WRITINGS: Smokin Guns (stories)

His eyes were burning and tearing from the dirt spiraling up from the ground, the air had a dull bitter taste and the sky began to grow dark as rolling thunder clouds slowly approached from the horizon. "Shhh shh" he said as he dug his heals into the sides of his old tired horse, she was a brown and black mare with a shabby unkept mane. He took off into a gallop opposite the perusing storm.... down and up the hills and across the small stone creek just beyond the forest, he rode straight through to the small saloon at the edge of the town. "A whiskey!" he yelled out as he jumped from his horse swinging the reins around the hook post. There he stood at the saloon doors, sweating and breathing heavily, his pants wear soaked and covered in his horse's brown hair, his chest was sweaty and glistening underneath his beaded feathered necklace... "A whiskey" he yelled out again as he lifted his long black hair from his back, twisting it into a braid. He approached the bar slowly and motioned to the bar tender who was standing behind the wooden bar polishing his whiskey glasses. "Now I told you, you can't keep coming here, you don't belong here!" ... "A whiskey" he said again as he removed his necklace and threw it on the bar. "What's this? bone and feather?... take your stuff and get on outa here".... frustrated he pounded his fist on the wooden bar... he reached into a small leather sack tied at his waist and placed a small carved pipe on the bar.... "Ohh now what's this?" asked the bar tender as he reached for the object... "Ah Ha a smoking apparatus" he said as he turned it in a circular motion examining the piece, "it's bone... hmmm...ok well I suppose thisa buy yeh a drink" he grumbled "You're lucky there's nobody in here otherwise you might get yourself gunned!, here, drink this, drink it fast and get out!".... He grabbed the glass swiftly from the bar and swallowed the whiskey in one gulp, "Ahhhh" he gasped as he placed the glass on the bar and turned away to head for the door.. "Hey!!" yelled the bar tender calling to his attention as he threw his necklace at his back.. "Now don't come back!"... He squinted his eyes in dislike and licked his lips as he knelt to pick up his necklace at his feet. Suddenly there was a rumble in the air as the storm began to approach closely now.. He sprung to his feet and fled out the door to his horse, he tossed the reins back as he gripped his horse's matted mane and swung himself up to quickly flee from the storm... Off he went galloping away from the saloon back towards the forest. Minutes later it began to rain hard on the saloon and the small town, there was a merchant store that sold commodities like fabric, leather, meat, flour, soap, milk, honey and jarred goods, there was a lumber yard and livestock paddock down the way from a few spread out log homes. The rain barreled down hard, inside the saloon sat the bartender as he further examined the pipe, it appeared the hallowed bowl was stuffed with some smoke that had been freshly lit. The bartender reached down to grab his match box from the bottom shelf under the bar. He struck the kerosene dipped match against the bar and lit his pipe... he puffed it heavily and immediately noticed an unfamiliar smell, it was a distinct smell unlike tobacco, the aroma was strong and earthy.  He began to cough and swallowed a lump in his throat.... he felt immensely calm and light headed.. "HHHmmmm.... well isn't this something...." he whispered to himself as he went for another puff.

By Anonymous

 
 Photography by CC.


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