Compadres<\/strong><\/p>\nXxXxX<\/p>\n
Relax, Joe. Ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 you got to worry about. I just gave you somethin\u2019, is all. Slipped it in your coffee. I got it from an old gypsy woman a while back. It\u2019s a special tincture to open up your eyes and ears a mite. If you relax, you\u2019ll see what I mean.<\/p>\n
I tried it myself once, so I know how it works. It makes you focus all your energy on listenin\u2019 and seein\u2019 what\u2019s around you. It kind of frees up your mind, so\u2019s you don\u2019t have to worry about movin\u2019 any or goin\u2019 anywhere. You can\u2019t move your arms and legs \u2018cause you don\u2019t have to.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t look at me like that. Ain\u2019t no reason to be afraid. Hell, you know I wouldn\u2019t hurt you none. We been trail brothers long enough to know that.<\/p>\n
You and me, we\u2019re compadres, the best kind of brothers there is. Better\u2019n real brothers.<\/p>\n
Yeah, I know how they are. Real brothers\u2019ll breathe down your neck, and get their noses in business that don\u2019t concern them none. They figure it\u2019s their job to look out for you, to get you to do things the way they think they ought to get done\u2026to get you to do things they want you to do, no matter what you want to do yourself.<\/p>\n
But trail brothers, we look out for each other. You and me, we\u2019ve saved each other\u2019s hides often enough to prove that. I\u2019ve saved you from havin\u2019 them real brothers of yours tan your hide, too. But you don\u2019t owe me none for that. You\u2019ve saved my neck a time or two, yourself. I\u2019d do anythin\u2019 for you, you know that.<\/p>\n
But, you see, that she-bitch back there in Virginia City, she got your thinkin’ all turned around. I reckon maybe she got her hands on some kind of tincture herself, the kind that\u2019s no good to hombres like you and me. She got you to thinkin\u2019 you belonged to her, when you and I both know it\u2019s supposed to be the other way around.<\/p>\n
I tried to teach her some on that, to show her how you and me, trail brothers like us, when we find a good thing we share it. You\u2019ve had my women often enough. I ain\u2019t greedy on that count. Only reason I reckon you didn\u2019t give me no time with yours was that spell she worked on you. I knew if anyone was gonna break that spell, it had to be me. So I went and\u2026I\u2026.<\/p>\n
I took her.<\/p>\n
I swear to you it was like breakin\u2019 a mustang, the meanest, orneriest kind of mustang there is. Might even be she was more like a wild cat or a she-devil than a mustang. I had to throttle her good; you ought to know that.<\/p>\n
I reckon maybe I throttled her a little too good. Didn\u2019t really mean to kill her. But\u2026Joe\u2026. She spit at me. And\u2026and she had so much hate in her eyes. Damn near broke my heart to think how shamed you\u2019d be about your woman hatin\u2019 your compadre like that.<\/p>\n
Shoot, Joe. Ain\u2019t no need for you to cry over it. She had her claws in you so deep you just couldn\u2019t see any better. That\u2019s why I had to give you that gypsy woman\u2019s tincture. So\u2019s you could finally get a chance to open your eyes and see what that she-bitch done to you.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m just lookin\u2019 out for you, Joe, like I always do. Like I got to do, on account of us bein\u2019 trail brothers like we are.<\/p>\n
Well, I\u2019ll be damned.<\/p>\n
Look at that.<\/p>\n
How is it you can move your fingers like that already? Hell, when I took that stuff I couldn\u2019t do more\u2019n blink for a good hour or two. I reckon maybe you need a little more\u2019n me, but\u2026.<\/p>\n
Dang it, Joe, it worries me to give you any more. That gypsy woman said if you take too much, it\u2019ll stop your heart just like it stops your arms and legs.<\/p>\n
But I need you to focus on listenin\u2019, Joe. Don\u2019t be tryin\u2019 so hard to move. You got to relax. You got to trust me enough to stop tryin\u2019 to fidget like that.<\/p>\n
I reckon\u2026reckon maybe if I tie you up good and snug, tight enough that you know better than to fight it, maybe then you\u2019ll let that tincture do its work and help you break free of that bitch\u2019s spell. That\u2019s<\/em> what you got to fight, Joe. That\u2019s all I\u2019m tryin\u2019 to tell you. You got to break free of that spell.<\/p>\nXxXxX<\/p>\n
There. That ought to be tight enough. Now you just\u2026.<\/p>\n
Shhh. What\u2019s that? Sounds like someone\u2019s comin\u2019.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t you worry none. I got my gun right here. I won\u2019t let no one get to you. I\u2019ll protect you. You know I will. I done it often enough.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t hear nothin\u2019 no more. Do you? You can hear better\u2019n me right now. Come on, Joe. Let me see your eyes. Show me if you hear anythin\u2019.<\/p>\n
