Old Man

The sound of crashing cans onto the floor could be heard, interspersed with a
curse word and a laugh.

BAM BAM came the report of the big pistol. A young clerk lost his life.

"Damn it Al! Why'd ya do that?"

"Shut up! Grab more stuff and let's get out of here pronto!"

As they head to the door a car pulls in driven by a middle aged woman.

Al hurrys to the driver's door and yanks the woman out. BAM goes the pistol one more time.

"What the hell is wrong with you Al?"

"I said to shut yo yap! Now get in!"

Al puts the car in Drive and lays rubber out the drive.

. . . . .

"Give me something to munch on and a drink Pete."

"Sure Al." Pete reaches into the bag and grabs a packet of Slim Jims and a Monster. Hands them to Al.

"A Monster?! Are you a retard? Give me a beer stupid!"

Pete gets a beer.

Al downs it in one long swig. "That's better. Give me another."

And so the night wears on. Al looking into the rear view mirror to make sure no one is after
them and Pete making sure Al is kept happy with food and drink.

. . . . .

The engine sputters and quits. Al gets the car onto the shoulder out of the traffic lane.

"Great. Outta gas. At least no one was following."

"Now what Al? We are in the middle of corn fields and no one in sight for miles."

"An old farmer will be by soon. We'll grab his truck and keep goin. Sun be up in a while. Farmers get an early start don't ya know."

"Sure Al. If you say so. I'm a city kid wouldn't have the foggiest notion of what farmers do or don't do."

They wait in the darkness of the car.

. . . . .

Headlights appear in the distance behind them, moving slow down the country road.

"Right on time Pete. Here comes our next ride."

"Ya gonna shoot the farmer Al?"

"What do ya think there Petey? Ha Ha Haaaa."

The old pickup pulls behind Al and Pete's getaway car. It's a Chevy thats dependable though not a looker. A farmer's truck it is. The farmer leaves the headlights on and gets out.

Al had already grabbed the pistol and put it in his belt at his lower back and put his shirttail over it. He was standing by the door when the old farmer reached him.

"Trouble son?"

"Whadya think old man? We sittin here waitin for the Sun to rise? Hell yeah we got trouble."

"Didn't mean nuthin by it boy. Ya need gas?"

Reaching behind him Al brings out the big pistol and points it at the old farmer.

"No old man. I need your truck!"

The farmer doesn't move. Not a muscle. Not a flinch. Just stares into Al's eyes.

"Pete. Go get the truck and bring it along side!"

"Sure Al."

As Pete gets by the glare of the truck's headlights he could see through the windshield into the cab. What he saw stopped him. On the seat sat a big, no huge, black dog. His red eyes following every move Pete made. The dog's muzzle was open in a menacing way baring huge white teeth and the most prominent cuspids Pete had ever seen on a dog.

Pete quickly returns to the car.

"I told you to get the damn truck!"

"There's a big ass dog in that truck Al! Scares me to death!"

The old farmer says, "Al is it? Well, ya ain't gettin my truck."

"I'll shoot yer ass and the dog too! I always get what I want and I want that truck!"

"You can shoot me alright. You ain't gonna shoot that dog. And once he smells the death on me I sure wouldn't want to be you sonny! Or Pete!"

"Damn it don't shoot the old farmer!"

"Best listen to Pete there Al. I got's some gas in the back. Bout 5 gallons. It's enough to get you to the nearest town of sorts. I keep it just for emergencies like this. Tho I must admit most folks don't want to shoot me for the truck."

"Let me think."

"What about Al? You are in the middle of corn fields. Ain't no town for at least 20 miles all around. I ain't got a cell phone or nuthin. You get away with Pete here and I keep my truck and my life. Sounds fair don't it Al?"

"OK! Get the gas old man."

"Smart decision Al. Just be a sec."

. . . . .

As the car pulls away with Al and Pete the old farmer whistles for the dog.

"Now dog that car is gonna have a problem right about now."

Just then the getaway car explodes into flames. The drivers door and the passenger door both fly open as Al and Pete, on flames, escape the vehicle.

"OK boy, go get yer meal. Thought a BBQ would be good for ya tonight!"

The big hound leaps toward the car, with each bound the dog gets bigger and bigger. Soon yells of fright and the crunch of bones reach the old farmer.

. . . . .

After a short while the hell hound returns to the old farmer. Satisfied, the dog sits in front of the old man.

