All Entries Tagged With: "western"
News From Poughkeepsie – Sunday Edition #4
Yeah, yeah, it’s Monday. Maybe I should just just merge the Sunday and Monday into one massive, monstrous post. Shout out in the comments if you have opinion on keep Sunday separate or not.
The theme was “Westerns” which got alot of strong responses. My favorite was by David Niall Wilson, which just cracked me up to no end:
The creak-wheeled wagon rolled into town leaning heavily to one side and smelling of dust and gun oil. The horse plodded ahead slowly, as if he knew where he was heading, which was odd; the driver was conspicuously absent.
Heads turned to watch the wagons passing. A boy, barefoot and filthy, ran out, looked into the driver’s seat, then ran away as if the devil had bit him, his face white.
The wagon pulled to a halt, and Sheriff Bony Ridge stepped away from the front of the saloon. Bony hitched his britches over too-thin hips, settled his guns, and strode across the street to the wagon. His heart raced, but he didn’t let the fear show. You could never let the fear show when you were the law.
The wagon creaked, and Bony jerked. Then, angry at himself, he hurried his last few steps and peered down into the wagon.
The tiny twin barrels of miniature six-guns pointed straight between his eyes, which went wide.
“I’ll be goin’ to hell in a coal bucket,” he said softly. “…Shorty McGraw.”
The tiny cowboy hopped to the seat and fired. The sheriff hit the ground hard. People turned and ran in all directions, followed by the shrill echo of tinny laughter.
Scott Roche topped last week’s record of two prompt extensions by providing three this week, all worth checking out. I expect four out of you in the next few days, Scott.
I’ll have Monday’s prompt with the weekly theme and a special October contest up later this afternoon.
News From Poughkeepsie – Day 120
Western…as high fantasy
“Merlin! I’m callin’ you out!”
Merlin did not come out of the tavern. Merlin wanted nothing more than to crawl back into a bottle of whiskey, and forget about the dark wizard who waited on the dirt road outside. He had a shot in his hand, and by the gods, he was going to keep drinking until he blacked out.
Only, Arthur was there, wasn’t he? The boy deserved a better role model than a drunken wizard. If he was to be the future of this land, then Merlin had to show him. And getting drunk, while desirable, never brought about a positive future.
“Boy,” Merlin said to Arthur. “Fetch me my wand. Looks like a bully needs to be shown some manners.” Merlin left the whiskey on the bar; their would be plenty of time for that after…
News From Poughkeepsie – Day 119
Western…in modern times.
“Hello, I saw your ad on the message board? ‘Have BFG, will travel?’ That’s you, right?”
“That’s the part everyone focuses on, yes.”
“You do have the gun, right?”
“In game? Yes…but I prefer not to use it.”
“But you will use it, right?”
“I will. If the situation calls for it.”
“You’re gonna need it. I’ll just tell you right now, you’re going to need it.”
“Miss, can you tell me what the trouble is?”
“Oh, yeah, sure. See, it’s about my brother. I think he’s fallen in with goldfarmers….”
News From Poughkeepsie – Day 118
Western…on the schoolyard
Big Lucy’s Black Hats were the terror of recess. No snack cake was spared their greed, no shin spared their wrath. The teachers were useless. The Black Hats were the queens and kings of Tombstone Elementary, and they knew no one could challenge them.
No one, that is, until the new girl arrived. Her name was Marshal, and she wore a white hat…
News From Poughkeepsie – Day 117
Western…as religion
Bobby Joe believed in The Gun. He had met other Marshals, men and women who appeared pious, but who threw aside the Lessons of The Gun as it suited them. To them, wielding the gun was about power. To Bobby Joe, however, it was about salvation. Out here in the Wild, it had to be.
Bobby Joe said a prayer for every bullet as he loaded his weapon. He thought about about the two marauder gangs outside his door, ready for war. He though about the town they were about to tear apart as scratched at each other. And he thought about the Lessons of The Gun.
“This about salvation,” he said, walking into the streets. “This is about salvation…”
The News From Poughkeepsie – Day 116
I don’t watch a whole lot of television, but I don’t dare miss an episode of PROJECT RUNWAY. As an examination of the creative process and an intriguing character study of the kind of people who chose to make creation their life, it’s hard to beat. Plus, you get fashion shows and the idiosyncratic charm of Tim Gunn. It’s hard not to like such a program.
But I was watching last weeks episode and I almost punched the screen. The contestants were challenged to come up with an outfit based on a cinematic genre, and nobody wanted “Westerns.” In fact, not only did no one want Westerns, but there was serious Western bad-mouthing through most of the episode.
I just about lost it. What is wrong with Westerns, I ask? What?
Not a damn thing, that’s what.
Western…in space
Lucky Goldstein thought this run would be easy. Protect a cargo ship through Vregonian space, collect payment on Halo, and spend a weekend or twelve with her toes in the sand. Probably wouldn’t even have to use her gun.
But when an asteroid plowed into the ship, leaving most of the senior crew dead or injured, things started to get difficult. And when the cargo was found out to be frozen Vregonians, packaged for slavery, well, that certainly didn’t make things any easier.
If Lucky’s going to make it to Halo, she better live up to her name real fast…
