Summary:\u00a0 Ben shares his favorite place.
\nRating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 2,540 words<\/p>\n
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Ben Cartwright shifted in his saddle and gave a start as he realized where he was.\u00a0 He\u2019d had so many things on his mind as he was riding along, that he hadn\u2019t stopped to think about which direction he\u2019d been taking.\u00a0 He drew a deep breath as he looked upon the scenery that he hadn\u2019t seen in many years and realized just ho0w beautiful it was.\u00a0 Funny, how long he\u2019d avoided being here.\u00a0 It really didn\u2019t make any sense, when he considered just how significance this place had been to him \u2026 to both of them.\u00a0 Marie had always said \u2026 he stopped himself from thinking along those lines, knowing full well how the depth of sadness that would overwhelm him if he did.\u00a0 Even after all these years, he just couldn\u2019t think of her without a deep sense of despair and he never did so without regretting it later.\u00a0 He glanced up to the high mountain peaks in front of him, then down to the rippling water of the small pond.\u00a0 Yes \u2026 it was still the same.\u00a0 Why, if he willed it hard enough, he could still see a man and a beautiful young woman sitting by the pond, as they had all those times so many years ago.\u00a0 He could still feel \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n His eyes narrowed as he spotted a black and white hose tethered to a tree next to the lake.\u00a0 Joseph\u2019s horse!\u00a0 On further inspection, he saw his youngest son lying on his back in the long grass beside the lake, his hat over his face and a fishing line dangling from his hand.\u00a0 The young man\u2019s whole body displayed a tranquility that seemed to fit this place so well. It was almost as if he belonged here as much as the water and the pines.\u00a0 It was strange, but to Ben\u2019s mind it was fitting that it should be so.\u00a0 Afterall, the youngster was her son too, wasn\u2019t he?\u00a0 Ben kicked his horse forward.\u00a0 He and the animal moved slowly toward the scene in front of them.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s mind was racing with a thousand memories flooding back to him.\u00a0 Perhaps he\u2019d been wrong to stay away from this place all these years.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t meant to \u2026 it just happened \u2026 but coming back here now, he felt the magic of this place descend upon him, and he reveled in its peace.\u00a0 He felt right being here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n He pulled his horse to a halt a few feet away and stared down at the young man who was lying in the grass.\u00a0 Joe looked as if he didn\u2019t have a care in the world and Ben smiled, realizing that he probably didn\u2019t.\u00a0 How nice to be so young and carefree!\u00a0 The young man had removed his boots; his bare toes wriggling in the soft grass, which led Ben to believe that he wasn\u2019t asleep as he\u2019d first suspected.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSo, this is where you come when you take time off work,\u201d he said in a loud voice and nearly burst out laughing when the young man\u2019s whole body jerked at the sound of it.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe sprang up to a sitting position and knocked off his hat as he stared up at his father in bewilderment.\u00a0 It took him a few seconds to register who was starting down at him, but as soon as he did, he gave his father one of the wide grins that Ben loved so well.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa!\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cYou snuck up on me.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t hear you ride up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben\u2019s eyebrows lifted.\u00a0 \u201cThat was obvious,\u201d he said and then looked thoughtfully across the clear water again.\u00a0 \u201cGood spot for fishing?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe\u2019s face took on a serious expression.\u00a0 \u201cSure is,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cOnly \u2026\u201d\u00a0 He stopped and looked at his father anxiously.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOnly what?\u201d inquired Ben.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOnly you won\u2019t tell Adam or Hoss, will ya?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhy not?\u201d asked his father.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe scratched his head and sighed.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019ll only come and spoil it,\u201d he muttered.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s my secret fishing spot and I wanna keep it to myself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI see,\u201d said Ben thoughtfully.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cthey\u2019ve been trying to find out where I come,\u201d Joe went on.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re just jealous of all the fish I catch.\u201d\u00a0 He reached forward and pulled a string out of the water next to him on which he\u2019d dangled four plump fish.\u00a0 \u201cSee?\u201d\u00a0 he said proudly.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben smiled at his son.\u00a0 \u201cLooks like we\u2019re having fish for supper then,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI already told Hop Sing not to prepare anything else,\u201d he acknowledged.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou were that sure that you\u2019d catch something?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYep.\u201d Said Joe as he replaced the string of fish into the water.\u00a0 \u201cI always do when I\u2019m here.\u00a0 Never fails.\u00a0 Be my reckoning I\u2019ve only got two more to catch.\u201d\u00a0 He turned to his rod and grinning as he began to pull a large fish out of the water.\u00a0 \u201cOops,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cMake that one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSix altogether?\u201d asked Ben, puzzled.\u00a0 \u201cWhy six?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOne for each of us \u2026 plus hop Sing \u2026 I reckon if he\u2019s gonna cook it then he should have one too,\u201d explained Joe as he took the fish off the line and tied it to the string with the others.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat still only makes five,\u201d said his father.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell \u2026 you know Hoss ,,, I thought I\u2019d better have two for him or he\u2019d sneak some of mine,\u201d said Joe casually as he baited his hook again and threw the line back into the water.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben smiled. It was typical of his boys to think of such things.