THE LONE STRANGER
Out of the sun he came, on apparition silhouetted against the setting sun. He seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Nobody actually knew where he was really from. The only remembered seeing him emerging from the sun like a spectre, riding towards us.
Every pair of eyes were turned upon him as he rode into our village. He slowly rode to the town square and dismounted. He was tall and seem to be very strong. But the most prominent feature about him was the iron MASK on his face. It was a very strange thing for a man to have a mask on. However my train of thought was broken by the arrival of the village chief. He cautiously approached the stranger.
"Hello there, stranger."
"Hello Chief."
"What can we do for you ?"
"Have you heard of a bandit called Charlie Chicken ?"
At the mention of the name, murmur broke out among the crowd that had gathered. The stranger had touched a raw nerve. He had mentioned a name taboo to us. He had asked about the bandit that plunders our village every now and then. The crowd now began to surge forward. The chief however stopped them in their tracks with a wave of his hand.
"What is you business with him ?" our chief continued. I could detect a note of resentment in his voice.
"That is my business. Are you going to tell me or not ?"
Before the chief could answer, there came to our ears the beating hoofs of horses. Way over yonder, a large to cloud loomed. Terror suddenly struck my heart ! I recognised it but before I could voice it, somebody had.
"Bandits !" somebody shouted.
On hearing the single word, pandemonium broke out among the crowd. Everybody started to run for cover. In my haste and excitement to get away, I ran straight to the stranger. I looked at him. He was standing there unperturbed by his chaotic surroundings.
"What's going on, boy ?" he asked me.
"Its Charlie Chicken's group, sir. Well, he doesn't lead the group himself. It is probably his right-hand man, Daniel Lowe."
"I see."
The beating hoofs got louder by the minutes. Still the stranger was not fazed by the jaws of death that stared him in the face. As for myself, I stood rooted to the ground unable to move. The bandits soon entered our village. They stopped on seeing the stranger. I recognized some of the bandits. There was Fat Ray, Juicy Jus, Q-cumber, Timotei and Daniel himself. Q-cumber slowly rode towards us.
"Hey, look. There's a Mr. X here."
"Oh ! You want to see Charlie, eh ?" Daniel said.
"Yes, get him here."
"What makes you think he will come ?"
"Because you will fetch him for me !"
The whole gang suddenly burst into laughter. The stranger still stood unmoving as if wanting for something to happen.
"Maybe we ought to bring you to Charlie, in a body bag," continued Daniel, slowly reaching for his gun.
"Go ahead ! Make my day !"
Daniel lunged for his gun. But the stranger was faster. Daniel and two others were dead before they even knew what hit them. Fat Ray fell like a sack of potatoes on to the ground. The rest accept Q-cumber were lying on the ground, dead. Q-cumber still sat on his horse, shaking like a jelly. The stranger turned to him. Q-cumber had a look of sheer terror as the stranger turned to him. His face was deadly pale.
"Don't look so frightened," the stranger said softly, like a mother soothing her child.
"All I want you to do is to go back to Charlie and get him here."
"Q-cumber still sat on his horse, quiet as a mouse."
"Go !" the stranger suddenly shouted.
Q-cumber needed no further encouragement. He rode as fast as he could out of the village. I could see his speeding figure disappeared into the distance.
"Do you think Charlie will come ? I asked.
"Of course he will." replied the stranger.
The stranger's words came true. An hour later, another cloud of dust loomed in the distance. As it got nearer, my heart was beating even faster. This time the group was significantly larger. However, the stranger was prepared. Charlie was at the head of the group !
"So, you wanted to see me."
"See you in hell !" Charlie said drawing his gun.
From where I was hiding I saw the stranger jumped behind a wall. The bandits opened fire at it furiously. Suddenly, shots rang out ! It came from the opposite direction ! Several bandits fell down, dead. I tried to think who had fired those shots. Then it came to me. The stranger had made his way around the village ! More shots rang out. There was utter confusion among the bandits. They fired wildly at every direction where they thought the shots were coming from. But the shots still came. Volley after volley were fired until none of the bandits were left standing except for Charlie himself.
"Come out where I can see you," Charlie shouted. No one answered.
"Come out and face me like a man." Charlie shouted again.
His cries sounded pathetic in the dusty silence. Nobody took up his challenge. He stood there shouting until his voice became horse. Seeing that his efforts was in vain, he became angry and fired wildly in every direction.
"You want me ?"
The stranger suddenly appeared behind Charlie. Charlie spun around his gun ready to fire. Their guns blazed almost instantaneously. Both of them rooted to the ground, unmoving, for what seemed like an eternity. Then Charlie slumped to the ground with a bullet through his heart. The stranger walked over to Charlie's body and stood there for a moment before running away.
The villagers who had gone into hiding came out. They started to cheer when they saw Charlie's body. A scoundrel who had terrorised them will not terrorise them any longer. The chief walked over to the stranger.
"How could we ever thank you ?" he asked.
"No need for that," the stranger said as he mounted his horse.
"Won't you stay a little longer ?" pleaded the chief.