"I see some redness in your eyes still. You ain't quite full yet. I know of one little snack that should return those eyes to brown. I can see Joey slinking about the bushes in town wanting to rape a young girl in her bedroom. Not nice of Joey."

"Jump in dog. Let's go take care of Joey. And here I thought it would be hard to feed yer big ass. No worries. There will always be bad folks for you to feed on."

"Ha Haaaa Haaaaaa!"

Dead Raccoon

It was unusually warm this early in the Spring and this day was unusually bright. The cloudless sky letting the Sun pour forth it's fury onto the Earth unabated.

The young male raccoon had been asleep. Safe in his nest with his siblings and big female mother. He hears a hiss at his ear. It's mom wakening him up to his new life. She begins to nip at his nose and forepaws. Teeth bared. Agressive.

The male heir is startled. Why is she acting this way? She starts to bite. Viciously. He scurries outside. He scurries to escape. He scurries into a new life.

The big female stands guard to her nest. It is now time for the male child to leave. It is nature's way.

The young male wanders in the woods most of the day. Confused. Hungry. Scared. He finds a wood pile of old fencing covered with blackberry vines and surrounded by an odd assortment of forest ground cover. Grabbing a paw full of early berries he scrambles into the pile to hide and ponder what to do next. He falls asleep.

He awakes with a yawn. It is dark as the Sun has long ago drifted below the horizon. The raccoon sniffs the air. Hungry, he must find something to eat. Soon. There must be a birdnest or big beetle or grub worm near by. He leaves his hiding place.

The young male knows by instinct that he must find his own territory before whomever owns the one he's in finds him. Looking around and sniffing for odors that will help his decision he embarks to a scent that oddly smells of . . . he does not know. Curious, he follows the scent.

Traveling about a hundred yards he encounters a ditch. Crossing the dry depression he emerges from the weeds onto a road! That is what he smelled, the road. The raccoon touches the surface with his left paw gingerly. He sniffs it. He hears something approaching. Fast.

The bright headlights leap across the small mound in the road catching the raccoon in its glare. Not knowing what to do the young male stands transfixed in the beam. The car moved to avoid the animal but was to late. The right front wheel hits the young raccoon sending him skidding to the shoulder in the weeds. He lies lifeless just off the asphalt that so caught his attention.

. . . . .

What a perfect day. Warm. No rain. Sunny. A day to get the juices going after a hard winter. A day a young girl in love fantasizes and immortalizes in journals and tweets!

Then her parents ruined it! Told her she must not see her beloved Johnny not again. Not ever. They forbid it! They don't understand that she loves him so. And he loves her! He said so. So many times! They can't tell her not to see her handsome Johnny! She stormed out of the house and into her car that morning full of rage and anger.

The teenager drove around for hours. Not knowing what to do. Johnny did not get off work till late. Doing overtime this night for whatever reason. She must see him! She crys.

Her parents tried to call her. She ignores their calls. Not ready to speak with them. Later. After seeing Johnny. The Sun is long gone now. It is time to see her beloved Johnny.

As she nears his place of work she recalls the morning. Anger welling in her chest once more. Tears streaming down her face. She will tell her Johnny every thing. How she loves him so. Her right foot unknowingly pressing the throttle closer to the floor.

The car tops a mound in the road and the light beams immediately catch the raccoon. The animal's eyes reflect back to the young girl as shiny red orbs. She over corrects to miss the little male raccoon and skids off the road. The teenager did not feel the right front tire hit the raccoon.

She turns the steering wheel hard to the right to get back onto the road but the momentum is too great. The car slams into the tree just at the driver's door. The force of stopping so suddenly wraps the car around the 2 foot diameter tree. She died instantly. Along with the sound of the crash.

. . . . .

Hours later a bored deputy sheriff making his rounds finds the wreck. He calls dispatch.

Red lights, blue lights, yellow lights all flashing at different intervals surrounds the wreck. Police, fire, EMT, wrecker vehicles all have their jobs to do and they do it well. Soon the photos are taken, phone calls are made, deputies dispatched to the home of the now deceased girl. The reporter making her final report to the newspaper.
The ambulance has taken the body to the morgue. All is quiet again.

The Sun is trying to peak over the horizon to begin a new day. The mother raccoon now comes out of hiding to survey what all the hubbub was about just a few moments ago. She sniffs the air. A familiar scent fills her nostrils.

She ambers over to her now dead son. Sniffing again the fur she knows so well she backs off. Looking at him she raises her head and spits. She turns around and ambers back into the forest.

All that remains is one dead raccoon along the shoulder of the road.