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Order this writing in the collection book Life on the Edge this huge volume is available for only $2395 |
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This appears in a pre-2010 issue
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THE RED NOOSE
Mel Waldman
I met Billy three years ago in a desert town filled with human rats hungry fer my blood. He saved my life. Just as one rat called Crazy Joe was about to blow me away, Billy suddenly appeared with a slick shiny piece aimed at Crazy Joe.
“Drop the gun!” Billy ordered Crazy Joe.
“Not your business, Kid.”
“Drop it!”
“Ya wanna die with this here fool?”
“What he done?”
“Stole Sue Anne from me.”
“Guess she ain’t never was yers.”
Somethin’ real crazy musta happen inside Joe’s fried brain cause he turned from me quick an’ aimed his piece at Billy. Before he could pull the trigga, Billy shot him dead. Joe’s buddies backed away real quick. Billy was fasta then lightning. Yet with his blond hair and blue eyes he kinda looked like an angel-not a killa. My guardian angel!
We became buddies. Hung out together. Drank ourselves silly. Partied till dawn. An’ one day, he tole me ‘bout Annie. Even Billy had fell in love. Real hard. Ain’t that somethin’?
Back in Death Valley, Billy fell in love with Annie. Annie was a little woman with flamin’ red hair. An’ she was Sheriff Tom’s daughta. When Billy arrived in Death Valley, Annie was still mournin’ for John Murray, her fiancé, who had vanished suddenly the year before. Murray was a bounty hunta. An’ Sheriff Tom hated him. Some folks think there was foul play. Maybe the sheriff murdered Murray. No one was good enuf fer his daughta. ‘Specially a man like John. Then Billy arrived an’ helped Annie forget her lost love.
Billy swore he was an innocent kid back then. Maybe. But the way he killed Crazy Joe, ya know he ain’t no sweet kid no more.
Sheriff Tom looked at Billy with murderous eyes. ‘Specially when Annie announced her love for Billy. He warned Annie and threatened Billy. Town folks didn’t get involved.
Then the night Billy and Annie was gonna run away, Annie vanished. Sheriff Tom searched fer Annie fer days. Couldn’t find her.
Sheriff Tom thought real deep. Then he figured it out. Billy an’ Annie musta had this real big fight. An’ Billy killed his daughta. No matta there wasn’t no body. Sheriff Tom knew Billy done killed his baby.
He went to Billy’s place an’ arrested him. But he didn’t take Billy to the jail house. Sheriff Tom took Billy to his farm. An’ tied him up in the barn.
“Gonna hang ya high, Billy!”
“Didn’t do nothin’, Sheriff!”
“Ya killed my baby!”
“I love Annie.”
“My baby’s dead! And so will you be come sunset.”
It was a dog day afternoon so Sheriff Tom kept the barn door open. The heat was oppressive. He worked fer hours makin’ the noose and settin’ it up just right in the barn. He mounted his horse Silva an’ checked ta see that the noose would easily slip ‘round Billy’s neck. Five times he tried an’ still the hot noose swung too high from the roof.
“Ya dumb nose!” he cried out. “Why can’t ya hang right?”
‘Bout an hour ‘fore sunset, the wind started howlin’ real mean an’ the sky turned black. Billy said he heard thunda an’ maybe saw some lightnin’ too. Storm was comin’ fer sure.
“Billy Boy! Don’t ya worry, son. You be dead ‘fore the storm comes. I promise.”
Sheriff Tom mounted Silva ‘gain. Billy listened to the wild wind as he watched his executiona fix the noose once more. In the distance, Billy heard the storm comin’. Yet Silva looked real calm as she carried Sheriff Tom to the noose.
Sittin’ nice an’ easy on Silva, Sheriff Tom slipped his head into the noose. It fit just right fer the very first time. An’ then it happened!
The wild wind rushed close to the barn like a roaring bull. An’ Silva got scared. She kicked an’ jumped real mean ‘til she threw Sheriff Tom offa her. But his body didn’t fall far cause his neck slipped tight into the magnificent noose he created. An’ his round creation killed him fast. He hanged high at the center of the barn. An’ Silva galloped off into the storm.
Billy said his azure eyes nearly popped out when he saw his executiona accidentally hang himself. Guess you could say the storm killed the sheriff. Cause the wild wind drove Silva crazy an’ then Sheriff Tom fell deep into the Devil’s noose he made. It happened that way. Could say it was both the storm and the sheriiff’s madness that did him in.
