A Rainy Day

"Ain't this rain ever gonna stop?" Whined Cody, his

forehead pressed up against the window pane, a sour

expression on his face. "If I have to stay cooped up

in here much longer I'll go stir-crazy!"

"It's a bit late for you to be talking about going<BR>

crazy, Cody." Muttered Noah from his seat at the<BR>

table.

"That's what I love about you, Noah - your sparkling

wit." Cody snapped back sarcastically.

Noah looked up indignantly and was about to give Cody

another example of his 'wit' when Lou intervened.

"Come on, boys, don't start arguing again. We're all

bored Cody, why don't you think of something to do

'til the rain lets up?"

All the riders but Buck, who was on a run, were

sitting around the bunkhouse, just like they had been

for the last two days. The rain had set in on Tuesday

night and by Friday morning it still showed no sign of

stopping. Time was beginning to drag and each of the

riders were employing themselves as best they could.

Ike was lying on his bunk putting the finishing

touches to an old sketch, Noah was sitting at the

table whittling at a stick, and Kid had borrowed a

book off Cody and was reading quietly while Lou, on

the bunk below him, was writing a letter to her

brother and sister. Jimmy sat on his bunk in the

corner cleaning his colts for the second time that day

and Cody had spent the last hour sitting by the window

watching forlornly as rain drops trickled down the

glass.

"There ain't nothin' left to do, Lou." Complained

Cody. "I've read every book ten times over and we've

played so many games of cards I don't ever want to see

another pack of cards as long as I live!"

"You mean you got sick of losin' your money." Jimmy

muttered dryly.

"Shut up, Hickock. Who asked you anyway?" Cody snapped.

"Cody, that's enough." Lou said quickly. He was

picking on the wrong person to take his frustration

out on in Jimmy - the restless young man hated being

cooped up even more than Cody did.

Jimmy gave Cody a warning glance but held his tongue

and soon turned his attention back to his guns.

Lou wracked her mind for something to occupy Cody.

Finally, she was struck with inspiration.

"I've got a game you could play, Cody." She said,

jumping easily from her bunk. "Interested?"

"Anything's got to be better than this." Cody

muttered, getting up and walking over to meet Lou at

the table.

"Alright, we'll need a pencil and some paper." Lou

instructed. "Who else wants to play? We need as many

people as we can get."

Noah, Ike and Kid all put aside what they were doing

and took seats at the table, ready to join in the

game.

Lou turned her gaze to the only rider who hadn't

acceded to her request.

"Jimmy?"

"I ain't interested Lou." He replied, without looking up.

"It's just a game."

"I'm busy, Lou. I don't need entertainin'."

"Jimmy, those guns are as clean as they're ever gonna

get. Come and play."

"Lou-"

"Jimmy," in a low threatening voice. "If you don't

play this game I'm going to tell Teaspoon where you

'lost' that supply money last week."

"You wouldn't."

"Just where were you when it fell out of your pocket?

Did you check by the poker table?"

"Fine Lou, I'll play...but I ain't gonna like it."

Lou sat down at the table triumphantly, Jimmy

grudgingly, the other four watching them with broad

grins on their faces.

"What's this game then, Lou?" Kid asked.

"Alright." Said Lou, gathering the sheets of paper and

the pencil Cody had found her. "This is how it works.

One person starts off a story and writes a few lines.

Then they leave it for the next person to continue.

You fold it over like this so that the next person can

only read the last few words. The last person to go

finishes it off and then we read it out."

The other riders glanced at each other apprehensively

and then shrugged their compliance.

The mood in the bunkhouse lightened once the game was

underway. Lou scribbled quickly, a broad grin on her

face. The boys chatted and joked as they waited and

soon Noah took his turn, looking suspiciously at Lou

before he started. Cody followed Noah and wrote

furiously, stopping for long periods of time to think.

"How long is this gonna take?" Questioned Kid. "You're

taking twice as long as anyone else."

