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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Drama / Human Interest
- Subject: Western / Wild West
- Published: 10/07/2021
Gunslingers.
Born 1951, M, from Wilmington NC, United StatesAuthor's Note: This is Flash Fiction of the Old West. The Wild West.
*****
“Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.”
Grey smoke hung in the air. Four men lay in the dust and manure of Main Street. Blood left a stain on the dirt, souls left the bodies on the dirt.
She looked around to see if any more men would try their luck.
One of them spoke up.
“That’s some good shooting girl.”
Her eyes were still cold from delivering death at the end of a smoking barrel.
“How would you know?”
He smiled and pointed at the dead men sprawled on the ground. Each with a single bullet whole just to the right of their sternum.
She nodded acknowledgment with a brief flick of her eyes.
“My name is John.”
“Is that your real name?”
He smiled as he took his hat off to wipe his brown.
“Well…yeah…but some folks call me the Sirocco Kid.”
Her eyes widened. Her mouth grew dry. Her hand nestled against the still warm handle of her twin colt forty fives.
“You calling me out?”
He smiled and put his hat back on. One boot scuffed the dirt in a small circular pattern. He looked, for a moment, like nothing more than a shy kid in a school yard somewhere…talking to a girl for the first time.
“Nope. I was thinking of asking you to marry me.”
She moved her hand from the hilt of her revolver. Nineteen notches slid under the light touch of her fingers. Four more to be added today.
“Well, what if we don’t get along?”
“I think people would pay a hefty fee to see that shootout. And I wouldn’t bet against you…or me.”
She laughed. It had been a long time since a man made her laugh. It was a good sign. Good enough for her.
“My name is Jane."
Gunslingers.(Kevin Hughes)
Author's Note: This is Flash Fiction of the Old West. The Wild West.
*****
“Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.”
Grey smoke hung in the air. Four men lay in the dust and manure of Main Street. Blood left a stain on the dirt, souls left the bodies on the dirt.
She looked around to see if any more men would try their luck.
One of them spoke up.
“That’s some good shooting girl.”
Her eyes were still cold from delivering death at the end of a smoking barrel.
“How would you know?”
He smiled and pointed at the dead men sprawled on the ground. Each with a single bullet whole just to the right of their sternum.
She nodded acknowledgment with a brief flick of her eyes.
“My name is John.”
“Is that your real name?”
He smiled as he took his hat off to wipe his brown.
“Well…yeah…but some folks call me the Sirocco Kid.”
Her eyes widened. Her mouth grew dry. Her hand nestled against the still warm handle of her twin colt forty fives.
“You calling me out?”
He smiled and put his hat back on. One boot scuffed the dirt in a small circular pattern. He looked, for a moment, like nothing more than a shy kid in a school yard somewhere…talking to a girl for the first time.
“Nope. I was thinking of asking you to marry me.”
She moved her hand from the hilt of her revolver. Nineteen notches slid under the light touch of her fingers. Four more to be added today.
“Well, what if we don’t get along?”
“I think people would pay a hefty fee to see that shootout. And I wouldn’t bet against you…or me.”
She laughed. It had been a long time since a man made her laugh. It was a good sign. Good enough for her.
“My name is Jane."
- Share this story on
- 8
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Kevin Hughes
10/08/2021Thanks Gail,
I am in a Flash Fiction mood...so more to come! LOL
Smiles, Kevin
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Lillian Kazmierczak
10/07/2021That was just fun. I enjoyed that Kevin. I love the old west. You have to move fast when your life expectancy isn’t very long. It was a great piece of writing!!
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Kevin Hughes
10/08/2021Thanks Lillian,
I remember that movie where there were like a thousand ways that folks actually died in the Old West. And one of the lines that made me laugh was this one: " I don't want to be a spinster at fifteen." LOL
Smiles, Kevin
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Aziz
10/07/2021A wonderful piece sir. A good way to get acquainted to people. I love the idea and the order of events you followed.
Well done
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Kevin Hughes
10/07/2021Thanks Aziz,
Our "Old West" is so romanticized that this story is a plausible possibility. So many guns in my country right now, that lots of places seem to be stuck in the Old West mentality where guns make the man. Yech.
Smiles, Kevin
COMMENTS (3)