THE GAME

 THE GAME

By Terri

12th in The Surprise Series

 

 

This story can be read without reading the other SURPRISE stories, but there might be some references that don’t make sense. Of course, this whole story doesn’t make sense!

 

Thank you to my beta, Lacy

 

Chapter Six

 

 

“Is there a problem?” Scott asked as he walked over to where his brother and Teresa were sitting. Both of them looked distinctly uncomfortable.

Johnny looked at him in disbelief. “Except for the fact that the ranch is destroyed, we were almost killed by Teresa’s vegetables, the locusts are eating everything that’s left and will probably eat us as soon as they figure out we taste good, then yeah, everything’s just fine and dandy. Just want you to know how much I’m enjoying your game.”

“You don’t have to be sarcastic.”

“Scott,” Johnny said softly. “If you don’t get this game finished right now, we’re gonna have a REAL catastrophe on our hands.”

Scott’s eyebrows went up. “As opposed to the disaster we’re having now?”

Johnny nodded seriously.  

“What could possibly be worse?”

Johnny glanced over at Teresa. “I had coffee for dinner.”

Scott threw up his hands. His brother had finally lost it. “What in the world does that have to do with anything?”

Jelly started sniggering. “Yep. I’d say you were both in a heap of trouble. Now if ya ask me…”

“We’re not!” Johnny and Teresa yelled in unison.

Johnny looked uncomfortably at his sister. “Actually, Teresa had coffee too.”

Teresa gasped and covered her mouth as she stared at her brother in horror. “You didn’t!”

“No, you did!” Johnny retorted.

Scott shook his head. “You have both lost your minds. What makes drinking coffee such a disaster?”

Jelly chuckled. “Well, Scott. It ain’t so much the drinking. It’s the…”

“JELLY!” Johnny and Teresa yelled.

Scott’s eyes widened as he finally realized what they were trying to get across to him. He looked at them in horror, then grabbed the dice and shoved them into Teresa’s hand. “Throw them!”

Teresa nodded and dropped the dice.

Scott read the message aloud.

 

“These guys are fun, or so it’s said. But before they’re through you’ll be seeing red.”

 

“Oh joy,” Johnny muttered. “More fun. Just be sure you keep your guns ready.”

“Is that your answer to everything?” Scott asked in exasperation. “Guns haven’t helped us much so far.”

“Don’t worry, they will sooner or later,” Johnny stated.

“Pessimist!”

“Yep.”

“Do ya see anything?” Jelly asked as he looked around.

“Not yet,” Scott replied. “Anybody else see anything?”

“Just that there’s not one blade of Murdoch’s precious grass left as far as the eye can see, and those locusts are doing a pretty good job of destroying the buildings.  They’re eating everything,” Johnny observed.

Jelly spoke up.  “They sure are.” He scratched his head, “I wonder if monkeys eat grasshoppers.”

Scott looked at him in bewilderment. “Why would you wonder that?”

Jelly shrugged. “Cause if they do, we might be in luck. Look over at the barn.”

“Oh! They’re cute!” Teresa exclaimed when she saw dozens of monkeys on the roof. ‘I always thought it would be fun to have one as a pet!”

Johnny brought his rifle up and aimed it at one of the animals.

“Johnny Lancer! What do you think you’re doing! Don’t you DARE hurt one hair on their cute little heads!” Teresa shouted.

He brought the gun down and sighed. “I’m going to regret this.”

“Do you think you can get up there and catch one for me?” Teresa asked.

“You want me to climb up on the roof in this?” Johnny asked, pointing at his skirt. “Besides, I can guarantee they’ll be coming a lot closer.”

“Why do you think that?” Scott asked. “Wild animals are usually pretty skittish.”

“Because they can’t make us miserable if they stay away.”

“Looks like there’s a lot more inside the barn,” Jelly observed.

“Maybe they’ll decide to play with Barranca. It’ll be the last thing they do,” Johnny smirked.

“Hey Johnny, didn’t we leave our saddles on the fence right in front of the barn?” Scott asked.

“Yeah, why?”

 “I don’t see them.”

Johnny squinted his eyes as he looked at the rail by the barn. It was covered with grasshoppers. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he noticed two bug covered lumps in the middle of the rail. Even as he watched, the lumps got smaller. “Those damn grasshoppers are eating our saddles!”

“Maybe you’d better go get Barranca out of the stall. You don’t want him to get eaten,” Jelly said worriedly. “Scott maybe you better get Charlie too.”

“I think you might be right,” Scott said. “Come on Johnny. Let’s go rescue our horses.”

Johnny snorted. “Charlie might need rescuing, but Barranca can take care of himself.”

Suddenly, the doors to the barn slammed open, and Barranca came running out, bucking as he came.  There was a monkey on his back, one on top of his head, and one hanging from his tail.

“Barranca,” Johnny yelled. The horse started to turn towards his owner, but the monkey on his back smacked him, and the beleaguered horse headed for the hills, with Charlie tagging along behind.

“TRAITOR!” Johnny yelled.

Johnny and Scott watched glumly as their horse disappeared.

“Well, why should we need horses? Don’t have any saddles!” Johnny raved.

Scott nodded sadly. Hearing a noise behind him, he whipped around just in time to see a monkey running off with the board.

“HEY!” Scott yelled. “That monkey just stole our game!”

“GET HIM!” Teresa yelled.

Scott and Johnny took off after the animal as he scampered toward the barn. After four or five steps, Johnny’s feet got caught up in his skirt, and he tumbled to the ground, taking his brother with him.

“It’s getting away!” Teresa screeched.

“Johnny, Scott, hurry up We need that board!” Jelly hollered.

Scott jumped to his feet and held out his hand to his brother.

“Nope,” Johnny said firmly.

“What do you mean ‘no’?  That monkey is getting away!”

“Yep.”

“Do you want to be stuck in that body the rest of your life?”

“Hey! What’s wrong with my body?” Teresa chimed in.

“Absolutely nothing,” Johnny answered. “And there’s nothing wrong with my body, either.”

“What are you talking about?” Scott asked impatiently.

Johnny shook his head. “Scott, why doesn’t Jelly go out and work the range with us?”

Scott looked bewildered at the change of subject. “Well, he’s done enough hard work. He can’t do what we can do anymore and he shouldn’t have to.”

Johnny nodded. “And why isn’t Teresa out bulldogging calves and bustin’ broncs?”

“Because Murdoch would kill anyone who even suggested it.”

“Those things are a little hard to do in skirts!” Teresa argued.

“Exactly. It’s too hard to do in skirts.” Johnny nodded toward Scott. “They’re in our bodies. Our perfectly healthy, strong bodies. You and I, on the other hand, are stuck in these. Let them climb up on the barn!”

Scott looked at Jelly and Teresa as he thought about it. Finally he nodded. “Brother, for once I think you’re right.” He smiled at the other two. “Come get us when you catch that monkey. I think I need a nap.”

 

to be continued