"You can't rush genius." Responded Cody as he chewed

thoughtfully on his pencil.

The other rider groaned and settled in for a long

wait.

Eventually Cody finished, folded the paper carefully

and passed it on to Ike with a self-satisfied smile on

his face. Ike, used to scribbling his thoughts onto

paper to make himself understood by the locals, was

soon finished and the paper was handed on to Jimmy. He

wrote carefully, his brow creased in concentration,

taking care over each word. Kid finished the story off

and handed it over to Lou to read out.

"Ready?" She asked and then began. "'Once upon a time

there was a bored Pony Express rider who wouldn't stop

complaining-'"

"Lou!" Cody cried in protest.

"How did you know she meant you?" Asked Noah,

mischievously.

Cody was silenced and Lou continued. "'His friends all

loved him very much but they couldn't stand his

whining anymore. So they sent him on a mission to

find some buried treasure. On his way he found a...'"

Lou glanced up at Noah who had picked up the story

here. "'...a carrot. He thought to himself "I might

need this later" so he put it in his holster and went

to take a swim in a lake which was nearby. As he got

out of the lake he saw a hungry donkey. He remembered

his carrot and drew it from his holster and...'" She

reached the part where Cody started. "‘And shot him

before the poor devils gun cleared the holster.'" The

boys erupted with laughter.

"Well, I didn't know it was a carrot!" Cody laughed in

his defense.

<Or a donkey> added Ike.

Lou continued. "Three beautiful young ladies had seen

the skill with which the handsome blonde young man had

shot the ugly brute and rushed over to him saying:

"That was the fastest shooting we've ever seen in our

lives. You're much faster than that big knucklehead

Wild Bill Hickock -"'" Lou and the boys laughed and

Cody ducked as Jimmy threw the pencil and him. "'"-You

must be the fastest man alive and you-re so handsome."

"Yes ladies, I suppose I am." Replied the brave you

man-'" Lou was interrupted by groans from the boys.

"Oh Cody you’re so handsome." Mocked Noah in a high

pitched voice.

"And so brave!" Added Kid, making kissy faces at Cody

who smirked back at them.

Lou laughed and continued. "The mayor of the town had

also seen the young man's bravery and said: "If you'll

be our marshal we'll pay you $100 a week." The brave

young man said "Alright. But first I have to..."'"

<This is my bit> Ike signed, nudging Jimmy.

"'"- Go and catch a fish."'"

Cody shook his head in disappointment. "A fish?"

"'So he found a river and started fishing. He got a

bite but the fish was so strong it pulled him into the

river. Suddenly he was deep underwater and a beautiful

mermaid was talking to him. The mermaid said: "What

are you doing here?" He didn't know what to say to it

so he...'" Lou reached Jimmy's part and read with a

smile, "'so he shot it-'"

The boys burst into laughter at Jimmy who sat shaking

his head with a rye smile.

"Oh Jimmy!" Sighed Kid.

"Told you it was a stupid game." Jimmy muttered.

"Typical Hickock," Said Noah. "Shoot first find out

it's a mermaid later!"

When the boys had stopped, laughing Lou went on with

the story. "'Then he rode off on his horse 'til he

found a deserted house. He was tired and hungry so he

went in and had a cheese sandwich and a cup of coffee.

Then the door opened and in walked...a talking horse."

Kid nodded self-appreciatingly as he recognized his

work. "'...Who said: "You can stop playing your game

now because the rain stopped ten minutes ago." Then he

turned around and walked out. The end.'"

Lou and the Boys all looked confusedly at Kid and then

out the window. It had indeed stopped raining.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Cody asked Kid in a

bewildered voice.

"I just did." Kid replied simply.

Suddenly there was a general scramble for the door as

the riders rushed to get out in the fresh air and

stretch their legs. The last one to leave the room,

Kid stopped and picked up the story which lay on the

table. Folding it up he put it in his pocket to save

for another rainy day when he could do with a good

laugh, then strolled out into the yard after his

friends.

The End.

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