was true, he used to have a stouter build. But a very busy life and the absence of Hop Sing\u2019s cooking had rid him of every surplus ounce of fat. Regardless, at the moment food didn\u2019t seem appealing at all, not even food prepared by Hop Sing. But a bed\u2026clean linen, a soft blanket, a firm but comfortable mattress\u2026those he\u2019d rather get to sooner than later. The doctor wouldn\u2019t be unwelcome, either.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy can\u2019t you\u2026I mean, get me up on your horse, let me ride piggyback. Build a travois\u2026knock something together using this cot perhaps\u2026just get me home. Will you?\u201d He sounded ungratefully desperate, he realized.<\/p>\n

Hoss suddenly looked uncomfortable. He squirmed on his seat, kneaded his fingers. Then gave Adam a disarming smile. \u201cHappens, I don\u2019t have a horse, either.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou lost your horse, too?\u201d It was hard to believe. Hoss never\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026yeah. Lost it. T\u2019ran away. Spooked, I reckon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow on earth\u2026 Why, Hoss?\u201d He shook his head, a spectacularly stupid decision as that sent spikes of pain to his skull and bouts of nausea to his guts. Black spots appeared at the edge of his vision, his ears started to ring with a buzzing sound. And as the room began to spin the buzzing grew louder and the spots grew more, they mixed and danced through every fiber of his body in synchrony with the ever faster spinning room.<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019s voice barely made it through that chaos. \u201cSorry, I wasn\u2019t\u2026 Adam? Listen, you gotta rest. And I read to you some more, why don\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam found himself unable to answer. The pull of the darkness was too strong and too enticing as it dragged him away from the urge to throw up, from the buzz and from the dance of the black dots. The last thing he was aware of was Hoss\u2019s soft voice reciting, \u201cHe maketh me to lie down in green pastures\u2026\u201d and then he gave in to the void.<\/p>\n

The void quickly morphed into a desert, and Adam found himself lying in the thick of it, face down, breathing dust and drinking sand, desperately wishing for someone to come and get him out of here.<\/p>\n

Someone. Anyone?<\/em> Pa. Solid, steadying Pa, who\u2019d been his oak, his rock to lean on for all his life. Or Joe, resourceful and goodhearted, a challenge from the scream that had announced his arrival in Adam\u2019s world to that latest letter he\u2019d sent. Or Hoss.<\/p>\n

Yes, let it be Hoss. His confidant, his conscience, his friend, unconditional in his love for him, the only one who\u2019d at last tried to understand all facets of the enigma that was Adam Cartwright. The one who was able to see through him.<\/p>\n

But he became aware that no one would come to his rescue, that he\u2019d have to rescue himself. As he\u2019d become accustomed to. He heaved himself on all fours, trying to ignore the way his right arm proved to be useless, trying to breathe through the agony, the vertigo, the disorientation\u2014and eventually he was up, unsteady but up. The first staggering step sent him doubling over, retching the contents of his stomach into the sand. Miraculously he managed to stay upright\u2014if he hadn\u2019t he\u2019d never have gotten up again. But then, just as he\u2019d mustered up the courage for a second approach he heard someone calling him.<\/p>\n

And he woke with a start.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026you even hear what I\u2019m reading to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss.<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019s voice, so soft Adam wondered if his brother had even spoken to him or he\u2019d merely talked to himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cB\u2019side still waters,\u201d Adam offered, entirely from memory, hoping that his slurred speech didn\u2019t give it away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think you really did.\u201d<\/p>\n

So apparently he\u2019d been seen through again. \u201cCan\u2019t fault me f\u2019trying.\u201d Speaking was an effort. Thinking, too. Everything was foggy, sluggish. There were images of faces, of places, snippets of conversation, of letters, shreds of music, laughter, weeping, all tumbling around like leaves in an autumn storm, nothing staying long enough at one place to catch it. And Adam was much too weary to try and chase after any of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve been conked out forever,\u201d Hoss said, suddenly next to the bed. \u201cToo long for my taste.\u201d<\/p>\n

