280. After the gold rush

After the gold rush the wagon train headed back East, with disillusioned prospectors at the reigns. A harsh winter through hostile Indian territory lay in waiting but that outlook was more enticing than another month in dug up Oregon, where the overriding stench of failure choked the atmosphere.

Barney Cooper was one such dreamer that had relocated his family to the West in search of fortune and the American dream. By the time he had arrived, there were thousands of his ilk sifting through the waters and hacking violently at rocks. Once in a while, one of them stumbled upon a nugget ever so tiny, but Barney Cooper never did.

He had been a failure since birth. Son to an idle farmer. Husband to a plain wife. Father to six dim-witted children. His most recent endeavour had been the latest in a long line of failed enterprises and shattered dreams. Odds were it would not be his last.

So when dawn broke over Monument Valley and Barney Cooper’s family found him nowhere near the wagon, they knew that besides a failure he was now a coward. They rode on without him and when they reached the Ozarks they lead lives as unremarkable and dull as Barney Cooper had.

Unbeknownst to them he had, to a chronicle writer on his spineless flight, told his life story for a dime,  in such broad and inaccurate terms that it appeared like a triumph in the face of adversity. Printing presses could not keep up with demand. When the tale of this American hero reached the Ozarks, Barney Cooper’s children read it and wished that man had been their father.

As for Barney Cooper, his dime only lasted three hours.

The epitome of the American dream died nameless in an unmarked grave.

A failure.

 

Did you enjoy this story? Then why not try the 101 stories in 300 words or less in YOU’RE GETTING SLEEPY, THE HYPNOTIST’S APPRENTICE YAWNED.

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231. The revenge of the one-legged gunslinger

Today’s story is the third part of my one-legged gunslinger trilogy. This ‘threequel’ can be read as a self-contained story, but if you want to appreciate the entire story, why not check out the first part of the tale (story number 31) and its sequel (story number 131).

The revenge of the one-legged gunslinger would not contain a rolled R, as he had lost his tongue to a hungry buffalo. In Nothing Gorge, however, that tale was old news, as the entire town had gathered round Main Street to see the gunslinger finally take on the man who had cost him a leg, an arm and an ear: Scott Murray Jameson.

Contempt shot from the gunslinger’s one non-blind eye as he stood nose to nose with his nemesis.

“Ready to die?” Jameson snarled.

 

Read the rest of the tale and 100 more stories in 300 words or less in YOU’RE GETTING SLEEPY, THE HYPNOTIST’S APPRENTICE YAWNED.

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131. The return of the one-legged gunslinger

Today’s flash is a bit of a special one since it’s the first sequel of the lot. So, if you want to read the complete tale of the one-legged gunslinger, be sure to first feast your eyes on story number 31. And since I like this character so much, I can tell you that (like James Bond) the one-legged gunslinger will return… possibly for story number 231. Are there any other characters from my stories you’d like to see used in a sequel? Be sure to let me know in the comments!

The return of the one-legged gunslinger took Nothing Gorge by surprise.

It had been three months since the grumpy cowboy had set foot – or rather: hopped foot – into town, intent on revenge with a rolled R, in the wrong town.

The gunslinger hopped to the saloon counter. He was now missing an arm as well, luckily on the other side of his body as the absent leg, so it didn’t hinder his balance too much.

“Find Jameson?” the bartender asked, sliding a whisky the gunslinger’s way.

 

Read the rest of the tale and 100 more stories in 300 words or less in YOU’RE GETTING SLEEPY, THE HYPNOTIST’S APPRENTICE YAWNED.

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31. The one-legged gunslinger

The one-legged gunslinger hopped into the saloon, much to the hilarity of the bawdry patrons who were spitting their tobacco in front of his boot, laying out a brownish sticky carpet all the way to the bar.

“What can I get you?” the bartender asked.

“Revenge.” The gunslinger rolled his R to make it sound even more menacing.

 

Read the rest of the tale and 100 more stories in 300 words or less in YOU’RE GETTING SLEEPY, THE HYPNOTIST’S APPRENTICE YAWNED.

Available at the Createspace Store, at amazon.com, amazon.co.uk or any other Amazon store in your territory.  E-book is also available.