{"id":4295,"date":"2010-10-31T18:25:54","date_gmt":"2010-10-31T22:25:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4295"},"modified":"2026-07-29T13:25:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T17:25:17","slug":"things-that-go-bump-in-the-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4295","title":{"rendered":"Things that Go Bump in the Night (by Cheaux)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0Did you ever wonder why Joe was obsessive about hunting creatures of the night\u00a0in My Brother\u2019s Keeper<\/em> and Marie, My Love<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0 T \u00a0WC \u00a02500<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.<\/p>\n

Written for the regular Chaps & Spurs October Challenge and<\/em> the special Chaps & Spurs Halloween Challenge for Michael Landon\u2019s 2010 birthday celebration.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Things that Go Bump in the Night<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe?\u201d\u00a0 Ben Cartwright called as he exited the ranch house.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, where are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUp here, Pa,\u201d<\/p>\n

Up?<\/em>\u00a0 Ben walked out into the yard and turned to look back at the house.\u00a0 On the roof, shirtless\u2014his chest gleaming with sweat\u2014stood his sixteen-year-old son, hammer in hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, what are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI figured I\u2019d take advantage of Indian Summer and fix that leak above my room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow much longer will you be?\u00a0\u00a0 I need to catch that noon stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo need to wait on me, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want you up on that roof alone with no one here.\u00a0 I left a list of chores that will keep you on the ground until Hop Sing gets home tomorrow.\u00a0 And your brothers will be back from the drive the following day. You can finish the roof then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cFive minutes, Pa,\u201d he said, picking up the next shingle and hammering it in place.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have until I saddle Buck, no more.\u201d Ben shook his head and headed for the barn.\u00a0 He got as far as the door when a loud \u201cAarggh!\u201d followed by a sickening thud brought him up short.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d Ben cried as he saw his son lying still on the ground.<\/p>\n

**********<\/p>\n

By the time Ben got to him, Joe was sitting up.\u00a0 \u201cOh, my head!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me see.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOw!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got quite a knot coming up.\u00a0 What happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hit my thumb with the hammer and then bumped my head on the eaves, lost my balance, and slid down the roof.\u00a0 Mmmm,\u201d Joe groaned, sucking on his right thumb and moving his left hand to his back.\u00a0 Ben looked over Joe\u2019s shoulder and saw the welts that were already rising.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve scraped your back pretty good.\u00a0\u00a0 Let\u2019s get you cleaned up in the kitchen.\u00a0 Can you stand?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Joe said grabbing the hand his father offered and hauling himself upright.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow you see why I didn\u2019t want you up there all alone?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh-huh.\u201d<\/p>\n

**********<\/p>\n

Joe closed the front door behind his father and rubbed his hands with glee.\u00a0 It was rare that he was ever left alone at the ranch and having the house all to himself was liberating somehow.\u00a0 He could read his dime novels without enduring his brother\u2019s caustic comments; do his chores on his own timetable; eat as much or as little as he wanted\u2014and whatever he wanted\u2014without Hop Sing\u2019s scolding\u2014and put his feet on the table without reprimand.<\/p>\n

Ignoring his aches and pains, Joe tackled the long list of tasks his father had left for him with far more alacrity and attention to detail than either Hoss or Adam would have believed and, in a moment of charity, he even finished off some of their chores to boot.<\/p>\n

It was nearing dusk when Joe realized he hadn\u2019t eaten since breakfast.\u00a0 Satisfied with his work and feeling pretty good about life in general, he launched into a rousing rendition of Sweet Betsy from Pike as he sliced a loaf of Hop Sing\u2019s freshly-baked bread and set about making a stack of liverwurst and pickle sandwiches.\u00a0 He took a bite of one and frowned.\u00a0 Something was missing.\u00a0 He searched several cupboards and the larder until he found what he was looking for:\u00a0 salami and horseradish.<\/p>\n

Joe added the remainder of the chocolate cake from lunch to the stack of sandwiches and grabbed a jug of milk on his way into the great room to settle down for a long evening with his latest novel.\u00a0 Three sandwiches and two chapters later Joe realized he had read this book before.\u00a0 \u201cDrat!\u201d he said out loud.\u00a0 \u201cNow what am I going to read?\u201d<\/p>\n

The bookcase in his father\u2019s alcove held nothing worthy of his attention.\u00a0\u00a0 He was beginning to despair at the ruination of his evening when he remembered Adam had just received a shipment from his favorite bookseller in San Francisco.\u00a0 Sure enough on the floor by the blue chair were four books.\u00a0 Two were engineering texts and the third was a book of poetry, but the fourth looked promising:<\/p>\n

The Book of Were-Wolves <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

by Sabine Baring-Gould<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Joe flipped through the pages and found pen and ink drawings of werewolves from Europe, Egypt and China\u2014images going back thousands of years.\u00a0 He whistled in appreciation at the graphic illustrations and then grinned as he crossed the room and sank into his father\u2019s red chair, its rich leather smelling of bay rum and the smoke from Pa\u2019s pipe.\u00a0 Wait until I tell Mitch\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0this is going to be fun.<\/em><\/p>\n