He reached out, touched Adam\u2019s brow so tenderly he didn\u2019t even feel it, then stated, \u201cYou\u2019re having a fever.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was no arguing here. The way he was sweating and freezing at the same time, the way he was perceiving the world around him and the turmoil in him as if through thick fog, the way he was finding either to be too exhausting to dwell in, it was obvious that he was running a temperature.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019m just gonna sleep it off,\u201d he slurred, already half asleep, but Hoss was having none of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t let you do that, Adam. You know how it is with a concussion. You gotta stay awake.\u201d He gave Adam another feather light touch, then walked across the room. \u201cLookee here, Adam. The tub. Remember? You want to be in here, don\u2019t you? Gotta put some effort into it then. Just a little longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tub. Warm water. Soap. Clean, soft bed, Pa\u2019s hand on his brow, Joe\u2019s arm keeping him propped up as he feeds him cool, fresh water\u2026sunlight flittering through white curtains, birdsong, a horse\u2019s whicker\u2026nothing to worry about, no contracts to be fulfilled within the week, no clients, no noise. Quiet, peace, a place of unprecedented freedom. Home. You\u2019re always welcome here<\/em>\u2026always\u2026welcome\u2026welcome\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>\u201cDoggone, Adam, you gotta open your eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

He startled. The cabin, the tub, Hoss. Not home. No birdsong, no\u2026 But Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cDrink some, will ya? Come on, older brother, you need water if you want to get out of this whole mess. And it\u2019ll keep you occupied, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

The canteen was still on the chair at the bedside, the water inside still stale, metallic tasting, yet sufficient in wetting his dry gums.<\/p>\n

Hoss opened his mouth, but Adam beat him to it. \u201cJusta sip,\u201d he mimicked the earlier admonition between two takes. \u201cNot makin\u2019 m\u2019self sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss grinned. \u201cAtta boy!\u201d<\/p>\n

After the final swallow Adam saluted Hoss with the canteen and put it back. And with that spent what little energy he\u2019d left. His eyes closed on their own volition.<\/p>\n

\u201cDarn it, no! Stay with me. Try to, at least for a spell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019m here. \u2018wake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood thing you are. Least you can do is stay awake if I\u2019m stuck here with you. I had other plans for tonight, y\u2019know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWha\u2019 plans?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, come on, Adam, you ain\u2019t that<\/em> old! It\u2019s Saturday night, where do you think I was heading when I found you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Saturday night. The night they used to spend in Virginia City. Bucket of Blood, Silver Dollar saloon, the theater if there was something on for which he could interest his brothers. Ida Menken…anything with music in it and without Shakespeare on the playbill.<\/p>\n

Clearly, Hoss must have been on his way to Virginia City as he\u2019d stumbled upon his injured brother. But where then was\u2026 \u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt home. Nursing sweetheart troubles. Nothing new under the sun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some things apparently didn\u2019t change. \u201c\u2019pard cannot change spots,\u201d he agreed.<\/p>\n

Hoss frowned. \u201cWell, some can. You can. Almost didn\u2019t recognize you out there. Look at that beard of yours.\u00a0 Ainnit hot under it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t matter\u2019n London. Not so hot there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t making you any purtier, too. But I reckon you don\u2019t have to look purty anymore, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n

No, he didn\u2019t have to look pretty<\/em> anymore. Or did he? He\u2019d have to ask\u2014and then bear the teasing he\u2019d get for that. When he got home. Back. Back to\u2026you\u2019re always welcome<\/em>\u2026here or there? A person can\u2019t be at two places at the same time, but right now that exactly was what he wanted. Two places were calling to him, and he didn\u2019t want to decide for one. Like a child, he wanted everything. But you can\u2019t have everything, can you?<\/p>\n

Everything, everything\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

And there was it again, the storm. He was caught inside the maelstrom of images, faces, places, sounds, smells, all dancing around him, seductively, mockingly, nauseatingly. This time around, giving in to the lure of it was even easier. He was so tired, his eyes so weary, his limbs so heavy, and the storm promised everything, and everything promised oblivion, sweet oblivion.<\/p>\n

