Total Consciousness

Chapter-2: The Bird and The Cat

     Don Amado stayed quiet. He maintained his eyesight down range and considered his reply for three long breaths.  

     “What neglect is more important?” asked Amado. “A rich man’s individual life is his prime duty. How else can any wealthy man grow old and enjoy the pleasures of life for many years to come?”

     Diego stood ready to engage all targets. He turned and faced Amado and said: “You forget señor, rich or poor, a neglectful man is without a soul, living within the death of his chosen weakness. I prefer to live an honest and responsible life. To answer your question, it’s not a matter of choice; it’s a matter of accounting for one’s responsibilities in life, in war, and yes, even in death.”

     With a firm posture, Amado adjusted his wide stance into a narrow position. He lifted his chin up, puffed his chest forward as his eyes gleamed with distaste.

     Don Amado thrust his arm up, waved at Patricio and said:   “Enough talk, flip the coin and let the shooting begin.” 

     Patricio flipped the coin between the two shooters and watched as it fell. It landed with a dusty thump.

     Patricio bent over and called it, “The coin has landed with lion facing up. Gentlemen, your verifications please.”

     “Verified,” said Juan and Diego in unison.

     “Por Dios, it’s verified, let’s get on with it,” said Don Amado.

     Diego moved his table over to the firing line with the help of Juan. With ease, he positioned himself to shoot. All others readied their time piece and waited for him to begin.

     Several quiet breaths and Diego moved like a well-oiled machine, efficient and precise. Swiftly he loaded his first rifle within seven seconds and continued to load his second rifle. By the end of the seventeenth second mark, Diego aimed and fired. A loud Kra-ka-koom echoed around the bank; and one pretentious higo exploded in the head portion of the target.

    The horses continued to eat their grain. Not once being startled by the typical gun fire in their surroundings.

     Diego picked up and placed down a rifle within one second, and another loud Kra-Cha-koooom pierced the ears of the shooting party. An explosion of red-juicy-flesh scattered, this time from the heart level of the target. The second prideful higo lay dead on the range, seeds and meaty flesh mixing in the dirt.

     “Bravo, Diego, bravo,” said Don Amado. “Nice shots, young man, I mark twenty seconds.”

     Patricio and Juan were also impressed by the two shots. They each replied with total times of twenty-one seconds.

     “I’ll take the average of the highest two times,” said Diego, “which puts me at twenty-one seconds. Do you have any disagreements, Don Amado?”

     Amado finished his slow clap and replied, “None to declare. Let the record show twenty-one seconds with two precise mortal shots delivered.”

Thank you

     I appreciate your time in reading this blog post. Next Saturday I will upload the next part of Chapter Two: The Bird and The Cat, from my first novel: Guerrero of Passions.