Status: Active!!
Facade
Nightmares
Mark was really good with his rifle but I did show him some things that I do to get a better and accurate shot. He learns pretty fast and even Lucas showed me up with his shooting skills on his rifle. I was very impressed with the way he could shoot that rifle and I just think he could take anyone down if he wanted too. After what seemed like 5 minutes, which was actually a really fast 20 minutes, we had to get back to work on the ranch. I was helping Mark with the horses in pulling some trees that were down while Lucas was tying on the straps to the lumber. When it was almost nightfall, we headed back to the house for dinner and then we would be heading off to bed.
Mark and I cooked and set the table while Lucas was sitting there with this intense thinking on his face. I wanted to ask what he was thinking about but it isn’t my place to pry in someone else’s business. We sat down at the table and Lucas said grace but I was staring intently at the food that sat on the table. After a long day of hard work on the ranch, I was hungry enough to eat a whole cow by myself. I closed my eyes just as he said Amen so he would think I was praying too. We dug into the food like a pack of hungry wolves until it was all gone.
Mark and I did all the dishes up like every night and we sat around the fireplace. Lucas was busy cleaning his rifle along with Mark so I quietly got up and snuck out the front door and walked out onto the porch and looked over the land. The moon was shining brightly as I stepped off the porch and looked up into the sky. I closed my eyes as the breeze of the night wind. The memories of my ma, pa, and I sitting on the front porch during a night like this while he picked on his guitar and sung to us. He even taught me a few things on is days off from working in the mines but it has been a long time since then and I don’t think I could even play anymore.
“Emma?” I turned around to see Lucas on the porch lighting a cigar just like my Pa would do.
“Yes?” I asked shaking the thoughts from my mind.
“Why are you out here all by yourself?”
“It’s a beautiful night so I thought I would enjoy it for a while.” I said coming back onto the porch.
“It is a beautiful night but we have a lot of work to do in the morning. Go and get yourself washed up and into bed.” I nodded and walked to the door and looked back at him as he looked over his land. He stood just like my Pa would when he was smoking an after dinner cigar. I opened the door and shut it quietly behind me as I went over to the sink and quickly washed off the dirt from my face and neck before drying myself off and heading into the bedroom where Mark was already laying down under the covers and fast asleep. I quickly got undressed and into my night clothes and laid down in bed and covering myself and turning my back to face the door.
I laid there awake until the door opened and I quickly shut my eyes. I felt a hand go over my hair and a low goodnight whispered into my ear but I never moved. I heard Lucas rustling around for a minute before the whole room went silent. I turned over slightly and seen he was lying on his back with his eyes already closed. I turned back around where I was facing the wall and let the memories come back to me and small tears formed in my eyes and slipped out quietly. I cried silently until I just couldn’t cry anymore and I drifted off to sleep.
I stood in front of the house I was born in and it wasn’t burnt to the ground. I slowly pushed open the door and seen my Ma and Pa sitting at the table with me over at the sink washing my hands for the supper Ma had prepared for us. I went over to my Pa and laid a hand on him and I could feel the warmth radiating off his body from a hard day’s work in those mines.
The sound of hooves beating on the ground like the first rainstorm after winter flooded my ears as I looked over at the window but there was nothing there. I looked back at my Pa and his head was tilted back and blood covered my hands. I looked over at my Ma and she was lying face down on the table with blood staining the white tablecloth. I looked over as I heard the sound of spurs clinking against the floor and then man pointed the pistol at me.
“You’re next.” He said in a wicked tone. I stood there in fright as the sound of the shot rang throughout the whole house.
“Emma! Wake up!” I heard a voice say and I did as it said. I looked up at Lucas as he had a hold on my shoulders and looking at me in worry. My breathing was rapid as I looked him in the eyes.
“Are you okay?” I shook my head and leaned into Lucas and let the tears flow from my face.
“It’s okay Emma…It was just a bad dream.” Lucas said as he rubbed my back.
“He…he killed them.” I said in a hushed voice.
“Who killed who Emma?”
“Myles Ryder…I seen him in town today…He killed my Ma and Pa.” I said gripping his shoulders tightly as I held onto him.
“Emma look at me.” Lucas pushed me back a little from him and looked me deep in the eyes.
“Emma…This man won’t hurt you while I’m around. Tomorrow we are going back into town and telling Micah so he can lock up this Ryder man for murder.”
“He’ll kill you…” I said with fresh tears streaming down my face.
“No he won’t Emma. You have to trust me.” Lucas wiped the tears from my eyes and laid me back down in bed and covered me up.