\u00a0 They were typical brothers and tried their best to act like they didn\u2019t care at times, but their father knew that they each looked out for the others and it warmed his heart to think of it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI see,\u201d he said as he swung down form the saddle.\u00a0 \u201cMind if I join you for a while?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSure Pa,\u201d\u00a0 said Joe, giving his father another grin.\u00a0 \u201cAs long as \u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI know, I know,\u201d laughed Ben.\u00a0 \u201cI promise not to breathe a word about this spot to your brothers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest they already know about it,\u201d acknowledged Joe.\u00a0 \u201cBut they just don\u2019t know that this is my special fishing spot, is all.\u201d\u00a0 He gave his father a triumphant look.\u00a0 \u201cI reckon Adam might remember it sometime though.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam? How so?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, he\u2019s the one brought me here in the first place,\u201d said Joe, putting his hat back on and tilting it towards the back of his head so his curls showed in front.\u00a0 Ben thought momentarily how the gesture made him look so much like his mother, but brushed the thought aside quickly.\u00a0 \u201cWhen I was only little,\u201d Joe continued.\u00a0 \u201cHe brought Hoss too.\u00a0 It was just after \u2026\u201d\u00a0 He stopped and bit his lip, giving his father a quick sideways glance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJust after your mother died?\u201d asked Ben gently.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYeah,\u201d he admitted.\u00a0 \u201cI guess he was trying to keep us busy and not think about things \u2026 you know.\u00a0 He used to bring us here a lot for a while, but then he went to college and I started to come by myself.\u00a0 In all the years he\u2019s been back he never seems to come here \u2026 Hoss either.\u00a0 I reckon it\u2019s my special spot now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt is a very special spot,\u201d acknowledged Ben in a soft voice as he looked around.\u00a0 His eyes misted over and he ran his hand over them quickly before Joe could notice.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know that it has a name?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYep,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 \u201cLake of Tears.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben jerked.\u00a0 \u201cHow on earth did you know that?\u201d\u00a0 he asked.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAdam,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 \u201cHe told us an Indian story about it when he brought us here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIndian legend,\u201d\u00a0 corrected Ben softly.\u00a0 \u201cDo you remember it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah \u2026 legend,\u201d said Joe, watching the water in front of him with great concentration.\u00a0 \u201cSomething about God crying and his tears running down form the mountain up there.\u201d\u00a0 He motioned to a snow-capped peak in the distance. \u201cI\u2019m not sure of the rest,\u201d he added.\u00a0 \u201cI wasn\u2019t paying that much attention.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt was at the time of creation,\u201d said Ben, picking up a piece of long grass and chewing on it.\u00a0 \u201cGod had just finished making the world and he looked down on it from his home up there in the mountain and saw how beautiful it all was.\u00a0 He began to cry with joy and his tears ran all the way down here and pooed to form this lake.\u201d\u00a0 He smiled gently as he remembered the last time he\u2019d told that legend to a smiling girl as they\u2019d sat here all those years ago.\u00a0 She too had looked up at him with those bright green eyes, just as her son did now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s it,\u201d agreed Joe.\u00a0 \u201cI thought it was something like that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben was silent as he looked across the rippling water.\u00a0 If he listened hard enough, he swore that he could almost hear her laughter in the soft murmur of the wind in the pines above them.\u00a0 He closed his eyes as the thought overwhelmed him.\u00a0 Suddenly he regretted al those years he\u2019d missed out on feeling this.\u00a0 Why hadn\u2019t he ever made it back her after she\u2019d died?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben started and opened his eyes suddenly.\u00a0 \u201cYes son?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAre you OK? You look kinda funny.\u201d\u00a0 Joe gave his father an anxious look.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine Joe,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cJust thinking, that\u2019s all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe nodded in an understanding fashion.\u00a0 \u201cI know what you mean,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a good place for thinking, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 I do a lot of thinking up here.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben gave the young man a puzzled look.\u00a0 \u201cYou do?\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe stretched his legs out and rested his back against the large grey rock behind him.\u00a0 \u201cYeah,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI dunno why \u2026 but it\u2019s just the sort of place I like to come and think about things.\u201d\u00a0 He gave his father a sheepish look.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t just come for the fishing ya know Pa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben nodded thoughtfully.\u00a0 Perhaps this place had woven its magic on her son as well? \u00a0 He wouldn\u2019t be surprised if it was the case.\u00a0 \u201cEveryone needs a place to think Joseph,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s good that you have this spot son.\u00a0 When I used to come here \u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe sat forward.\u00a0 \u201cYou used to come here?\u201d\u00a0 he asked with obvious interest.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve never seen you here before Pa.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt was a long tiome ago, son,\u201d\u00a0 admitted Ben.\u00a0 \u201cMany years ago … before you were born.\u00a0 I used to bring your mother here quite often.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah?\u00a0 Did you both fish?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben tried to hold back a laugh and turned it into a cough.\u00a0 \u201cNo …\u201d he admitted.\u00a0 \u201cWe never came here to fish.\u201d\u00a0 He bit his lip and turned his face slightly away from the young man so that Joe couldn\u2019t see the expression on his face.