by Thomas Emmon Pisano

Created on: June 20, 2009

Last Play at Coyote Holes

ONE
The Desolate Horizon

Blazing! Wild, untamed, the wind and earth fight, the endless dance of struggle and survival. We see the cycle of life in an exploding sunset.

The Mojave, hot, scorched, and barren, the searing, dry sun beating down on the land all the day and half the night. A teaming buzzing land with more insects than brains, cruel, and ready to eat the eyes out of your head. Neither man nor beast is safe from the half dozen different flies, which swarm this arid land. Survival of the fittest is commonplace here on the desert floor, a relentless fight for life.

The sunsets are spectacular but the land is vicious and without feeling, a hateful place to live and an even more horrible place to die. An unforgiving world, not even a coyote can slip up around these parts, every thing is food for something, that's a hard and fast rule. An innocent ride across the flats can end your life in a heartbeat, sudden death is a possibility here and any one who doesn't understand what I am saying is an out right fool.

I've lived here in this wonderful place for fifteen years, and I've grown use to it by now, I've found it to be a place of bounty and peace. You just have to follow the rules, do that and the land and the wild life are yours to enjoy.

I'm forty years of age now, I've been living in the dusty little town of Coyote Holes since I was twenty five. This was a choice I made while I was a drifter, contemplating a life of crime and delinquency. But the good folks here gave me a good job and have low these last few years been paying me a good wage to do this job. I'm the town marshal, Sam Goodfellow.

Not too bad a job as jobs go, I keep the peace and protect the towns interest, for this I get thirty dollars in gold every month and a place to live, the town jail. Not fabulous, and I am not living in the lap of luxury, but hey, I have a snug and cozy place for the rest of my days. I'm respected and everyone here is my friend and neighbor. I'm grateful for my lot in life.

Like I said this desert is a wonderful and dangerous place, beyond all compare you have to watch your self all the time here not only the land can put an end to you, but man, is the one thing here which can end your days abruptly. I have had countless bullets pulled out of me by the town doctor, more than I can count. I take the hit, recover and continue on, the desert is full of lawlessness.

It is 1850; the only law here is the Army, the Calvary,

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