by Larry Hunt
* * * * *
The string of horses is beginning to get restless. They shuffle around each other, some whinny, others snort; they are nervous. The two young travelers lay on their blankets sound asleep.
‘Kaboom,’ ‘Kaboom,’ the noise from the lightning was deafening as it reverberated through the trees. The first man leaps from his horse blanket, fumbles to load a shell into his Henry rifle. The night is cool, but sweat is dripping from his face. “What in tarnation,” the second feller says rolling from underneath his poncho. “What is goin’ on?” Their dog is up and barking.
“Don’t know,” says the first, “one of the scariest dreams I have ever experienced.”
“Hold on, and I’ll get us a pot of coffee started before this storm moves in – looks like it might be a little while before it gets to us. Tell me about the nightmare? Scary huh?”
SAM AND WILLIAM – ALIVE!
Sam still visibly shaken sits down next to the fire and tells William his dream about the five bandits coming into their camp accusing them of killin’ Bart Black and stealing his horses. The storm, which only a few minutes earlier appeared to be heading toward them now seems as if it is going south of their location. The string of horses begins to settle down - instinct tells them the storm is missing them. Sam points to the string of horses, “He said that Pinto belonged to one of Bart Black’s boys,” then Sam reaches above his eye feeling for a cut from the blow from the .44 pistol. There is no cut. “I’m telling you William that had to be one more realistic nightmare. It seemed so real, and then this desperado pulls his Colt revolver and shoots you, old Kentuck, and me stone cold dead. I even heard the sound of the .44 as he shot us...!”
Instantly a huge lightening bolt cascaded from one cloud to another during the violent thunderstorm almost overhead, KaBoom! KaBoom! Sounded the thunder, shaking the ground.
“Sound kinda like that? Yeah, I know. Sometimes them dreams can get pretty wild. Here drink some of this hot coffee, it’ll make you fell better,” William said as another peal of thunder – Kaboom - shook the ground. “It was just a dream, with God adding the sound! It’ll be daylight in another hour or so, we might as well pack up and get started.”