“You get some sleep and we’ll go to town first thing in the morning.” I nodded as he got up and went back over to his bed and laid down. I closed my eyes and sighed lowly to myself. I can’t let Lucas get killed and Mark be without a father. I don’t want him to live a life like mine.
Mark and I cooked and set the table while Lucas was sitting there with this intense thinking on his face. I wanted to ask what he was thinking about but it isn’t my place to pry in someone else’s business. We sat down at the table and Lucas said grace but I was staring intently at the food that sat on the table. After a long day of hard work on the ranch, I was hungry enough to eat a whole cow by myself. I closed my eyes just as he said Amen so he would think I was praying too. We dug into the food like a pack of hungry wolves until it was all gone.
Mark and I did all the dishes up like every night and we sat around the fireplace. Lucas was busy cleaning his rifle along with Mark so I quietly got up and snuck out the front door and walked out onto the porch and looked over the land. The moon was shining brightly as I stepped off the porch and looked up into the sky. I closed my eyes as the breeze of the night wind. The memories of my ma, pa, and I sitting on the front porch during a night like this while he picked on his guitar and sung to us. He even taught me a few things on is days off from working in the mines but it has been a long time since then and I don’t think I could even play anymore.
“Emma?” I turned around to see Lucas on the porch lighting a cigar just like my Pa would do.
“Yes?” I asked shaking the thoughts from my mind.
“Why are you out here all by yourself?”
“It’s a beautiful night so I thought I would enjoy it for a while.” I said coming back onto the porch.
“It is a beautiful night but we have a lot of work to do in the morning. Go and get yourself washed up and into bed.” I nodded and walked to the door and looked back at him as he looked over his land. He stood just like my Pa would when he was smoking an after dinner cigar. I opened the door and shut it quietly behind me as I went over to the sink and quickly washed off the dirt from my face and neck before drying myself off and heading into the bedroom where Mark was already laying down under the covers and fast asleep. I quickly got undressed and into my night clothes and laid down in bed and covering myself and turning my back to face the door.
I laid there awake until the door opened and I quickly shut my eyes. I felt a hand go over my hair and a low goodnight whispered into my ear but I never moved. I heard Lucas rustling around for a minute before the whole room went silent. I turned over slightly and seen he was lying on his back with his eyes already closed. I turned back around where I was facing the wall and let the memories come back to me and small tears formed in my eyes and slipped out quietly. I cried silently until I just couldn’t cry anymore and I drifted off to sleep.
I stood in front of the house I was born in and it wasn’t burnt to the ground. I slowly pushed open the door and seen my Ma and Pa sitting at the table with me over at the sink washing my hands for the supper Ma had prepared for us. I went over to my Pa and laid a hand on him and I could feel the warmth radiating off his body from a hard day’s work in those mines.
The sound of hooves beating on the ground like the first rainstorm after winter flooded my ears as I looked over at the window but there was nothing there. I looked back at my Pa and his head was tilted back and blood covered my hands. I looked over at my Ma and she was lying face down on the table with blood staining the white tablecloth. I looked over as I heard the sound of spurs clinking against the floor and then man pointed the pistol at me.
“You’re next.” He said in a wicked tone. I stood there in fright as the sound of the shot rang throughout the whole house.
“Emma! Wake up!” I heard a voice say and I did as it said. I looked up at Lucas as he had a hold on my shoulders and looking at me in worry. My breathing was rapid as I looked him in the eyes.
“Are you okay?” I shook my head and leaned into Lucas and let the tears flow from my face.
“It’s okay Emma…It was just a bad dream.” Lucas said as he rubbed my back.
“He…he killed them.” I said in a hushed voice.
“Who killed who Emma?”
“Myles Ryder…I seen him in town today…He killed my Ma and Pa.” I said gripping his shoulders tightly as I held onto him.
“Emma look at me.” Lucas pushed me back a little from him and looked me deep in the eyes.
“Emma…This man won’t hurt you while I’m around. Tomorrow we are going back into town and telling Micah so he can lock up this Ryder man for murder.”
“He’ll kill you…” I said with fresh tears streaming down my face.
“No he won’t Emma. You have to trust me.” Lucas wiped the tears from my eyes and laid me back down in bed and covered me up.
“You get some sleep and we’ll go to town first thing in the morning.” I nodded as he got up and went back over to his bed and laid down. I closed my eyes and sighed lowly to myself. I can’t let Lucas get killed and Mark be without a father. I don’t want him to live a life like mine.
♠ ♠ ♠
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