dontravis.com
blog post #366
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| A Running Wolf - Courtesy of Free Images |
Wow!
Got a lot of hits on The Voxlightner Scandal last week. Hope every one
of them buys a copy of the book.
This
week, a piece of flash fiction by my fellow Oklahoman Mark Wildyr caught my
eye. It’s short and pithy and gets its point across in a hurry… which is the
object of such short-short pieces. At any rate, it’s something he posted on his
web site in July of 2016. He’s given me permission to post it on my site.
Here
goes. Hope you enjoy the read.
*****
HECTOR
RUNNING WOLF AND BILLY YOUNGSTON
By
Mark Wildyr
“Billy?”
“Huh?”
“You wanna do it?”
My back went cold from goosebumps while my
groin caught fire. We were out in the woods at the old lean-to we’d made back when
we were kids. It wasn’t the first time I’d thought about what he was saying.
Not by a long shot. But Hector was a coyote, which was a trickster in his
culture. Sometimes he’d come out with these outlandish suggestions and then
make a joke of them. Mostly they were for fun, but sometimes they bit.
I didn’t even know why we were best
friends. Sons of a white farmer and a Creek carpenter, we were an unlikely
pair. White sugar and red pepper, my mom used to say with a shake of her head.
But friends we were, ever since we’d laid eyes on one another in middle school
five years back.
I remember the first time we went skinny
dipping together the summer after we met. We came out of the water with him
examining me like I was a mule he was intent on buying, while I snatched furtive
glimpses of his equipment. That pretty well summed up the difference between
us.
As time went by, our friendship
strengthened. On my part, it was almost exclusive, but he was lots more social
than I was. I admit to being jealous of his other friends. Seemed like they
shared lots more with him than I did. Of course, they did… an entire culture.
But it gradually dawned on me that I got more of his time than any of the
others. Shoot, than all the others,
and that was what counted.
I didn’t know if half a minute or half an
hour had passed since he asked his question, but I answered it anyway.
“Don’t make no difference to me one way or
the other.”
The air seemed charged with electricity
like when a storm’s approaching. The surrounding pines dropped their sharp
scent on us like it was a tangible thing. I grew aware of strange things. The
toes in my boots. A beetle crawling over the back of my right hand. A squirrel
fussing from the oak tree overhead. And the long, lanky form of Hector Running
Wolf lying beside me.
The world turned normal again as disappointment
rose within me. I took a breath and tried to relax my taunt nerves.
And then he reached for me.
*****
I wonder what they did?
Was it fumbling kid’s stuff? Or did Hector Running Wolf turn it into a real
experience for Billy Youngston. Mark’s story allows you to finish it according
to your own fantasy. Have at it!
The following are buy
links for The Voxlightner Scandal.
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-voxlightner-scandal-don-travis/1132632844?ean=9781640809260
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/4AxPDo
Now
my mantra: Keep on reading and keep on
writing. You have something to say, so say it!
My
personal links: (Note the change in the Email address because I’m still getting
remarks on the old dontravis21@gmail.com. PLEASE DON’T USE
THAT ONE.)
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/donald.travis.982
Twitter:
@dontravis3
Buy
links to Abaddon’s Locusts:
See
you next week.
Don
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