{"id":1213,"date":"2024-01-29T03:01:26","date_gmt":"2024-01-29T11:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandyjuker.com\/?page_id=1213"},"modified":"2024-01-29T03:02:47","modified_gmt":"2024-01-29T11:02:47","slug":"1213-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sandyjuker.com\/?page_id=1213","title":{"rendered":"Flash Fiction – Just Another Lie"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A Story Written in a FLASH!
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Inspired by Flash Fiction Friday prompt words.<\/em><\/h5>\n

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Just Another Lie<\/h1>\n

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Dark clouds divided the sky, like tumbleweeds trapped in barbwire divide the prairie. Saddling Pepper and galloping away from the barn seemed like a good idea an hour ago. But now, Jesse reined in the wet Appaloosa. <\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cTake it easy Pepper.\u201d His soothing voice calmed the horse as he guided him under a big oak known as The Hangman\u2019s Tree. He swung his leg over the back of the saddle and gripped the horn until he was ready to slide to the ground. Jesse was tall for eight, but 15 hands was a long drop and he landed hard.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

He sucked in a shaky breath, tucked his chin to his chest, and muttered, \u201cI\u2019m in so much trouble.\u201d The thump of his forehead on Pepper\u2019s neck echoed his guilt.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry I didn\u2019t spread fresh straw in your stall.\u201d His hand slid through Pepper\u2019s silky mane. \u201cYou aren\u2019t mad at me, are you, Pep? Not like Pa when he finds out I lied.\u201d<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The Appaloosa\u2019s mane ruffled as he shook his head and nudged Jesse with the soft whiskers of his muzzle.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cThanks Pep.\u201d Jesse patted the horse’s jaws and glanced down the road toward home. He shivered and plopped down beside the ancient tree. The rough bark chafed his back like Grandma\u2019s scrub brush on Saturday night. He wrapped both arms around his knees and gripped Pepper\u2019s reins snug in his hands. \u201cI can\u2019t ever go home after running away. Pa\u2019s gonna be madder than tarnation.\u201d<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Jesse looked up into the branches of The Hangman\u2019s Tree. According to his big brother, fourteen outlaws had been hanged here. Frank said, \u201cSee those gouges? Those are from the ropes digging into the bark as the outlaws kicked and jerked until they were dead.\u201d<\/o:p><\/p>\n

A shudder rattled Jesse\u2019s shoulders. Why did I lie to Pa? <\/i>He rested his head on his knees and closed his eyes.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

***<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Jesse jerked in fits while rough hands slipped a noose over his head. A masked cowboy ranted about horse thieves, and raved about ranch hands who didn\u2019t earn their pay.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t hang me!\u201d Jesse spat the anguished words. \u201cI didn\u2019t kill nobody.\u201d He tugged against the rope that secured his hands. \u201cPlease, mister, I\u2019ll do my work.\u201d<\/o:p><\/p>\n

A strong hand gripped his shoulder. \u201cSit still. You\u2019re gonna hurt yourself.\u201d The firm voice, like a kick to the chest, stopped Jesse\u2019s breathing. He gasped for air, and reached for the nonexistent noose, glaring at the head silhouetted by the moon.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the hell are you doing out here?\u201d Frank released his little brother\u2019s shoulder and stood up, the moon now lighting his face.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Jesse blinked and sucked in gulps of cool night air. \u201cFranky! I thought you were\u2014\u201d<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Frank snickered. \u201cYou thought I was gonna hang ya? Well, maybe I should. Everyone has been out looking for you.\u201d He stretched a hand out to his little brother.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Jesse\u2019s voice quivered as he gripped Frank\u2019s hand. \u201cIs Pa mad at me?\u201d<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, he\u2019s mad. Ma\u2019s all worked up and blaming him for whatever made you run off.\u201d Frank boosted Jesse into the saddle. \u201cWhy did you run away?\u201d <\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cUm. Um.\u201d Jesse tucked his chin and sucked in a big breath. He looked into his brother\u2019s eyes. \u201cI was afraid Pa would find out I lied.\u201d<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that must\u2019ve been some whopper.\u201d Frank mounted his own horse. \u201cWhat did you lie about?\u201d<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cI told Pa I finished my chores.\u201d Jesse hung his head, avoiding his brother\u2019s burning gaze. \u201cBut I didn\u2019t straw Pepper\u2019s stall.\u201d<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Frank reined his horse in a circle and sidled up close to Pepper. He placed a hand on Jesse\u2019s saddle horn. \u201cYou didn\u2019t steal nothing or break one of Ma\u2019s fancy goblets or sneak off to kiss a girl?\u201d His head fell back and boisterous laughter cut through the night.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Tears filled Jesse\u2019s eyes. \u201cI didn\u2019t do none of those things, but I lied.\u201d<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cWow. You\u2019re something else, little brother. Pa doesn\u2019t even know you lied.\u201d Frank backed his horse away from Pepper. \u201cJust don\u2019t tell Pa, and he won\u2019t have any reason to be mad.\u201d With a kick to the gelding\u2019s flank, he rode off toward home.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Pepper stepped from foot to foot. Jesse slouched in the saddle. If I don\u2019t tell Pa, he won\u2019t know that I lied.<\/i> The moon reflected off his sixteen-year-old brother\u2019s back until he rounded the bend, out of sight. I can tell Ma and Pa that I went for a ride and got caught in the rain. Then nobody will be mad. <\/i>He turned the horse toward home. But that\u2019s just another lie.<\/i><\/o:p><\/p>\n

Jesse loped Pepper back to the barn where he scattered the half bale of straw he\u2019d ignored that morning. After wrestling the saddle onto the rack, he took his time currying Pepper\u2019s spotted hide. With a final stroke he said, \u201cGood night, Pep, I guess I best go to the house.\u201d<\/o:p><\/p>\n

As soon as he opened the kitchen door, his mother rushed to hug him. She smelled of fresh bread, and Jesse\u2019s stomach rumbled. Over her shoulder, he locked eyes with his brother, who raised his eyebrows and clamped a hand over his mouth.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

His father waited at the table, a foot tapping on the floorboards.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you okay? Are you hungry?\u201d Ma held him at arm\u2019s length, her hands warm on his shoulders. The tapping of Pa\u2019s foot seemed louder.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cCome over here, son.\u201d Pa\u2019s foot went silent. \u201cWhere have you been?\u201d<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Ma gave Jesse a nudge, then crossed the room to stand behind Pa.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Jesse stared at his boots, and then glanced at Frank, whose head shook slightly from side to side.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cWell?\u201d Pa leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his eyes level with Jesse\u2019s.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cI, I\u2026\u201d Jesse swallowed, clenched his fists and lied. \u201cI got caught in the rain\u2026\u201d<\/o:p><\/p>\n

***<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Epilogue: That lie led to many. Jesse and Frank James were notorious for their lies, bank holdups and train robberies.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

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A Story Written in a FLASH! Inspired by Flash Fiction Friday prompt words.Just Another LieDark clouds divided the sky, like tumbleweeds trapped in barbwire divide the prairie. Saddling Pepper and galloping away from the barn seemed like a good idea an hour ago. But now, Jesse reined in the wet Appaloosa. \u201cTake it easy Pepper.\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_ti_tpc_template_sync":false,"_ti_tpc_template_id":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1213","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandyjuker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandyjuker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandyjuker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandyjuker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandyjuker.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1213"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sandyjuker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1217,"href":"https:\/\/sandyjuker.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1213\/revisions\/1217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandyjuker.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}