HEADING WEST
originally published in TALES OF THE WEIRD WEST #5 by Rainfall Chapbooks 2017 Lester scratched himself and gazed out on the world with fresh eyes. A distant sun rose from the east, casting its pale gold across the prairie grass. He smelled the coffee and bacon his mother was cooking over the fire back near the wagons. They had traveled over a thousand miles, riding in those two wagons. Lester and his mother and father and two brothers. His little sister, the baby of the family, had died shortly after setting out from Montgomery, casting a shadow over their long journey. Lester had learned to cherish this brief time of day, when he could be alone, just to watch the sun rise and not have to think about anything. Just breathe the air and feel the soft warmth of sleep slowly receding. “Come on now,” his father called to him. “Eat your breakfast and get the teams hitched.” Lester turned back to the wagons. His two brot...