Quiet Solitude
The sun was starting to set as Johnny decided stop and make camp. His horse picked up a rock earlier and seemed to be favoring that hoof. The weather turned quite cold, causing Johnny to shiver as he relieved the horse of saddle and pack. He secured the horse at a small copse of trees near by.
'Well, this is as good a place as any to make camp and let Chieftain rest.'
Johnny busied himself collecting stones for the fire ring as well as as a nice supply of wood. As he built the fire he looked across at the hills further up as the snow covered the tops. He shivered again and pulled his heavy coat closer to himself. He had started the fire and watched as the smoke drifted upward. Johnny started a pot of strong coffee, and sat back. The aroma of the coffee mingled with the smoke from the fire.
He started thinking about the job Murdoch sent him on. He argued that Scott is better at negotiating contracts, but Murdoch insisted he go.
'I wonder if the old man will be happy that I got the contract for him. I'm right pleased with what I did. I really want to make Murdoch proud of me and see I can hold up my end of the bargain.'
He was interrupted from his thoughts when a rabbit sped past him into the thicket. “You better hurry home to your family. I may decide to make you my dinner.”
Johnny returned to his thoughts as he pulled out a pack of biscuits gifted to him by Mr. Purdy's wife as he has a meal with the Purdy's after signing the contract. As he munched and enjoyed his coffee, something hit his head. He looked up and saw two squirrels fighting. They had evidently lost the object of their battle. “Hey, watch it. I'm down here ya know.” The battle continued.
The temperature was still dropping and the wind was picking up. He shivered again and put more wood on the fire. 'Dang, it's really getting cold. Scott may like this weather but give me a roaring fire in the great room any time.'
The sun was setting, causing color to paint the snow. The trees up on the hill were casting shadows like long fingers on the snow. The wind was causing the dried leaves to swirl along ground like school children at play. Johnny set back and looked up to notice one lone leaf left in the tree near camp. As he watched it Johnny thought about how the tree shook loose all the other leaves but for one. As he thought, the leaf broke loose from the branch and fell to the ground. 'The last leaf is gone now.' For reasons known only to him, that made him sad.
Johnny was shaken from his thoughts when he felt something wet on his face. He looked up and soft snow was falling. “Really? Ya couldn't wait til I got home?” Johnny checked on Chieftain and gathered some more wood for the night.
As the snow was falling, Johnny noticed how quiet it was. The squirrels stopped their chatter, the wind was not howling as much and even the noisy leaves stopped their dance. The quiet was so relaxing, almost like everything stopped to watch the snow fall. The snow was catching on Johnny's hair and incredibly long lashes as he watched it starting to make a blanket on the ground.
'I'll never tell Scott, but this is nice; it is still too cold.'
The snow slacked off and Johnny kept the fire roaring. Night fell and he was able to get some shut eye. In the morning he was awakened by the chirping of a bird up in the bare tree. “Well good morning, you sound happy.” He stirred the embers of the fire warming up his coffee. As he grabbed another biscuit he checked the horse's hoof and it seemed he would be okay.
After putting out the fire he collected his saddle and pack ready to head home. He patted his coat front feeling the contract safely in place. He smiled. “Well boy, let's go see what the old man thinks of this.”
Johnny saddled up and headed home.
The End
1/31/25
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