Billy saw the sheriff die an’ then he watched the corpse swing back an’ forth fer hours. He was headin’ fer death too. He smelled it. Soon, he’d be just like the foul thing hangin’ ‘bove.
The storm entered the barn, followed by a stranga. He was tall an’ muscular an’ had a long scar ‘cross his left cheek. His eyes were dark brown.
“Just passin’ by when this here crazy stallion leaped out into the storm. Nearly killed me an’ my horse. Figured there was trouble inside.”
The stranga looked at the corpse. “Guess his troubles are ova.”
The stranga didn’t ask no questions. He untied Billy. Noticed a real pretty ring on Billy’s right fourth finga. Gold ring with a “B” carved in.
“Real pretty ring.”
“It’s yers, stranga.” An’ Billy gave him the ring.
“You betta leave now. ‘Fore he be found. Take my horse.”
“Can’t leave.”
“Go, kid. Whatever happened here... Hell, it can only get worse when he be found.”
“What ‘bout you?”
“Gonna leave in the mornin’.”
“If they find you...”
“I’ll take my chances.”
“What’s yer name, stranga?”
“Job.”
“A biblical name fer a righteous man. I owe you, Job.”
“An’ what might yer name be, fella?”
“Billy Budd.”
“Go now, Billy Budd! Into the storm an’ away from Death!”
“Storm might kill me, Job.”
“Maybe. But stayin here will get you the rope.”
“Ain’t you curious what happened? Why he be dead? Why he be tied up?”
“No.”
“Goodbye, Job.”
“Good luck, Billy Budd. The storm will protect you.”
An’ Job was right. The storm gave Billy time-time an’ space ‘tween him an’ the posse.
An’ Billy became an outlaw. In the beginnin’, he was an innocent boy. Till they chased him from Death Valley all the way to New Mexico. ‘Fore he arrived in New Mexico, he killed a lota men. Then he saved my life.
We became buddies. ‘Til we split. He promised to be my best man when I married Sue Anne. Then a stray bullet durin’ a gun fight took her life.
Billy stayed in New Mexico an’ died young. I headed north. Ended up in northern Cal. Found me a small town name of Eve. An’ a real sweet saloon called The Red Noose. Went in, asked fer a Scotch on the rocks an’ drifted off to a heavenly place.
“Feelin’ good, stranga?”
Looked up an’ there she was-one of the prettiest gals I ever set eyes upon. With flamin’ red hair.
“Who might you be?”
“The owner of this saloon.”
“Itza plezur ta drink in yer saloon.”
“Thank you, stranga.”
Almost introduced myself. But someone yelled: “Hey, Annie. Come on ova here real quick.” An’ Annie rushed off.
He was tall and muscular an’ had a long scar ‘cross his left cheek. His eyes were dark brown. He looked familiar.
“Hey, Job,” I shouted.
He looked my way. “Name’s John, stranga.”
I walked ova to him an’ Annie. “Thought you was someone else.”
“Yeah.”
I noticed a gold ring on his right fourth finga-with a “B” carved in. Looked into his dark brown eyes an’ said: “Yer real name’s John Murray. Once you went by the name of Job. Rescued an ol’ buddy named Billy. Thanks, John.”
They looked at me-real close and intense. Then they invited me to a private table in the back. Tole me the sheriff almost killed John. Cut him up an’ left him fer dead. He returned the night Annie was to leave with Billy. John was her first love so she ran off with him. Left Billy behind. An’ the sheriff too-thinkin’ she was dead.
“He mighta died.”
“Came back to rescue him. Seems the storm saved his life.”
“Two of you killed him. Made him into an outlaw.”
“We were in love,” Annie said, her guilty eyes lookin’ away.
“I released him,” John added.
“You killed him!”
I stood up an’ sauntered off. Didn’t look back. Wanted to kill them both. Didn’t. Wouldn’t know how. Once, I loved a woman too. Almost got me killed. Billy saved my life. Back in New Mexico where he ended up.
Destiny’s weird. They created an outlaw who traveled to New Mexico an’ saved my life. If they hadn’t set him up, I’d be dead! So in a way, they killed Billy but saved my life.
I left The Red Noose and neva returned. Years lata, I found me love ‘gain. Then I found the real red noose. It ain’t no place. Just a happy, yellow state of mind that eventually makes a man crazy.
Love’s the noose you gotta fear. Nothin’ else. But don’t tell my wife. She might turn red!
