6/24/2024
A&M just lost, and I couldn’t help but think about my friend Ross, who passed over ten years ago. I would have loved to be texting him for the last few days even weeks about Texas A&M’s baseball season and everything else in our lives.
Tonight, alone we would have texted back and forth twenty or thirty times about the baseball game. We would probably have been like schoolgirls texting back and forth, talking about a hit or bad call—especially the last three innings.
I think of...
Chapter 8
"Sam, look," shouted Hank as he pointed down to a track in the mud.
Sam ran over to where Hank was standing, and they both knew that it was Roy's boot print. Sam didn't think twice. Instantly, he started to cross the river; he knew where Roy went. Now, all Sam had to do was find him. Sam saw another boot print on the other side of the river, and before he could even take a look at which direction it went, the dogs took off towards the smell of Roy and the hogs. They were gone in a...
Chapter 7
Roy didn’t know what it was, but he stepped forward and began to cross the river. Each step brought him closer to the other side and deeper into the river. He took his time and made sure he had solid footing before each step. One wrong move and Roy knew he could end up downstream or something worse could happen.
At least once a year for as long as he could remember, someone usually passed away in the river due to them getting taken downstream and getting sucked down in the undertow....
Chapter 6
At precisely three am, Roy got out of bed. He first opened his door and walked into the living room to see his father passed out on the couch. Roy also looked down the hall, and every light in the house was off. Then he returned to his room and dressed as quietly as possible. Once Roy was dressed, he made sure his knife was on his hip, and then he pulled his backpack out of his closet and his bow with the quiver that held twelve arrows. Roy knew he would not need all twelve; he...
Chapter 5
Once they were back at the house, Sam went inside and got the keys to the backhoe, and his wife followed him out. Rose walked to the truck, hugged Roy, and held her son tight. She knew how dangerous it was for them to hunt hogs and hated that they did it. But at the end of the day, it was part of their lives and helped them pay the bills.
As Rose hugged Roy, she leaned in and told him how great of a dog Bandit was and how Roy should be proud to have owned such a beautiful friend....
Chapter 4
Father and son were up early the following day, ready to hunt. Roy wore hunting clothes, which amounted to his oldest pair of jeans, boots with snake gaiters, and a long-sleeved Wrangler welding shirt that used to be his dad’s. And on his hip was his with his brand-new pigsticker. Roy had to wait until they were ready to leave before his dad opened the gun cabinet and handed Roy his grandfather’s 1911 .45 that he brought home from World War II.
Rose was up even earlier than them,...
Chapter 3
Roy and his father hunted all year long. But their favorite time of year was in early February. The mornings were still cool, the deer hunters were all gone, and it was probably the best time of the year to hunt hogs. Weeks before the first weekend of February, they would prepare everything for hog hunting. Sam would lay everything out in the barn that he owned related to hog hunting. Roy and Bandit were always there. This was the time of the year when he would open up his new toys...
Roy's Redemption
Chapter 2
Years later, Roy became an active teenager who played every sport he could play. He played football, baseball, basketball, golf, and he even ran track. When not playing sports, he raised chickens and turkeys for 4-H and helped his parents around the farm as much as possible. One of his favorite hobbies was hog hunting. Over the years, he learned everything he knew about hunting from his dad.
Bandit had also become the top dog on the farm. He could round up the cattle...
Roy’s Redemption
Chapter 1
“Roy, come outside,” yelled his dad, Sam, through the screen door.
The boy put down his book and ran to the door to see his dad standing there with a six-week-old puppy in his arms. Roy ran outside and asked, “Is that our new puppy, Dad?”
“Well, son, this is your puppy, but before I hand him over to you. I want to make sure you know the responsibility that comes with having a dog like this. It’s going to be your job to feed and take care of him. You will train him and...
The Suit by Dustin Carter
This short story came to mind a few weeks ago when my son and I were driving to Dallas to see my daughter cheer. I was listening to Joe Rogan's interview with That Mexican OT while I was driving, and somehow, my mind went to them being hitmen. It stayed in my head for a day or two, and I eventually just started writing it. It is Tarantinoish (Is that a word?) with Jules and Vincent. I hope you enjoy it, Austin.
The Suit by Dustin Carter
The car pulled up to the curb,...