At the stroke of midnight, Joe awoke shivering and wondered briefly why the fireplace was stone cold.\u00a0 It took him a minute to recall that the day had been exceedingly warm and there had been no need to start a fire even when the sun went down.\u00a0 His eyes widened when he looked at the chiming clock and saw what time it was.\u00a0 Forgetting how cold he was, he jumped out of the chair and ran for the barn.\u00a0 Cochise!<\/em><\/p>\n

Cochise heard her boy enter the barn and snorted in irritation at not being fed on time.\u00a0 Lonely without her stable mates and unaccustomed to such neglect, the paint was further disturbed by the preternaturally cold air that followed Joe into the barn.\u00a0 Suddenly the night was filled with the blood-curdling howl of a she-wolf.\u00a0 Stamping her forelegs and tossing her head, Cochise shied away from Joe\u2019s touch and looked at him with wild eyes.<\/p>\n

Joe spoke soothingly, more to calm himself than his horse, for he, too, felt nervous and on-edge. \u00a0He tried to whistle a tune, but couldn\u2019t put his lips together for all the chattering his teeth were doing.<\/p>\n

Cursing himself for not grabbing a jacket, Joe forced himself to concentrate on measuring out the right amount of oats and mash.\u00a0 He gave Cochise a quick brushing and then settled a blanket across her back.\u00a0 The warmth helped settle her down, but she refused to eat.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you\u2019ll be hungry later, girl.\u00a0\u00a0 Brrr.\u00a0 I\u2019m going back to the house.\u00a0 See you at breakfast, Cooch.\u00a0 I\u2019ll bring the coffee,\u201d Joe said as he closed the barn door and latched it.<\/p>\n

As the bar fell into place, Joe felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise like a porcupine\u2019s quills.\u00a0 The air was so cold his lungs ached.\u00a0 Another howl pierced the silent night and without another thought Joe ran like the devil was after him back to the house.<\/p>\n

He burst through the open door and slammed it shut mightily behind him, throwing the bolt with both hands.\u00a0 Joe leaned his cheek against the grain of the wood and fought to get his breathing under control.\u00a0 This is crazy.\u00a0 Get a hold of yourself!\u00a0 You\u2019re inside; you\u2019re safe now.\u00a0 Light a fire.\u00a0 Light a fire and get warm.<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe turned away from the door and was greeted with a menacing growl.<\/p>\n

Oh, God!<\/em><\/p>\n

Neither Joe nor the wolf moved for what seemed an eternity.\u00a0 Okay.\u00a0 Okay.\u00a0 All I have to do is get outside and get Cochise and ride away.\u00a0 I can do that.\u00a0 I can.\u00a0 I can.<\/em><\/p>\n

Joe tried to move the bolt back with his shoulder, but he couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 So he started to move to his left so he could work the bolt with his right hand, but the wolf growled louder.\u00a0 Standing on the table she had a good view of him and she shifted her weight to match his movement.<\/p>\n

Joe moved to the right; she moved to his right.\u00a0 He moved left; she moved but in doing so, she knocked over the jug and milk was running off the table onto the oriental rug.\u00a0 Oh, great.\u00a0 I\u2019m gonna catch heck from Hop Sing for that.<\/em><\/p>\n

Brazenly, Joe stepped forward and was surprised when instead of stepping backward in tandem, she also stepped forward, increasing the tenor and pitch of her growl and baring her fangs which were dripping with saliva.<\/p>\n

Okay.\u00a0 Okay.\u00a0 So much for dancing.\u00a0 <\/em>But as Joe stepped backward into place, he was able to release the bolt.\u00a0 Now all he had to do was reach behind him slowly, unlatch the door, and break for the barn.<\/p>\n

As if sensing what he was about to do, the wolf sprang from the table, clearing the settee and landing at Joe\u2019s feet.\u00a0\u00a0 He tried opening the door, but she was in the way snapping at his legs.\u00a0 Panicking, Joe looked frantically around for anything he could use to beat the wolf away.\u00a0 The guns were on the other side of the room by the stairs and he would never reach them. \u00a0Outside.\u00a0 Get outside.\u00a0 Now!<\/em><\/p>\n

Clasping his hands together and swinging his arms like a club, he struck at the wolf\u2019s head, but he just made her even angrier if that was possible.\u00a0 Her eyes glowed red and her hot breath smelled of carrion.\u00a0 Joe kicked at her underbelly with all his might and succeeded in buying a few seconds to get the door open before she launched herself at his back, clawing furiously.<\/p>\n

Once outside the door, Joe scrambled to his feet, grabbed a small log from the wood box, and thrust it between the jaws of the wolf as she went for his throat.\u00a0 Once again they were tumbling together in some sort of lunatic wrestling match and it was only by luck that Joe was able to wedge his knees under the wolf and once again deliver a kick that propelled the wolf a good ten feet away.<\/p>\n