"I can't," the stranger replied and rode out of the village heading west. He rode ever further and finally disappeared into the sunset, mysteriously as he came.
J K L 4S1
Every pair of eyes were turned upon him as he rode into our village. He slowly rode to the town square and dismounted. He was tall and seem to be very strong. But the most prominent feature about him was the iron MASK on his face. It was a very strange thing for a man to have a mask on. However my train of thought was broken by the arrival of the village chief. He cautiously approached the stranger.
"Hello there, stranger."
"Hello Chief."
"What can we do for you ?"
"Have you heard of a bandit called Charlie Chicken ?"
At the mention of the name, murmur broke out among the crowd that had gathered. The stranger had touched a raw nerve. He had mentioned a name taboo to us. He had asked about the bandit that plunders our village every now and then. The crowd now began to surge forward. The chief however stopped them in their tracks with a wave of his hand.
"What is you business with him ?" our chief continued. I could detect a note of resentment in his voice.
"That is my business. Are you going to tell me or not ?"
Before the chief could answer, there came to our ears the beating hoofs of horses. Way over yonder, a large to cloud loomed. Terror suddenly struck my heart ! I recognised it but before I could voice it, somebody had.
"Bandits !" somebody shouted.
On hearing the single word, pandemonium broke out among the crowd. Everybody started to run for cover. In my haste and excitement to get away, I ran straight to the stranger. I looked at him. He was standing there unperturbed by his chaotic surroundings.
"What's going on, boy ?" he asked me.
"Its Charlie Chicken's group, sir. Well, he doesn't lead the group himself. It is probably his right-hand man, Daniel Lowe."
"I see."
The beating hoofs got louder by the minutes. Still the stranger was not fazed by the jaws of death that stared him in the face. As for myself, I stood rooted to the ground unable to move. The bandits soon entered our village. They stopped on seeing the stranger. I recognized some of the bandits. There was Fat Ray, Juicy Jus, Q-cumber, Timotei and Daniel himself. Q-cumber slowly rode towards us.
"Hey, look. There's a Mr. X here."
"Oh ! You want to see Charlie, eh ?" Daniel said.
"Yes, get him here."
"What makes you think he will come ?"
"Because you will fetch him for me !"
The whole gang suddenly burst into laughter. The stranger still stood unmoving as if wanting for something to happen.
"Maybe we ought to bring you to Charlie, in a body bag," continued Daniel, slowly reaching for his gun.
"Go ahead ! Make my day !"
Daniel lunged for his gun. But the stranger was faster. Daniel and two others were dead before they even knew what hit them. Fat Ray fell like a sack of potatoes on to the ground. The rest accept Q-cumber were lying on the ground, dead. Q-cumber still sat on his horse, shaking like a jelly. The stranger turned to him. Q-cumber had a look of sheer terror as the stranger turned to him. His face was deadly pale.
"Don't look so frightened," the stranger said softly, like a mother soothing her child.
"All I want you to do is to go back to Charlie and get him here."
"Q-cumber still sat on his horse, quiet as a mouse."
"Go !" the stranger suddenly shouted.
Q-cumber needed no further encouragement. He rode as fast as he could out of the village. I could see his speeding figure disappeared into the distance.
"Do you think Charlie will come ? I asked.
"Of course he will." replied the stranger.
The stranger's words came true. An hour later, another cloud of dust loomed in the distance. As it got nearer, my heart was beating even faster. This time the group was significantly larger. However, the stranger was prepared. Charlie was at the head of the group !
"So, you wanted to see me."
"See you in hell !" Charlie said drawing his gun.
From where I was hiding I saw the stranger jumped behind a wall. The bandits opened fire at it furiously. Suddenly, shots rang out ! It came from the opposite direction ! Several bandits fell down, dead. I tried to think who had fired those shots. Then it came to me. The stranger had made his way around the village ! More shots rang out. There was utter confusion among the bandits. They fired wildly at every direction where they thought the shots were coming from. But the shots still came. Volley after volley were fired until none of the bandits were left standing except for Charlie himself.
"Come out where I can see you," Charlie shouted. No one answered.
"Come out and face me like a man." Charlie shouted again.
His cries sounded pathetic in the dusty silence. Nobody took up his challenge. He stood there shouting until his voice became horse. Seeing that his efforts was in vain, he became angry and fired wildly in every direction.
"You want me ?"
The stranger suddenly appeared behind Charlie. Charlie spun around his gun ready to fire. Their guns blazed almost instantaneously. Both of them rooted to the ground, unmoving, for what seemed like an eternity. Then Charlie slumped to the ground with a bullet through his heart. The stranger walked over to Charlie's body and stood there for a moment before running away.
The villagers who had gone into hiding came out. They started to cheer when they saw Charlie's body. A scoundrel who had terrorised them will not terrorise them any longer. The chief walked over to the stranger.
"How could we ever thank you ?" he asked.
"No need for that," the stranger said as he mounted his horse.
"Won't you stay a little longer ?" pleaded the chief.
"I can't," the stranger replied and rode out of the village heading west. He rode ever further and finally disappeared into the sunset, mysteriously as he came.
J K L 4S1
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