He faintly registered Hoss announcing to resume his reading, then, \u201cHe restoreth my soul\u2026,\u201d and he was out again.<\/p>\n

This time he knew it was a dream. He was riding a spirited chestnut horse, Pa to his right, Joe and Hoss on the left. They crossed wide meadows, followed cattle trails through craggy rocks, then reached a broad road. He didn\u2019t know where they were coming from, but he knew exactly where they were going to.<\/p>\n

When he emerged from the enticing imagery after another indefinite time (and regrettably before they\u2019d reached the ranch house), he was better. Not quite as hot, not quite as weary, his mind not quite as disorganized as before. And after a good swig from the canteen, his tongue didn\u2019t stick to the roof of his mouth anymore, either.<\/p>\n

Hoss seemed to immediately pick up on the change in Adam\u2019s condition, and he jumped right back into their aborted conversation. \u201cWouldn\u2019t have thought you\u2019d forget our nights in the dance halls so easily,\u201d he quipped.<\/p>\n

Oh, Lord, how had he not thought of those? He was absolutely certain there wasn\u2019t a single girl in Virginia City that could claim she\u2019d never danced with a Cartwright at any one time.<\/p>\n

Back then, it had been such a normal thing to do, an integral part of a young man\u2019s life, and yet, after leaving the Ponderosa, he\u2019d never attended a barn dance or gone to a dance hall. Oh, he\u2019d been to dances in London. But those were different, more formal, not so guileless, more\u2026purposeful. They never were just for the joy of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell you what, once I\u2019m back on my feet we\u2019ll do that. Go to a barn dance, just the three of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour wife wouldn\u2019t mind that?\u201d<\/p>\n

His wife. \u201cCora doesn\u2019t have to know everything.\u201d He laughed softly. \u201cBut she wouldn\u2019t mind anyway. If she were here, she\u2019d probably want to join us. Not miss the spectacle. You\u2019d like her, Hoss.\u201d And Cora would like Hoss. Would love him. She already did, actually, just from what Adam had told her about him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure would like to meet her. And your little filly, too. How old is she now? Three?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost three, yes. She furrows her brow like Pa, can you imagine that? Other than that, she\u2019s just like her mother. Same golden curls and just as beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGirl\u2019s mighty lucky she doesn\u2019t come after her old man on that regard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not old. I\u2019m just\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBald.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re one to talk. There isn\u2019t much growing on your head, either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss ran a hand over his sparsely vegetated head and made a face. \u201cS\u2019been a long time since we last seen each other, hasn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCouple of years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLot of things\u2019ve been happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed. A lot\u2026\u201d Adam watched little pieces of dust dancing in the sunlight that came in from the window opposite of him. The sun had gone up again, another day had dawned. Sunday. It seemed a long time ago that he\u2019d rented a horse at the livery stable in Virginia City to ride home to the part of his family he hadn\u2019t seen for quite a while. Alone, as Beth seemed too young to be put under the stress of the long travel and Cora hadn\u2019t wanted to leave their daughter for such a long duration.<\/p>\n

It seemed a long time, even though little had happened: he\u2019d had an accident, been saved by Hoss, and ever since then been bound to this cot and waited to get better and be strong enough to weather a soak in the tub or to be found and brought home by Pa and Joe\u2014whichever came first.<\/p>\n

