text: ### Musket Whines ###### 6 min read - 1264 words Quiet as it was, you could hear a baby takin' it's first breath out in the street that mornin'. I wasn't no liar and I'd be damned if I'd let that bitch steal my horse without no say so on my part. Velvet meant the world to me and I wasn't about to concede to no horse thievin' whore over the say so of an ol' drunkard. They called me Fire in my brothel tendin' days, on account of my hair, and Velvet was my prize. She was my escape. The day I knew I was done makin' men satisfied in exchange for dignity, I offered a trade for my services, the exchange being Velvet. You could get you'self a shit foal for ten dollars. Velvet was priceless in my eyes. Within a day, Sherry was at my door, falsely accusin' me of stealin' her man and her horse. Sherry kept comin' round, spreadin' evil words and I'd had enough. I says you want my horse, you goin' to have to kill me for her. That's how it all started. My beloved horse and a lying, no good, whore. So here I was, standin' back to back with the devil's wife herself, pistol in hand, ready to die for my ride to a better life, wonderin' if I'd made the right choice. A crowd had gathered, account of drunkard's mouths always bein' open, and I was uneasy about the short path layin' ahead of me. My heart pounded away like the hooves of a thousan' horses. If Sherry didn't do me in, my heart just might. Pistol to my chest, I could barely hear the words the Deputy Sheriff statin' the rules of the duel over my heart poundin' away, but I knew the rules. Ten steps and I'll be sending the devils wife back to her fiery rockin' chair. I could back down, but the world wasn't built for cowards an' I'd lose Velvet and my ticket out of this hell hole. "One!" I took my first step, mind racin' and retracin' my childhood. I thought about my father leavin' me as a baby in the care of strangers in this harsh, cruel world. From what I hear, my father was more interested in the bottom of a bottle than raisin' a child. If Sherry wasn't shittin' herself now, she would be soon. Fuckin' liar. "Two!" Another step. First home I can remember was just four walls and a loft of hay to sleep in. Damn strangers already had 'nough children and treated me like I was just another animal in the Goddamn barn. If they hadn't of had chickens, I'd probably had died of starvation. Raw eggs taste like snot, but it's better than an empty stomach. "Three!" I remember the orchard out back behind the barn. The days after school spent cryin' and wonderin' why kids were the devils spawn, teasin' my hair and freckles. I miss the taste of apples and peaches already. If we get through this, Velvet can have all the apples she want's, from here 'til kingdom come. "Four!" The steps are coming automatically. I think of the fields of hay and my muddy, tattered clothes as I hid from that abusive, piece of shit, fondlin' me all the time an' tellin' me to settle down. When I'm done blowin' Sherries head clear off, I'm comin' for you next. "Five!" I'd turn now and send that bitch packin' if it wasn't for the crowd and the Deputy watchin'. If I miss that whore and she get's the better of me, I'll be damned if someone else don't do her in for me. Not like she's done anyone in this town any favors, accusin' everyone and everything of fuckin' up her life. "Six!" I see the sign above the saloon doors swingin' in the breeze and some drunkard spit's tobacco while leanin' on the s'loon door. Anyone who wasn't in the street before is makin' there way out here now, ready for a spectacle to begin. I may have been an ugly child, but I grew into my own and I can see the wanderin' eyes watchin', wonderin' if I'll be back in there solicitin' a bed. "Seven!" Well if Sherry ain't shit herself by now, she sure as hell 'bout to. Hell, I'm having a hard time keepin' my whits 'bout me. Ain't no one in this town know'd me to be the lyin' type, but I said I'd die for Velvet and that's a promise I intend to keep. Nothin' in this world ever meant much to me, God knows ain't no one befriended me for the sake of doin' so. Velvet will change all that. She may not be human, but she's a good horse and a worthy companion. "Eight!" I can feel the sweat beadin' across my brow. The sun is bright and hot, leavin' me worse for the wear. A dress might have been cooler, but ain't no one to impress and I intend to get while the gettin's good when I'm done killin' a bitch. I remember the first time I saw a man die in this street, and the feelin's are lessened each time I take witness to it. "Nine!" I can see the crowd fidgetin' among themselves. They're like a fox that's happened upon a hen house, pacing with the eagerness of knowin' blood is 'bout to be shed. I can see a child pullin' at his momma's dress and wonderin' what all the countin' and silence is about. For all I know, this is the first death he'll witness. I remind myself to try to breathe steady. It'll be over in a few more pounds of my chest. "TEN!" It's just a number, but the Deputies word echo's through the street. I spin around, catchin' a glimpse of the shops and shop keeper's scornful eye's watchin' two women about put one or the other to death and it feels like an eternity as I'm bracing myself for what could be my last. As I start to straighten out my arm and prepare to take aim I can see the Deputy standing off to the side, eyes flickin' back and forth from me to Sherry to catch the moment one of us falls. A shot rang out and it wasn't mine. I gasp and pull the trigger of my pistol, hopin' to at least finish her sorry ass off before I fall down dead in the street. The second shot ring's out and I fall back expecting that I'll soon be taking my last breath. From where I lay on the ground, I watch as my bullet pierces through Sherry and she falls to the ground on her hands and knee's gaspin' for air, blood starting to pool 'round her breast. She's chokin' and coughin' up blood like I'd seen so many times before on this very street. I want to check myself and see where I've been hit, but I need to watch her lyin' eyes take in their last sight. Somewhat unsurprisingly, I haven't been hit. Sherry was always a shit shot and inexperienced when it came to shootin' pistols. She must have been shakin' in her boots, because I wasn't prepared for what I saw unfold. I glanced around the crowd wonderin' what became of her bullet and as I my eyes trailed from person to person, I saw him fall to the ground. Sherry had let her shot out early, probably on account of bein' a dumb whore, and caught the Deputy Sheriff in the throat.