The Stone Man
His heart was cold, cold as stone as
he sat staring straight ahead. He
had white lines from squinting painted
on the sides of his suntanned temples.
Even the wide brimmed hat he wore
couldn’t protect his face from the sun
which seemed to burn like a ball of
fire coming from hell. He hated his
Sergeant for dragging them through this
barren dessert searching for an outlaw
named Jake McCloud and he was certain
Jakes bones would already be bleached
from the sun when and if they ever
found him. Five men had already died and
now they sat waiting for Sergeant Bennett's
next command with stomachs aching and
lips cracked from thirst. He knew death
was following them rapidly so having
enough he grabbed the Sergeant’s gun and
sword and made Him get off his horse. Don’t
be a fool the Sergeant had pleaded with him,
we are almost there. He ignored him saying
you’ve been telling us this for days and he
rode off alone. He lasted two days out there
alone when his horse fell over from exhaustion,
then he walked for hours staggering like a
drunk. Finally worn and broken, thirsty and
starving, he took out the little medal stool
he had and sat down slouched and beaten.
The Indians tell tales of how the man with
the stone heart sat that day a broken man
and as he sat there his whole wretched
body turned to stone. To this day, you can
see him slouched in his chair in a place
called East Jesus.
His Sergeant and comrades? They were
rescued by the Calvary just hours after
he had left them.
Written by Brenda Meier-Hans
12.20.2014
Contest: East Jesus
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