In comparison, those past few years had been packed with occurrences. He\u2019d left the Ponderosa, eventually moved to England, built up his own architecture business, had married, and become a father, to mention only the pinnacles. And all of that without his Pa and brothers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe missed you, y\u2019know,\u201d Hoss\u2019s voice brought him back. \u201cWe didn\u2019t know you anymore, and we missed you \u2018round here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we\u2026I send letters. You send letters. We always know about each other\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t the same, and you know it, Adam. Sometimes\u2026sometimes you gotta be here. Not a letter. You.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam closed his eyes. \u201cI\u2026yes. I accept that.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPa needs you here. Joe needs you here. They wouldn\u2019t admit it, well, Joe wouldn\u2019t admit it, but they do. They need your\u2026well, y\u2019know, your reasoning, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think so? They seemed to do pretty well without me. What about you, Hoss? Do you miss my reasoning<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss kneaded his fingers. \u201cY\u2019see, Adam, you\u2019ve been away for a long time. I stepped in for you being the oldest. Tried to talk sense into Joe. Help Pa out. Gave out lectures, even unwanted ones. Didn\u2019t do too bad, I guess, but I\u2019d rather done it with you at my back, telling me how to be better at it, even if I wasn\u2019t asking fer it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was torn between laughing and weeping. He decided for, \u201cI\u2019m sorry. Really, I wish I could have\u2026 But I had to leave, couldn\u2019t have stayed much longer. For all its vastness, the Ponderosa\u2026well, the whole territory was suffocating me. I\u2019d have never achieved what I have if I\u2019d stayed. I needed to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to apologize. I ain\u2019t mad at you. I know you were bent on doing it, I know you weren\u2019t happy here anymore. And look where you are now. Even found a girl brave enough to put up with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t\u2026feel let down by me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, why would I? I just regret that I never met\u2026 That I wasn\u2019t a part of your life anymore. Would have liked to share the good times. And I missed having my older brother around. My counselor. My best friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

How Adam wished he could get up and wrap his arms around his brother. But try as he might, he was unable to push himself up. Instead, the struggle jarred his bad arm and woke the roar in his ears. He grunted in annoyance and disgust at his inability to be what his brother needed yet again.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you worry none,\u201d Hoss hushed. \u201cIt\u2019s alright. No need to make yourself worse again. You just stay put and rest for a spell. Still haven\u2019t read you the rest of the poem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam wanted to point out that it wasn\u2019t called a poem<\/em> but thought better of it\u2014unwanted lectures<\/em> and such\u2014and soon was calmed down by Hoss\u2019s soothing voice and the sacred words, \u201cYea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss stopped after the verse. \u201cBetter now?\u201d he inquired.<\/p>\n

\u201cMuch. Thank you.\u201d Adam wondered if Hoss had chosen that particular psalm for a reason. Usually it would be read to a dying man\u2014but he wasn\u2019t dying. His head still hurt, and the curious mixture of numbness and dull pain in his right side told him he\u2019d be incapacitated for quite a while. But he certainly didn\u2019t have one foot in the grave.<\/p>\n

Still, the psalm\u2019s words resonated with him. He had walked\u2026not through that<\/em> valley but on unchartered grounds, and he\u2019d never feared. He\u2019d never been without a rod or staff: the knowledge of a loving family that would always have his back, their unwavering faith in him. And everything they\u2019d taught him. Everything his life on the Ponderosa had taught him.<\/p>\n

He was who he was not just because of what he\u2019d accomplished but also because of what had shaped him to be who he\u2019d been before. What he\u2019d achieved, he couldn\u2019t have achieved living on the Ponderosa, but he couldn\u2019t have achieved it either without having lived there.<\/p>\n

He laughed softly. Nothing better to bring on an epiphany than a concussion, it seems.<\/em><\/p>\n

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

Ah, yes, he\u2019d almost forgotten Hoss. Not an easy feat<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just realized that I\u2019m a little thick. Apparently, I needed some sense knocked into me, and on that account I should be very grateful to the unfaithful rent horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t say I never had that idea myself, too. And this time it worked?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I just thought of\u2026\u201d Pa? The Ponderosa? Four men living in a huge ranch house that still seemed too small for all their\u2026personalities. Four men who at their best together still made a formidable force of nature.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt times, I miss my old life,\u201d he eventually admitted. \u201cDon\u2019t get me wrong, I\u2019m very content with my life now. My family, my business, London\u2014Hoss, you\u2019d hate it there at first. It\u2019s noisy, crowded, busy, demanding. But it\u2019s also beautiful. The parks, the churches, he streets\u2026 I\u2019ve never seen buildings like that before. They\u2019re magnificent. And the zoo\u2014Hoss you gotta come and see it. Take Beth with you, she\u2019ll insist you show her the giraffe, it\u2019s her favorite. She\u2019d spend the whole day watching it with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure would like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut sometimes, I miss the quiet. The slowness, the simplicity. To live by the rhythm of the seasons, to be able to sometimes take a break from performing. Working more with my body and less with my brain every once in a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you always worked with your brain, Adam. And when you left, you said you wanted to do more brain work, and that you\u2019re done with being a rancher.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was wrong.\u201d No, that\u2019s not\u2026that\u2019s not it<\/em>. He hadn\u2019t been wrong. Not entirely. He wasn\u2019t a rancher. But he was.<\/p>\n