No?<\/p>\n
Alright. Maybe\u2026maybe it was just a bunch\u2019a dumb ki-yotes.<\/p>\n
I guess I\u2019m just a bit jittery, is all. I figure they\u2019ll have found that she-bitch by now. That\u2019s why I brung you out here, instead of holin\u2019 up somewhere\u2019s in town \u2018til the tincture finished doin\u2019 its job. I had to get us both out of town. Don\u2019t want to see you in jail any more\u2019n I want to see myself. They\u2019ll string a man up for killin\u2019 a she-bitch same as if she were an upstandin\u2019 member of society.<\/p>\n
Folk\u2019s sense of justice never did make much sense to me. You know what I mean. I know you do.<\/p>\n
Maybe another cup of coffee\u2019ll calm me down. Wish I could take some of that tincture, instead. But one of us has to keep a lookout.<\/p>\n
After I get you to see clear again, I figure maybe you and me ought to head down Mexico-way. They won\u2019t care none about no American she-bitch. I know a few senoritas I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll take a fancy to. They\u2019ll show you a good ride. A whole lot better\u2019n that she-bitch, that\u2019s for sure.<\/p>\n
She sure was tight. I\u2019d swear you never even broke her.<\/p>\n
Damn, she really did have her claws in you.<\/p>\n
Come on, Joe. Ain\u2019t no need for tears like that. She didn\u2019t hurt me, none.<\/p>\n
Fact is, I ain\u2019t never had a tight gal like that. Was kind\u2019a fun breakin\u2019 her in. Felt good, too, knowin\u2019 I got to her before it was too late to cut you loose. If I\u2019d\u2019a waited any longer, she would\u2019a hooked in all the rest of your family. Then I\u2019d have to fight ever\u2019 last one of \u2018em to get you free again. I\u2019d hate to have to do that. Trail brothers matter more\u2019n kinfolk; I know that. But that don\u2019t mean it wouldn\u2019t hurt you to see anythin\u2019 happen to your kinfolk. I\u2019d hate for you to have to hurt like that.<\/p>\n
What the hell? Stop thrashin\u2019 like that, Joe.<\/p>\n
Damn. I reckon I\u2019d better give you more of that stuff after all. You got some constitution, that\u2019s for sure. Just give me a minute. I got to get the bottle out of my saddlebag over here, and\u2014<\/p>\n
\u201cDrop it!\u201d<\/p>\n
Adam? Hell, Adam! Don\u2019t tell me she got to you, too?<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, drop it!\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s just a special tincture. I\u2019m helpin\u2019 Joe to break himself free of that\u2014<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think you\u2019re helpin\u2019 him by tyin\u2019 him up, too?\u201d<\/p>\n
Come on, Hoss. You know me. We\u2019re compadres, Joe and I. We\u2014<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t drop it right now, I swear I will put a bullet right between your eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alright, Adam. Alright.<\/p>\n
Dammit! See that? See what you made me do? It\u2019s broken! I can\u2019t help him with it, now! It\u2019s your fault. All your fault. I got to protect Little Joe. I can\u2019t let you\u2014<\/p>\n
Y\u2026you shot<\/em> me! Ain\u2019t\u2026supposed to\u2026ain\u2019t\u2026shouldn\u2019t\u2026.<\/p>\n\u201cYou all right, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n
Hoss? No! Leave\u2026leave him be. I didn\u2019t\u2026couldn\u2019t finish. I\u2026didn\u2019t\u2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou drugged him. Didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n
I had to, Adam. Had to\u2026break the spell. The\u2026she-bitch.<\/p>\n
\u201cEasy, Joe. Don\u2019t you worry, none.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hoss? That\u2019s what I\u2026tried\u2026to tell him. Nothin\u2019\u2026to worry about.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing to worry about?\u201d<\/p>\n
Adam? I\u2014<\/p>\n
\u201cYou kill his girl, drug him, hog-tie him and tell him there\u2019s nothing to worry about?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI ought to kill you right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trail brothers.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t do it, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not, Hoss? Give me one good reason why I shouldn\u2019t pull this trigger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJustice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joe? You\u2026sure do got\u2026a\u2026a strong\u2026constitution.<\/p>\n
\u201cHoss? She\u2019s\u2026really\u2026dead?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, punkin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Had to\u2026. I had to do it, Joe. Don\u2019t you\u2026see?<\/p>\n
