It was Pa broke down when the government man left. Ma was steel-eyed and cold. She gave me that look of hers, looked quick to Pa, slumped useless head in hands, then back over to me.
She didn’t need to say anything more. I’d heard the what the government man said same as she had. If we didn’t take care of this, they would, and charge us in the bargain.
I got down the rifle from the pegs. I’d be fourteen in a month, and that was old enough to do a man’s work, even if I was a girl.
Photo Credit: Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
That’s a clear and distinctive character voice
Dear J Hardy,
I loved the voice and the twist at the end. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Excellent voice. Very well done. The horses are dropping like flies this week… :(
They shoot horses, don’t they? McMurtry wrote a fine novel about something similar, though this is more of a Charles Portis ripoff. Er, tribute. ;-)
Great take – hopefully it is for the good of all the horses that they make this sacrifice, and just government beaurocracy.
Very well done, this story created a very clear picture of how three individuals reacted to bad news. Liked the twist at the end.
Great voice and a wrenching tale.
Well done. I particularly loved the last paragraph. She has such pluck and character amidst such despair. An admirable character.
xx Rowena
A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. The voice is pitch perfect.
Tracey
Another vote for a great character voice; absolutely love that last line. Nothing in the story hints directly at it, but combined with the photo… I’m going to assume that the horses are sick and that’s why they need to be put down. Sad work, indeed.
I love the show of feminine strength in this. Can’t be easy for a man to write! ;)
I know I’m stating what all have said before but great voice which in turn creates a very atmospheric and believable tale
Last line was good. Changed how I imagined the narrative as gender roles these days are imploding.
Ah! love the twist at the end. And, yes, they do shoot horses.