He snorted.<\/p>\n

Yes, he was a rancher and at the same time he wasn\u2019t, at least not exclusively. He was also an engineer and a businessman. A husband and a father, a son, a brother. He was so many things, and that was the crux of it.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d thought he was something different from a rancher when all the time he\u2019d been something different and<\/em> a rancher.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou made a good show pretending you\u2019re an architect those past years,\u201d Hoss chimed in. \u201cCoulda fooled me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI fooled myself<\/em>, that\u2019s what I\u2019ve done. Thought I needed to make it on my own, thought I had to leave one life to make the other possible. I thought they were two completely different lives. Hoss, I thought they were two different men. It never occurred to me they could be mixed. That I could only be either a rancher on the Ponderosa or an architect in London.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHonest, I don\u2019t see how you could be both at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s just it. I don\u2019t have to be both at the same time. I can be either of them one after another.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow you\u2019re just makin\u2019 my head spin. You sure that ain\u2019t the concussion speaking?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m pretty sure I do the speaking part. And the thinking, too, clearer than for some time. This here, Hoss, the Ponderosa, is not just where I come from, not only the past. It\u2019s the present, too. I just have to make it that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t make much more sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does, oh, it does. The ranch, you, Pa, Joe are part of who I am. My roots. My daughter\u2019s roots. And she deserves to know her roots, just as my father and brothers deserve to know the new branches of our family tree. Not at some time in the unforeseeable future when the business allows it, when Beth is older, when there are no pressing matters to deal with\u2026 They deserve it now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019s grin stretched from ear to ear. \u201cWell, yeah, Adam, I couldn\u2019t have said that better myself. Do it! Bring your family home. If not for good then for a while and make it a regular thing. Get your bearing together again, gather strength for that noisy, busy city. Show your little girl a new horizon. Teach her to ride. And let Pa enjoy being a grandpa, and Joe playin\u2019 the uncle. I bet he\u2019s great at that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t tell me you won\u2019t rival Joe for that. One look at Beth\u2019s curls and you\u2019re gone. She\u2019ll have you wrapped around her little finger in no time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chewing on the wooden pick, Hoss pretended mulling it over before he conceded, \u201cThat sounds like me fer sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI expect you spare a little time for your older brother, too, though. I might have some saved unwanted lectures to deliver.\u201d He gave Hoss a raised eyebrow and a half smile, then sobered and added, \u201cI miss you, Hoss. I\u2026you\u2019ll be there for me, too, won\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll always be with you, Adam, you know that.\u201d<\/p>\n

And with that it was set. So simple. And it had just taken a concussion and a busted shoulder to get there.<\/p>\n

They smiled at each other like two schoolboys who\u2019d come up with the best scheme ever. Words weren\u2019t needed anymore. The old familiar wordless understanding was back, the comfort they took from being in each other\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n

Peace filled Adam, boundless tranquility, and he allowed his mind to drift. From far away he heard Hoss reading, \u201cThou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.\u201d<\/p>\n

He must have nodded off again, because the next thing he became aware of was the booming voice of his father. \u201cAdam! Adam are you\u2014\u201d and then the sound of the door being banged open, \u201cOver there, Pa!\u201d and hurried footsteps.<\/p>\n

