Blackthorne--Episode 94

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Blackthorne

Cinemagenic Ninety-Four

Three’s a Crowd

“Life, too, is like that. You live it forward, but

understand it backward.”--Anonymous.

1(sound cue) piano and harmonica.

2(cut to overhead drone shot) the three of them, 

with the team shuffling and bobbing their heads, 

their golden necks arched, their white manes and 

tails catching the breeze.

3(three shot) Buck: Uh-huh, we could do that. Hell,

we can go into the big house and take the sheets

off the dining room table.

Johnny: Christ, boss, that would be dustier than

out here. We’re not set up yet for company.

4(medium close up) Buck, all smiles, removing his hat,

and wiping his brow, and the inside of the hat band

with a red bandana: Well, compadre, this lovely lass

has swallowed a lot of dust coming all the way out 

here. So let’s not be rude. Let’s take some time off,

find some shade, and get after those vittles.

5(sound cue) violins.

6( cut to a three-shot) Salina began to look around for

a nearby pool of shade. Buck was staring at Johnny,

waiting for him to respond. The Eagle raised his chin,

and wiped the sweat from his neck. Silence reigned

for a elongated moment as they inhabited the

awkwardness.

7(sound cue) horses snorting, tack creaking, the 

springs complaining under the carriage seat as Salina

shifted her weight, free range chickens clucking, over

the sweet strings.

8(close up) Johnny: The truth is that I’ve got a lot of

chores to do around here, and my boss can be a real

asshole about slacking off. So why don’t you kids

leave me a couple pieces of chicken, and you two

skeedaddle off to the lake, and have yourselves a

proper picnic?

9( medium wide shot) Salina spurted out: I won’t

hear of it. I purposely packed this lunch for the three

of us, and I can’t see why all three of us don’t dash off 

to the lake for an hour. Will the ranch fall down if you

take a noon break?

Buck, looking slyly at the Eagle: Johnny, don’t

be silly. You don’t need to stay here. 

Johnny: No, I’ve made up my mind. You two

need to pound leather before you lose the beauty

of the day. Now, go--get out of here.

Salina laughed as Buck reached into the basket

after some fried chicken. Are you sure that you

want it this way?

Johnny nodded, smiling widely. Buck handed him

two hefty golden crusted pieces of chicken. Johnny

bit into one immediately, and said around the stringy
white meat: Can both of you swim?

Buck and Salina looked at each other.

Johnny: I’m going to be kind of busy around here, 

and I won’t have time to gallop up to the lake in

the event one of you falls in.

Buck winked at him, and climbed up on the seat

alongside Salina Wallace.

Johnny: Here, take the Winchester. You might could

run into some varmints along the way.

10(sound cue) guitar and banjo--joyfully.

Salina gave Buck the black dyed rawhide fancy reins,

and he swung the pair of palominos to the left, heading

east, past the barn, along a cowpath that hadn’t been

used for years. Cheewa chased after them. The Eagle

watched until they passed from sight behind a low mesa;

a midnight black carriage pulled by golden horses 

followed by an ebony dog--three shadow figures

shimmering in a world of mirage heat, distorted by the

distance, blending together as they dropped out of sight.

Glenn Buttkus

Posted over at dVerse Poets Pub OLN