\u201cYou killed her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t\u2026don\u2019t look at me like that, Joe. She was\u2026she was\u2026devil.<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved her.\u201d<\/p>\n
She\u2026tricked you.<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved<\/em> her.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cAdam? I need a knife. These knots are tight as\u2014Adam! Look out!\u201d<\/p>\n
XxXxX<\/p>\n
That last gunshot was the loudest and clearest sound I ever heard. And I keep hearin\u2019 it. It echoes through my mind day in and day out, almost like I took that tincture myself, like I took it and keep on takin\u2019 it. \u2018Cause now\u2026now that\u2019s all there is. Sounds and sights. Can\u2019t move. Can\u2019t hardly breathe. Can just lie here and think to myself. Tell myself I only done what I had to do. And I\u2019d even do it again. \u2018Cause that\u2019s what trail brothers do. And that\u2019s what Joe and I were. Trail brothers. Compadres.<\/p>\n
XxXxX<\/p>\n
~end~<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Old Reviews<\/strong><\/p>\nReviewer: dmc824 Anonymous<\/p>\n
Date: 14 Nov 2013 06:15 pm Title: Chapter 1<\/p>\n
Wow! What a spooky story! This one kinda grabs you all the way through it.<\/p>\n
Author’s Response:<\/em><\/p>\nThank you for reading! I’m glad this story grabbed you. \ud83d\ude42<\/em><\/p>\nReviewer: jfclover Signed starstarstarstarhalf-star<\/p>\n
Date: 14 Nov 2013 08:51 am Title: Chapter 1<\/p>\n
Nice, freya. Tight – no frills – perfect short story!<\/p>\n
Author’s Response:Thanks! Yep, certainly no frills. And certainly short. I’m glad you found it “perfect” in that regard! \ud83d\ude09 My head keeps spinning things from our boys’ POV, but I’m not necessarily inspired to write it. At least, not yet. \ud83d\ude09<\/em><\/p>\nReviewer: BluewindFarm Signed<\/p>\n
Date: 14 Nov 2013 04:57 am Title: Chapter 1<\/p>\n
Wicked and demented. Wow! Please tell me you’re a psychiatrist who specializes in working with the criminal element. It can’t be normal to come up with these kinds of stories.<\/p>\n
Yes, the man could justify all his actions in that he was doing it for the good of someone else. Must have never been taught right from wrong when he was growing up.<\/p>\n
Author’s Response:<\/em><\/p>\nNo, I’m not a psychiatrist. \ud83d\ude09 But both my husband and I have studied a lot of psychology. I’ve also studied a lot of philosophy, and I have a habit of trying to get into people’s heads to try to understand how their minds work. I find it perplexing when people simply can’t see a logic that to me is plain as day. I haven’t encountered too many deviant, dastardly criminals (thank heavens!!), but watching shows like “Criminal Minds” (which I rarely watch because it’s so dark…) makes me realize I think somewhat like a profiler at times. I don’t do it to catch bad guys, but…in the wise words of sklamb, “If you don’t understand evil’s power, and don’t take it seriously enough, how can good ever prevail?” I said something similar in the forward of a dark poetry book, i.e. “there’s nothing quite like a trip through the darkness to make us all more appreciative of the light.”<\/em><\/p>\nReviewer: sklamb Signed starstarstarstarstar<\/p>\n
Date: 13 Nov 2013 05:13 pm Title: Chapter 1<\/p>\n
Boy, when you do an experiment you do a doozy of one! And here I was thinking I’d done something rather unusual and intriguing–but you trumped my ace, ma’am. Someday I’ll learn when I’m playing outside my league….<\/p>\n
Very impressive, very. Your ear for monologue and dialog is pitch-perfect, as always, and your grasp of a twisted mindset is scary-deep. Oh, the humanity! Thank you so much for this! Wish I could give it a rating of 11!<\/p>\n
Author’s Response:<\/em><\/p>\nYou are far too kind, sklamb! You most definitely did something unusual and intriguing! You wrote a story that stayed with me, kind of kicked me in the teeth and came back to do it again when I would least expect it. In fact, your story stayed with me until this nameless talker took root. Yes, “Not Without My Son,” provided the initial inspiration. I added my own “Bedeviled” to the mix, and then just started hearing this guy. Then I wondered if I could write the whole story without any sort of narration or description, just pure “talking.” I failed in the very end–I found I had to put his closing words into thoughts rather than speech. I couldn’t find any other way to describe Adam’s final shot and what it did to this guy without breaking character.<\/em><\/p>\nBut…Your Kane definitely trumps my no-name bad guy for deviousness! *And* for unspeakable acts of violence. (shudders) Joe’s not even really *hurt* in this story, just temporarily out of commission. Between your stories, “Not Without My Son” and “Handful of Ashes,” I bow to a master of…well…putting Cartwrights through the wringer!! \ud83d\ude09<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n