Noose Jumpers: A Mythological Western by Cooley Trevor H

Author:Cooley, Trevor H. [Cooley, Trevor H.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2016-07-15T04:00:00+00:00

Luke slept until mid-morning and awoke less sure of his direction than he had been the night before. The Stranger’s ridicule of his plan to join up with Sandy grated on him, but at the same time it made sense. Turning down the chance to make $35,000? It was more money than he had ever dreamt of owning.

Tom spent the day telling Luke more about his plan, outlining every aspect and going over every contingency. Luke had to admit that the scheme was well put together. It seemed like it could work. Perhaps the Stranger had been right.

He probably would have agreed to the deal before dinner if he hadn’t been so frustrated with all the accidents that kept happening. As he was putting on his vest that morning, two more buttons had popped off. Then, when he was sitting down to sew them back on, his cot collapsed and he jabbed the needle right through his finger.

That was just the beginning. Throughout the day it was as if the ground itself was conspiring against him. Luke kept tripping over nothing at all and every rock he stepped on shifted about. He rolled his right ankle twice and the last time he did it, the heel of his right boot popped right off. Without any way to fix it, he’d been forced to use his old worn boots.

He went to bed that night grumbling and slept fitfully; his dreams chaotic and troubling. Luke awoke the second morning with nerves already frazzled. At breakfast, a bird pooped on his flapjacks. Later, he raided one of his stashes for a flask of mescal. He opened his flask and took a drink only to discover that the interior of the flask had rusted out.

He spat out the dusty brown liquid. “Damn you, Tom!”

“What?” Tom asked. He was sitting not far away, playing solitaire.

“Everything’s wrong!” he shouted.

Tom bared his teeth at the Kid who was reclining nearby, quite happy with himself. He then turned a look of innocence Luke’s way. “Is this somehow my fault?”

“It feels like it’s your fault,” Luke said accusingly.

“That don’t make sense,” Tom said with a laugh. “I’m sitting here minding my own self. I didn’t . . . do whatever burned you just now.”

“No, but things aren’t sitting well with me right now and I’m pretty sure you’re somehow to blame,” Luke said.

“Well, I ain’t pranking you if that’s what you think,” Tom replied. “I haven’t done that since we were kids. Besides, why would I do that? We have a job to plan and little time to do it. I don’t want you pissed off.”

“Well, maybe that’s part of it,” Luke said, his frustration causing his thoughts to spill right through his mind and out his mouth. “Sometimes things just aren’t right. Maybe all this stuff that’s happening is God’s way to tell me that this is one of those times.”

“You’re relying on God now?” Tom scoffed.

Luke glared. “Sandy is out there looking for a way to beat

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