Ready to run for the barn, his heart nearly stopped at what he saw next.\u00a0 There in the yard not thirty feet away were four more wolves\u2014larger and more vicious\u2014advancing on him.<\/p>\n

Without thinking, Joe did what any hunted animal would do\u2014head for high ground.\u00a0 He leapt to the top of the rain barrel and shinnied up the drain spout to the roof above the kitchen.\u00a0 Joe collapsed on the shingles for only a moment because\u2014without understanding how\u2014he saw one of the wolves trying to jump from the rain barrel to the roof just as he had done.<\/p>\n

Gulping for air, Joe worked his way along the slanted roof toward the porch overhang.\u00a0 The pitch was steeper there and several times he lost his footing and slipped, but he managed to find purchase somehow and crawled his way up to his window ledge.\u00a0 Please let it be open.\u00a0 Please let it be open.\u00a0 Please!\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

As Joe raised the window and lowered himself over the edge of the window sill, he saw that two of the wolves had made it onto the roof and were scrabbling along the same path he had taken.\u00a0 He slammed the window down and looked frantically around the room.\u00a0 The bed.\u00a0 <\/em>The headboard of his bed was high enough to block the window.<\/p>\n

Joe grabbed the bottom post and pulled with all his might.\u00a0 At first it wouldn\u2019t move and his boots kept slipping on the rug.\u00a0 With a cry, Joe ripped the rug away and dug his heels in.\u00a0 When he had finally managed to pivot the bed he dove across the mattress to the other side and began pushing against the end to move the headboard toward the window.<\/p>\n

Suddenly the savage face of a maddened wolf appeared at the window barking furiously.\u00a0 With everything he had left, Joe managed to push the headboard tight against the window and he slid down to the floor shaking in terror.<\/p>\n

Joe tried to block out the snarling by covering his ears with his hands, but met with little success until he heard the most frightening sound of all.\u00a0 Silence.<\/em><\/p>\n

Silence followed by the sound of claws on wood.\u00a0\u00a0 He had left the front door open!<\/em><\/p>\n

Half running, half crawling across the room he managed to turn the lock on his bedroom door just as a trio of wolves rounded the top of the stairs at full speed and attacked.\u00a0 With a blood-curdling scream and the last of his strength, Joe pushed his dresser against the door and collapsed in a dead faint.<\/p>\n

**********<\/p>\n

It was the end of a beautiful fall day when Ben Cartwright returned home.\u00a0 The last of the leaves had fallen from the deciduous trees and another Indian Summer was history.\u00a0 The air had a clean crispness about it; a sure promise that frost\u2014if not snow\u2014was not far away.\u00a0 He and Adam were riding in companionable silence enjoying a spectacular sunset, but when Adam had slowed Sport to a walk, Ben knew there was something on his mind and he let Buck fall in beside his stable mate.<\/p>\n

Adam filled his father in on Joe\u2019s version of events and Ben told Adam about Joe’s fall from the roof.\u00a0 They continued to walk the horses as they each digested what had happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing\u2019s for certain; he was terrified when we found him,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you believe his story?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, Pa,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cHis back was covered with welts.\u00a0 Could be from claws.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 Could also be the marks he got when he slid down the roof after hitting his head.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what a fertile imagination he has.\u00a0 He was reading that book on werewolves when he fell asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think he dreamed the attack?\u201d Ben questioned.<\/p>\n

\u201cCould have been a combination of things\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0the book and what he had eaten for dinner, plus the knock on the head when he fell,\u201d Adam surmised.<\/p>\n

\u201cCould have been,\u201d Ben agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcept\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExcept what?\u201d Ben said, pulling up on Buck\u2019s reins.<\/p>\n

Adam pulled Sport around stopping next to his father.\u00a0 \u201cExcept for this,\u201d he said, reaching into his pocket and handing Ben a wolf\u2019s claw.<\/p>\n

\u201cI found it imbedded in Joe\u2019s window sill when I went up to finish patching the roof.\u00a0 There was dried blood on the sill, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben fingered the claw thoughtfully and then put it in his vest pocket.\u00a0 He and Adam looked at each other for a long while before Ben said, \u201cTerrified?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, one thing\u2019s for certain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t over.\u201d<\/p>\n

And as darkness fell on the Ponderosa, a wolf howled in the distance.<\/p>\n

\u2014The End\u2014<\/p>\n

Authors note:<\/p>\n

The Book of Were-wolves is a real book published in 1865 (a few years after the time frame of this story).\u00a0 It can be found at www.forgottenbooks.org.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0Did you ever wonder why Joe was obsessive about hunting creatures of the night\u00a0in My Brother\u2019s Keeper and Marie, My Love?<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0 T \u00a0WC \u00a02500<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":3932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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":[39,23,1008,29,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chaps-spurs","category-drama","category-family","category-halloween","category-challenges","wpcat-39-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1008-id","wpcat-29-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\/2014\/04\/joeshirtone.jpg?fit=350%2C311&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4295","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\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4295"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4295\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}