Chapter-6: Midnight Rum
Luz stopped at the thresh hold of the Blue Bonnet Tavern. Several men rushed out, bumping into him as they exited. The men cursed and cocked on by, like three roosters in search of a single hen to climb.
“Out tha way, prissy boy,” said Hickory as he lit a thick cigar.
“Move it, ya’ lazy Mess’can-oh. Real men at work here,” said Dickory, eating fried purple onions, sandwiched between stale oat bread.
“Weak ass boy,” said Thumb, smelling of horse manure and cheap old rum. “I bet ya’ can’t even lead a hound on a little killing hunt through a chained-up barn, ya’ piece of Messy’can-oh shit.”
The two other men grunted, nodded their heads in agreement and trailed behind Thumb.
Altogether, the men marched along like bulldogs in the frigid twilight of the evening. Each man moved with a similar appearance: tall, husky, pale freckled features, reddish brown hair, and stubble on their face with cold grayish-green eyes.
The three men kicked up dust and hurried on through Red River Road, in haste to get to work.
Captivated by the tattoos on their necks (a snake on the first, a monkey on the second and an elephant on the third) Luz turned from the tavern and smiled with anticipation. The men reeked of bloodlust and honest to goodness old world hatred—more than enough to fill Luz’s stomach for a month.
Excited to see the men at work, Luz followed them as the last gram of sunlight faded from the cold Boston night sky. He trailed them at a modest walking pace, whistling and humming to The Liberty Song that played over his head. He adjusted his coat and white gambler hat and sang portions of the song in between whistles: “How sweet are the labors that freemen endure ….”
The three men rushed out of Engles Stable and Supplies. They rode north with a strong sense of purpose, galloping out of town on three Appaloosa horses. Within a few breaths, the men disappeared over a hill and into the woods.
An easy minute later, Luz reached the top of the hill. He whistled and concentrated his sense of smell and sight, focusing on the movements of the three men. Satisfied on their direction, he stepped off, singing along to the Liberty song that continued to play above his head: “Our purses are ready. Steady, friends, steady ….”
Luz took his time. He caught up to the three men from the tavern a half hour later. He found them stopped at a farmhouse, twelve kilometers away from town.
The property appeared deserted; but, Luz inhaled the deep citrus perfume of arrogance in the air. Such a concentrated taste, the aroma seeped out of the red-ocher barn in rhythmic pulses. He moved in closer to inspect, hushing his whistling and music away.
The three men argued about their work as Luz entered the barn on tip toes. He acted as though he was late for church, removing his hat as an afterthought of courtesy. Side stepping, Luz moved over to a corner and leaned against a few bales of hay, and watched the sermon unfold.
*************************************************************************************************
Thank you
I appreciate your time in reading this blog post. Next Saturday I will upload the next part of Chapter Six: Midnight Rum, from my novel, Luz Upon The World.
If you have an interest in learning more about my writing, my philosophy of metaphysics, or my self-development books, you are welcome to explore my website, totalconsciousnesses.com on WordPress. Or, if you prefer, you can spend some time on my Substack, totalfreewill.substack.com
Also, I currently have nine independently published books on Amazon. Feel free to visit my Amazon Author Page. My top recommendations are: Luz Upon the World; How Does Writer’s Block Work?; How Does Free-Will Work?; and How Does Studying Work?
Overall, I hope the free posts that I upload to this website may provide some positive value in your life.
Thanks again for your time.
Thank you for the comment