Pa was peering down on him as he opened his eyes, a sight he\u2019d not seen in years and yet so very familiar and most welcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, what\u2026?\u201d Pa\u2019s voice cracked. \u201cIt\u2019s good to see you, Son,\u201d he said then and sank down on the cot.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe sure looks as if he\u2019d wrangled with a grizzly bear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe. Older, his hair wilder than ever\u2014apparently Pa had finally given that fight up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWelcome to our lovely home from home. Sure took you long enough to find us.\u201d He pursed his lips, raised an eyebrow. It was so easy to fall back into the old bantering.<\/p>\n

But Joe looked…put off. \u201cWell, you went missing yesterday morning, Williams from the livery stable came to the ranch in the afternoon to tell us your horse came back alone and lame. Now we\u2019re here, and it\u2019s not even noon. And you weren\u2019t so easy to find. Good thing I remembered this old shack.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam blinked. \u201cI\u2026it feels like days have gone by. Sorry, I didn\u2019t mean to imply\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s alright, Son. Time does funny things to you when you\u2019re sick. The most important thing is that we found you. Now let\u2019s get you out of here and into a proper bed.\u201d Pa lifted himself up from the cot. \u201cHelp me get him up, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

They pulled him into a sitting position, Adam hissed, \u201cEasy with the arm,\u201d it still hurt the living daylight out of him, and when they finally had hauled him into standing, he was panting and drenched in sweat.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss promised me a bath for when I\u2019m improved. I guess that\u2019ll have to wait for home then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe, who\u2019d started to open Adam\u2019s shirt to examine his shoulder, frowned. \u201cWhen did that happen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYesterday. Today. Ever since we\u2019ve seen the tub. Tell them, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa looked startled, then checked Adam\u2019s forehead with the back of his hand. \u201cHoss isn\u2019t here, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he was here, you wouldn\u2019t be,\u201d Joe said. Pa had spoken gently, Joe sounded bitter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s plain wrong. If not for Hoss, I wouldn\u2019t here. He found me after the horse knocked me out and he brought me here. He was here at the table a minute ago\u2014probably gone out to fetch water. Canteen\u2019s almost empty.\u201d He said it, but his words sounded flat to his own ears. Something was not right<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re feverish,\u201d Pa\u2019s voice seemed to come from far away.<\/p>\n

Joe jostled his good arm. \u201cHoss isn\u2019t outside. Listen, Adam, he isn\u2019t here. He hasn\u2019t\u2026 You are<\/em> here because he\u2019s not. You only came home to\u2026\u201d He glanced at Pa, unhappy. \u201cBecause he\u2026he\u2019s\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Because\u2026Oh, Lord.<\/em><\/p>\n

The agony of it was far greater than that of his marred shoulder or his concussed head. The excruciating realization, the brutal reemergence of his memory, the devastating knowledge that he\u2019d come home to visit Hoss\u2019s grave, to be with Pa and Joe in their shared grief. That his brother was dead. That he\u2019d been alone all the time, and Hoss only a figment of his feverish imagination, that he would never cajole him into drinking water again or promise to prepare a bath or read from a book to him.<\/p>\n

He must have dragged himself to the hut\u2014like his dream had shown him\u2014must have instinctively grabbed the canteen that had fallen down when the horse buckled. He must have collapsed onto the bed, and then lost all sense and succumbed to what his damaged head imagined and his heart desired.<\/p>\n

And still, he was certain Hoss had saved his life. As so many times before, Hoss had helped him find his path.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s dead,\u201d Adam whispered. \u201cAnd yet\u2026he was with me, Pa. He was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDreams and memories, Adam. I\u2019ve told you they are always there when you need them most.\u201d Pa put his arm around Adam\u2019s shoulders and squeezed, careful of the injured arm, just once. \u201cLet\u2019s get you home now, boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

He steered him towards the door, but passing the table, Adam stopped their progress.<\/p>\n

On the table rested an open book. A bible. A small wooden pick lay on one side, marking the verse that read, \u201cSurely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam closed his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you coming?\u201d he heard Joe calling from the door.<\/p>\n

