Summary:\u00a0\u00a0 Joe has been shot and needs to find shelter.<\/p>\n
Michael Landon Birthday Challenge 2012\u00a0 Expanded Halloween story from Pinecone Challenge#17 \u00a0SJS, PJM<\/p>\n
Rated: T \u00a0WC \u00a02100<\/p>\n
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\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Sarah<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOf all ghosts, the ghosts of our old loves are the worst.\u201d<\/em> The bitter, cold, wind blew hard against the old, dilapidated house. Many rumors were spread about it being haunted and possessed by a spirit. Most of the time, the house remained quiet eroding with time. This night it would be different.<\/p>\n Joe Cartwright shivered in the cold as he rode closer to home. He had ridden for days from Placerville, where he had made a lucrative deal selling some cattle for his father. He was not ready for the fate that awaited him. He was not far from the Ponderosa, when the shots were fired at him. He felt one of them hit him in his upper arm and another grazed his head. His horse, Cochise, reared and he fell onto the cold ground unconscious.<\/p>\n Regaining consciousness, he felt the warm liquid oozing down his head. As he moved, he winced with pain from the bullet in the arm. Lying on the ground, he waited for some time before rising. Searching for his horse, he was unable to find him. So he figured if he was this close to the ranch, Cochise would go home. He had been in predicaments before, but this one was not going to be easy. Not only was he injured, he also had to endure the cold wind blowing on him. The heavy wool coat would not be enough to protect him in this cold. He had to find some refuge to stay until his family could find him.<\/p>\n Struggling against the cold and the wave of dizziness overcoming him, he moved slowly, hoping to find somewhere to rest. Thankful for the full moon, he was able to see where he was heading, but he did not know where. After almost giving in to the pain and cold, he saw the house looming in the distance. Sighing with relief, he regained some fortitude to move on.<\/p>\n The excruciating pain in his upper arm became more severe as he dragged himself to the porch of the old house. It took all of his strength to pull himself up the stairs to the floor of the porch and drag himself across the floor to the door. After managing to push it open, he fell unconscious to the floor.<\/p>\n Joe awoke thinking he was alone, but was he? Feeling a presence next to him, he turned to discern the person sitting next to him. He tried to speak, but his voice was hoarse. \u201cPa—Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy sweet, it is alright\u2026I\u2019m not your father, I\u2019m Sarah,\u201d the lady replied touching him with her hand.<\/p>\n Joe felt her cold hand on his forehead. \u201cSarah, where am I?\u201d Joe tried to move.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are at my house,\u201d she answered. \u201cDarling, you have been injured and you must not move. You need to rest.\u201d Worried about Joe, Ben was unable to eat his evening meal. Rising from his chair, he walked into the living room and stood by the fire. Adam and Hoss remained at the table finishing their meal. \u201cJoe should have returned home by now,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n \u201cPa, you know Joe—he could have got sidetracked on his way home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss is right—Joe doesn\u2019t always have a good sense of timing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re right, Adam—he can be late sometimes,\u201d Ben said with a faint smile. \u201cI think I heard something, it might be him.\u201d<\/p>\n Opening the door, they were blasted by the frigid wind. They only saw Joe\u2019s horse coming into the yard. Ben turned to his sons with a dejected look on his face.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know what to do, Pa,\u201d Adam replied.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019ll saddle my horse and go with you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Pa, you stay here, in case, Joe manages to return home,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n Pa, we know you\u2019re going to worry about us—we\u2019ll find him,\u201d Hoss assured his father.<\/p>\n \u201cI hate to send you two out in such inclement weather, but Joe has to be found.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBad weather or not, we\u2019ll going look for him,\u201d Hoss replied.<\/p>\n Ben stood between his two sons and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. \u201cBe careful, both of you.\u201d Ben shivered in the cold as he watched his two sons walk to the barn. He waited until Adam and Hoss rode away from his sight. Sitting by the fire, he stared at the flames wondering if Joe was safe and warm. Not only did he have to worry about Joe, but also his other two sons.<\/p>\n Joe shivered and his teeth chattered from the chilling cold. He could not determine what was amiss with Sarah. Not only was there was no blankets covering him, but also there was no heat in the room. He sensed, though racked with delirium and fever, something was not right, but what?<\/p>\n Delirious from the fever, Joe thrashed about in the bed. Startled by the icy hand upon his forehead, he looked over to see Sarah smiling at him. Her touch calmed him once more. Feeling confused form the high fever and pain in his arm. He wondered if he would live through the night.<\/p>\n \u201cSarah, I\u2019m going to die.\u201d<\/p>\n Oh, no, my love, you\u2019ll be alright in a few days when the fever breaks,\u201d she assured him. \u201cYour father is not here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlease—Sarah—please,\u201d Joe urged quite agitated.<\/p>\n \u201cDarling, don\u2019t get excited. You have to be still or you will hurt yourself even more.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t die without my father being here with me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will be with you until the end.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSarah—Sarah,\u201d he said with a whisper and passed out once more.<\/p>\n Adam and Hoss rode for some distance trying to follow the trail Joe would follow. They noticed a familiar site, shining in the bright moonlight, the Hartman House. The two brothers reined their horses to a stop before going any further to the structure.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss, do you think Joe would go into that house?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if I want to go into that house,\u201d Hoss answered sarcastically. \u201cWe do need to check it out, in case, he might be there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf Joe was injured, he would go somewhere to get out of this cold weather. I know the house would not be warm but safer than being out here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWould it, Adam?