\u00a0 There were some things that a man couldn\u2019t say to his son \u2026 some things that were best left unsaid \u2026 He smiled as he remembered all the wonderful times that he and Marie had together here in this secluded spot.\u00a0 \u201cNo \u2026 \u201c he said again.\u00a0 \u201cWe didn\u2019t come here to fish son.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe gave his father a puzzled look. \u201cThen what did you come here for?\u201d he persisted.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben swallowed.\u00a0 \u201cJust to … appreciate the beauty,\u201d he said in a low voice.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh,\u201d said Joe thoughtfully.\u00a0 \u201cWell, it sure is a beautiful place.\u00a0 \u201cHe shifted his back slightly against the roughness of the grey rock behind him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cTo tell you the truth, Joseph, I\u2019m not sure,\u201d he admitted.\u00a0 \u201cI think I was wrong not to come.\u201d\u00a0 He gave the young man a grin.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe you wouldn\u2019t mind if I came and fished with you here some time?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe returned the grin.\u00a0 \u201cSure Pa,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cAs long as it\u2019s just you and me \u2026 I don\u2019t want \u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben put up his hand and chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cI know \u2026\u201d he said. \u201cNo Hoss or Adam.\u201d\u00a0 He leaned back against the grey rock himself and observed his son fondly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m glad that you\u2019ve found this spot son.\u00a0 You mother loved it too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDid she?\u201d asked Joe.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d said Ben softly.\u00a0 He felt the roughness of the rock against his own back and moved to ease it.\u00a0 \u201cDid Adam also tell you the legend about this rock?<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe considered his father\u2019s question for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cNo,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben settled himself back again against the grey rock.\u00a0 \u201c\u201dThere was an Indian brave long ago who loved and Indian maiden, but they were parted when she left him to go with her tribe.\u00a0 His heart was broken, so he came to this spot where they had spent time together \u2026\u201d\u00a0 Ben\u2019s eyes misted over again as he thought about his own love who had left him also.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThen what happened?\u201d\u00a0 asked Joe.\u00a0 \u201cDid she come back?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, she never did.\u00a0 One day he never returned to his tribe and when they came looking for him, they found this rock right here when he\u2019d been standing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe looked at the rock behind him.\u00a0 \u201cSo, he turned into the rock?\u201d\u00a0 he asked wonderingly.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cApparently so,\u201d replied his father. \u201cHe is supposed to be forever here in the place that they loved, waiting for her.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe considered for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s nice,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Ben replied softly, staring across the water.\u00a0 \u201cIt is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joe leaned forward suddenly. \u201cHang on!\u201d he said excitedly.\u00a0 \u201cI think I\u2019ve got one!\u201d\u00a0 He pulled in another large fish.\u00a0 \u201cYippee!\u201d\u00a0 he said as he took it off the lone.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s six now!\u201d\u00a0 He tired it to the string with the others and held them up for his father\u2019s inspection.\u00a0 \u201cPretty good, don\u2019t you think, Pa?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben slapped his son on the back.\u00a0 \u201cSure is son,\u201d\u00a0 he said.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019d better get these back to the house if Hop Sing is gonna have \u2018em in the time to get \u2018em ready for supper.\u00a0 You coming Pa?\u201d\u00a0 He stood up and started packing away his fishing line.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben stroked the rough rock beside him, then stood up and smiled at his son.\u00a0 \u201cYes,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cYou go ahead son.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be there in a minute.\u201d\u00a0 He turned and looked over his shoulder as the rippled water and heard the rustling of the wind through the pines.\u00a0 Yes \u2026 He would return here again with Joseph \u2026 probably many times from now on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben raised his finger to his lips and kissed them before waving his hand gently in the direction of the lake.\u00a0 \u201cGoodbye, my love,\u201d\u00a0 he said softly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be back to visit with you again.\u201d\u00a0 He touched the grey rock beside him again, knowing that Marie\u2019s spirit would always be here waiting, just as in the legend \u2026 and the thought of it warmed his heart.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben followed his son slowly toward their horses, watching the young man with the same loving tenderness that he\u2019s also felt for his mother.\u00a0 He glanced over his shoulder one more time at the beautiful scene behind him.\u00a0 No \u2026 there were some things a man couldn\u2019t share with his son \u2026 especially about the spot where he\u2019d been conceived.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n ——————-<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Author\u2019s note:\u00a0 This story is based on the scene in \u201cHer Brother\u2019s Keeper\u201d when Ben takes Clair to the Lake of Tears and tells her the Indian legend.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Summary:\u00a0 Ben shares his favorite place.
\nRating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 2,540 words<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":375,"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_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1015,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-joe-pa","category-drama","wpcat-1015-id","wpcat-23-id"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/coming-soon-5.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65804","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\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=65804"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65804\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=65804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=65804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=65804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}