He closed the book and, after a short hesitation, slipped it into the pocket of his coat. He smiled. \u201cYes. Yes, I\u2019m coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

The End<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Author\u2019s Note:<\/p>\n

Written for the 2020 Ponderosa Paddlewheel Poker Tournament.\u00a0 The game was Five Card Draw and the words and\/or phrases I was dealt were:<\/p>\n

Bathtub
\nBible
\nImaginary Friend
\nSaturday night
\nLame horse<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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

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

Summary: Saturday night, Adam and Hoss got stranded in an abandoned cabin, and what Adam wants most is a bath. And hadn\u2019t Hoss just reckoned that? But there\u2019s more at stake than just washing off road dust.<\/p>\n

Rating: PG
\nWord count:\u00a06223<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":29680,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_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":""},"categories":[1090,40],"tags":[158],"class_list":["post-29575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adam-hoss","category-challenges","tag-pppt","wpcat-1090-id","wpcat-40-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1527,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/MS-Dixie-cc.jpg?fit=600%2C390&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":45545,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=45545","url_meta":{"origin":29575,"position":0},"title":"Faith, Hope, and Family (by Heidi)","author":"Preserving Their Legacy Author","date":"April 12, 2000","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: What holds a man like Adam Cartwright up when his confidence wavers? Rating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 \u00a0Words:\u00a0 1,825","rel":"","context":"In "Adam Cartwright"","block_context":{"text":"Adam Cartwright","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1005"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Preserving-Their-Legacy.png?fit=732%2C477&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":919,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=919","url_meta":{"origin":29575,"position":1},"title":"Physics 101 (by the Tahoe Ladies)","author":"Tahoe Ladies","date":"August 19, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Adam becomes the 'butt' of a joke... Rated: K+ \u00a0Word Count:\u00a0 730","rel":"","context":"In "Humor"","block_context":{"text":"Humor","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/coming-soon-6.jpg?fit=303%2C240&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15871,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15871","url_meta":{"origin":29575,"position":2},"title":"Never, Ever Mess With His…..? (by AC1830)","author":"AC1830","date":"January 17, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary - Why is Adam in the dirt at Hoss' feet?\u00a0 Hoss is not going to like the answer.\u00a0 Rating - K, WC - 823","rel":"","context":"In "Humor"","block_context":{"text":"Humor","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Adam-on-his-back-The-Ape.png?fit=620%2C470&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Adam-on-his-back-The-Ape.png?fit=620%2C470&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Adam-on-his-back-The-Ape.png?fit=620%2C470&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10205,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=10205","url_meta":{"origin":29575,"position":3},"title":"Devil’s Dust (by freyakendra)","author":"freyakendra","date":"December 13, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: A man of God who lacks true faith heads into the desert on a quest for miracles --- catching the Cartwright brothers in his flawed pilgrimage. Word count: 22,000. Rating: T.","rel":"","context":"In "Action\/Adventure"","block_context":{"text":"Action\/Adventure","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10710,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=10710","url_meta":{"origin":29575,"position":4},"title":"The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze (by freyakendra)","author":"freyakendra","date":"March 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: On a quiet\u00a0night\u00a0after a rough afternoon that could have taken their little brother from them, Hoss and Adam ponder Joe's\u00a0instincts and ... athleticism. Rated: K \u00a0\u00a0Word Count: 1,846\u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/flying-trapeze.jpg?fit=598%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/flying-trapeze.jpg?fit=598%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/flying-trapeze.jpg?fit=598%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14397,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14397","url_meta":{"origin":29575,"position":5},"title":"The Commitment of Charlie Angelus (by Robin)","author":"profrobinw","date":"January 12, 2000","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0If only they hadn't stopped in that town. Rating: T \u00a0(1,140 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Humor"","block_context":{"text":"Humor","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/ARLE-e1497282889671.png?fit=570%2C416&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/ARLE-e1497282889671.png?fit=570%2C416&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/ARLE-e1497282889671.png?fit=570%2C416&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29575","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\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29575\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}