Summary: \u00a0Explaining why Adam became the Man in Black.<\/p>\n
Rated:\u00a0K (715 words)<\/p>\n
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Man in Black<\/strong><\/p>\n He started wearing black all of the sudden.<\/strong> That first morning he had descended in black from boot to brim we had watched quietly and wondered if he was in mourning for something we had yet to learn of or if it was just a coincidence. But then it became a habit. He was always in black. His mood hadn\u2019t changed. He didn\u2019t appear to be in any deep sorrow or turmoil and we never did hear of anyone close to him, here or back East, who might have died.<\/p>\n We had to wonder about it. No one felt like coming straight out and askin\u2019, so it remained a mystery. After all, we all had our favourite articles of clothing too. I had my special hat and Joe wouldn\u2019t be caught anywhere without that green coat of his. Even Pa seemed to wear that vest of his more often than not, so we remained silent about the whole matter.<\/p>\n As time passed I couldn\u2019t help but making theories about Adam\u2019s dark attire. Perhaps, I figured, it gave him that mysterious edge that sure never hurt him when charmin\u2019 a lady. But then, it wasn\u2019t Little Joe we were talkin\u2019 about. I\u2019d never put it past Joe to change his wardrobe to impress the ladies, but Adam? No, there had to be a better reason. So, I continued to ponder it on quiet days or long trail rides. Just what was the better reason?<\/p>\n Then one day it came to me. It came just as suddenly as Adam started wearin\u2019 the black. It\u00a0was<\/em>\u00a0in mourning. Just not the type you first think about. He was mourning for mankind. That was just the sort of thing Adam would do. He would wear black for the poor, the lonely, the helpless, and the hungry. He\u2019d wear black for those who would never see justice served and for those living, or dying, under the miscarriage of justice. Yes, he would wear black for those, for the less fortunate, for those who struggled, those who senselessly died.<\/p>\n I started respectin\u2019 my elder brother a little more after that, and I lived with that theory until yesterday when Adam and I were ridin\u2019 toward town.<\/p>\n \u201cSure is hot out here,\u201d he tugged at his collar as he spoke. \u201cAll this black doesn\u2019t help any.\u201d<\/p>\n I hadn\u2019t really thought about that as being one of the sacrifices my brother made in wearing black all of the time. And somehow part of my musings turned into words. \u201cI guess that\u2019s a sacrifice you always make for mankind.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI what?\u201d Adam glanced back at me stopping his horse.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know,\u201d I smiled, hoping I wasn\u2019t embarrassing him. \u201cHow you try to carry off a little bit of the darkness of humanity on your back.\u201d I admit it sounded better in my thoughts.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, what are you talking about,\u201d he was starting to look worried. \u201cMaybe we should head back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m talking about why you wear black. Why you really wear black.\u201d I was glad that Adam would at last know that someone understood and supported him. \u201cHow you\u2019re sorta protesting the way things are. How mankind\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss,\u201d my brother stopped me, \u201cI wear black because I\u2019m color blind. It\u2019s just easier if I know all my clothes go with each other. I got tired of always asking Hop Sing to help every morning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh,\u201d was all I said. It was all I could say, and, after I convinced Adam that I didn\u2019t have heat stroke, we continued on to town. I won\u2019t never tell Little Joe about this because he has a way of getting me to say more than I wanted to in the first place. No, I think I\u2019ll just keep all this to myself.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n End Notes:<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n Thank you for reading. This was un-betad so all mistakes are mine \ud83d\ude42<\/em><\/p>\n Thanks to Johnny Cash and his song “Man in Black” that inspired the challenge and this short story.<\/em><\/p>\n Disclaimer:\u00a0All 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. 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