\u201d Hoss asked. \u201cThat moon is shining really bright tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know what people say about this house when the moon is full, but we cannot let superstition get in the way of finding our brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDadburnit Adam, I hope Joe is in that house or we\u2019ll be riding all night.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s high fever along with the dizziness and confusion was clouding his thoughts. He managed to open his eyes, though it was hard to focus. Every time, he opened his eyes, Sarah remained sitting next to him. He wondered why she never moved.<\/p>\n \u201cSarah—Sarah—who are you?\u201d Joe said as he tried to stay awake.<\/p>\n \u201cMy love, don\u2019t you remember? We are to be married in a few days.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo—Sarah—what are you saying?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s true, darling—you proposed to me. And we\u2019ll have beautiful wedding as soon as you recover.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo—no—this can\u2019t be true.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour fever is causing you not to remember. Once the fever breaks, you will be able to remember. I love you with all my heart.\u201d She rose from the chair starting to walk away.<\/p>\n \u201cSarah—Sarah—where are you going?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have to leave, but I will return.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe felt her icy lips upon his. \u201cSarah—Sarah—please—don\u2019t leave me,\u201d he cried trying to move from the bed. Exhausted from the exertion in trying to stop Sarah, he fell back on the bed and lost consciousness.<\/p>\n Paul Martin sighed as he pulled the blankets over Joe. \u201cBen, I\u2019ll be honest. If Adam and Hoss had not found Joe when they did, he would have been dead. He has a very severe infection from the bullet wound in his arm. It should have been removed before it got this bad. It remained in his arm too long and produced this infection.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t think his arm will have to be amputated?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh no Ben, nothing that severe—Joe is going to be in a great deal of pain. I gave him some laudanum to help him sleep. It\u2019s going to be a very long night.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, Paul.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe keeps calling for someone named Sarah.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam and Hoss found Joe at the Hartman House.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, that Sarah,\u201d Paul said to Ben knowing the tales about the young lady.<\/p>\n \u201cYes— that Sarah,\u201d Ben replied.<\/p>\n \u201cBen, I could use a cup of coffee right now and maybe something a bit stronger to get through this night.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I think we both need this,\u201d Ben said as he walked out of the room, turning briefly, to see if Joe was still sleeping.<\/p>\n Ben and Paul stood vigil over the injured Joe through the long hours of the night. The laudanum had done the job in keeping Joe quiet and as he rested. Early in the hours of the next morning, Joe stirred and called for Sarah again. He fell into a deep sleep once more.<\/p>\n After a long battle with the infection, the fever subsided. He tried to discern his surroundings as his father placed a loving hand on his son\u2019s head.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, you have been very sick from the infection caused by the bullet in your arm,\u201d Ben said in his fatherly voice.<\/p>\n \u201cPa, I don\u2019t remember being shot,\u201d Joe said as he tried to move, but he stopped as he felt the pain in his arm. \u201cHow did you find me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCochise returned home without you. I was worried, so I sent Adam and Hoss searching for you. They found you at the Hartman House.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t remember how I got there—Sarah took care of me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph there is no Sarah in that house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSarah Hartman,\u201d Joe replied looking at his father.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was no Sarah\u2014she died thirty years ago to the day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa, I saw her—I talked to her. How can this be?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSon, I don\u2019t have any idea but some things are unexplainable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow did she die?\u201d Joe asked with tears in his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cSarah fell in love with a very handsome, young man. Before they could be wed, he had a serious accident. His horse was spooked and they both fell with the horse landing on him and crushing him. Somehow the young man lingered for days. Sarah remained at his side until he died. After the funeral, she grieved for him. She could not bear to live without him, so she took her own life. It is said, that when the moon is full she haunts the house by sitting next to the bed and saying the same words she spoke to her beloved before he died. Other times, she has been reported at the upstairs window. If a person is severely hurt she will give him a kiss. If he is not found in a few days, then it is too late for him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa, she touched me with her cold hands. I wanted to grab them and try to hold them in mine to keep them warm, but I never felt them. She kissed me with her icy lips—the kiss of death. Then she left me to die.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe won\u2019t dwell on this tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa, she was so real. I must have imagined this due to the infection.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSon, sometimes the mind plays cruel tricks on you when you are sick. You had a rough time with the infection. Get some rest and we\u2019ll speak of this later.\u201d Ben smiled at his son and left the room. Joe stared at the ceiling for some time then fell asleep.<\/p>\n No one spoke of the incident ever again.<\/p>\n Some times when the moon is full and shining brightly in the sky, Joe rides by the Hartman House. Shivering, he glances at the upstairs window to see Sarah smiling at him as he passes the house. September 10, 2012<\/p>\n Disclaimer: All publicly recognized characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The other characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.<\/p>\n
\nSir Arthur Conan Doyle<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u201cYes,\u201d he said faintly, as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.<\/p>\n
\nJoe pleaded with her. \u201cYou have to find my father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nTHE END<\/p>\n