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Reckon The Stranger rode in to town at just the right time. McGreedy and his men had run out most of the tinpans. Those that remained, well, they may have been men once. Couldn’t tell anymore by the looks of it. Their confidence had been crushed like the dying embers of a cigar ground beneath McGreedy’s black boot. It looked like the end.

But the Stranger’s presence buoyed spirits. On the wind-swept plains of this dusty two-bit God forsaken town, hope blossomed like a Desert Lily. On his own, The Stranger cut down McGreedy’s men. After a series of exchanged glances he even shot down McGreedy himself, a gunman of some repute.

As The Stranger rode off, Little Molly, whose father lay six-feet under thanks to McGreedy, went chasing after. But there was no sign of him. Nothing but a trail of dust.

And in the dust she saw a vision of the town 100-years from now.

There was a harried, slightly overweight single-mother looking for bargains in the 2-For-1-discount bin at a Wal-Mart. A more civilized time, but diminished somehow.

She looked and the vision changed to 10,000-years later. She saw elongated humanoids with luminescent skin equipped with uniform reproductive sexual organs shopping for flying cars at a dealership staffed by android sale-bots. Weird, Molly thought, but okay.

She looked even further and the vision morphed to a million years in the future.

And the colors, such pretty, pretty colors…

Date Written: February 07, 2004
Author: scoop
Average Vote: 2.8

Comments:
02/17/2004 anonymous (2): I believe everything there is to say on this subject was said, and said better, by "Spectre of the Gun," Episode 56 of Star Trek, the original series. That and that faggy AI movie.
02/17/2004 scoop: What coward is anonymously linking to star trek? Fucking Gay Bob.
02/17/2004 qualcomm: i think it's the author
02/17/2004 Ewan Snow (3): This is sort of sloppy and short on jokes. The second paragraph is a weak summary of the gunfight and could have been improved. The similes in the first and second paragraphs ("the dying embers of a cigar ground beneath McGreedy’s black boot" and "hope blossomed like a Desert Lily") are not particularly funny or evocative. The sudden shift to visions of the future is a good attempt at an arbitrary plot turn, but somehow isn't particularly interesting or funny. WalMart, Futuristic hominids: there's nothing new here, no twist on the ordinary clichés.
02/17/2004 qualcomm (3): yeah, what he said.
02/17/2004 Phony Millions: Okay, it wasn't laugh out loud funny, but then neither are most of my shorts. I did like the quick juxtaposition between the Wild West and present day Wal-Mart; it was a satisfying satire and social commentary ('harried, slightly overweight mother' effectively takes us to the banality of the present and raised a smile). Not sure how to vote.
02/17/2004 Jimson S. Sorghum (2): I agree with the old guard.
02/17/2004 Jon Matza (2): Strangers waiting up down the boulevard/Their shadows searchin in the night/Streetlight people living just to find emotion/Hiding somewhere in the night
02/17/2004 Will Disney: Weird, but okay, as Molly would say.
02/17/2004 Phony Millions: Is that Journey, or The Boss, Matza?
02/17/2004 scoop (5): work of unaprreciated genius!
02/17/2004 Dylan Danko: Hey Matza, don't stop believing.
02/17/2004 Phony Millions: Yes, Danko that's right it's Steve Perry and the boys. Neil Schon's guitar solo on that rocks. There, I said it. Saw them in 1982 in Hartford Civic Center, 'Escape' Tour. No apologies, fuckers.
02/17/2004 senator (2): I don't care for it. I feel violated, no punchline.
02/17/2004 Jimson S. Sorghum: Bless your heart, Evans.
02/17/2004 Dylan Danko: I saw the same tour at the Boston Garden (or was it the Providence Civic Center?)Bryan Adams opened, i think. The only apology I make is to myself.
02/17/2004 Mr. Pony: Yeah, it's so COOL to hate Journey. IF ONLY Journey had come to my town when I was growing up. Man, you guys are spoiled.
02/17/2004 Moe-Ron: i was 6 when journey came to your respective towns. you're old.
02/17/2004 Dylan Danko: I remember it well because I was kind of bummed about missing Dana Hersey's Movie Loft on Channel 38 that night. Yes, that was WSBK, TV 38.
02/17/2004 Mr. Pony: I just sat at home crying and crying for like, eight years because Journey would never ever come to my island of a town. Jerk.
02/17/2004 Jon Matza: Only so many tears/You can cry/'Til the heartache is over/ And now you can say/Your love will never die/One love feeds the fire...
02/17/2004 Mr. Pony: Matza, you're my new favorite.
02/17/2004 Craig Lewis (3): Journey rules.
02/17/2004 Phony Millions: Nice one, Lewis; I had missed that one. It was definitely the same tour, Danko - Brian Adams and all. I feel closer to all of you for sharing this Journey stuff, and it's been cathartic. Thank you all.
02/17/2004 Phony Millions: Bryan.
02/17/2004 anonymous: Journey sucks. Your nostalgia sucks. You all suck. I'm going to go pop in Jefferson Airplane and commit a four-to-five star worthy suicide. Or maybe Jefferson Starship. Either way its going to be great. Screw you all.
02/17/2004 Mr. Pony: Hey, Author, isn't your post a little off-topic?
02/17/2004 Dylan Danko (5): I'm giving this short 5 stars for reasons having nothing to do with the quality of the short which I think deserves three. Please refer all abusive comments to the author whose back I've been asked to scratch for our mutual enjoyment.
02/17/2004 Jimson S. Sorghum: Incidentally, did anyone think that "Reckon" might be the stranger's name? Just curious.
02/18/2004 Will Disney: oh i like this better now that i know scoop wrote it.
03/23/2004 Mr. Pony (3): Great setup, lovely premise, but I just can't get past that ending.
05/18/2004 TheBuyer (3): what can I say, I'm a fan - and gay cowboy...no one reads these things, right?