SWITCHBLADE TRAVIS

PART FOUR: UP IN FLAMES

As Travis took his first steps toward a journey which might kill him, the dirt echoed around the area of his feet like a tsunami. Travis walked for eight hours straight before falling weary in the cold dirt, laying on his back, staring up at the night sky, and falling asleep. He woke up a couple hours later to the smell of burning wood. He quickly got up on his feet, though they hurt terribly and felt numb. After rubbing his eyes for a few seconds, he swiftly followed the aroma of fire and was lead to a burning stable, full of animals screaming in fear and and distress. From that moment on, time slowed down, even though the event seemed to happen all so fast. Ember by ember, plank by plank, the barn kept coming down. Just then, Charley appeared with three cows and a horse. How they got out, Travis hadn't a clue. Maybe a hole burned through the back of the barn, or a cow charged through. Either way, the animals that got out were safe, and the ones that didn't, well, they went to see cattle Jesus. A minute later, rain came and washed over the burnt barn. Travis came out of the mist and into the downpour, letting the rain fall over him, but it could not wash away his shame. He could let Whip River take him, but Travis knew he would not get away. He could ask the river for advice, but the rapid, flowing water just won't say all it knows.

Men can think that they will forget about what used to be, but Travis always thought otherwise. He watched people run from the law, from death, and from life, but Travis knew that he could spend a lifetime running and he would never get away. As Travis knew all too well, Mother Nature was the biggest enemy anyone could have. Travis said out of frustration, "You know you're screwed when even big momma Nature hates you. It's hated me my whole life, but this, well this is a different kind of hate." Travis could not do anything except let the sorrowful raindrops shower the smoking barn. Water dripped down the brim of Travis' soaked hat, leaving a rainy and depressed mood. Travis stood there in the downpour, which smelled of sorrow and trouble. Even though Travis had come across money so long ago, that money turned out to never be enough. Inflation and the moves of society from meat eating to plant based foods have knocked out Travis from the world, leaving him on his own. Travis then worked through the rainy night, building a pen using scrap wood from the burnt barn. Once the animals were in the pen, Travis collapsed and fell asleep. The rain poured endlessly for about three days, leaving Travis soaking wet and the ground drenched with an aroma of hopelessness and despair. Travis looked at Charley and spoke. "Charley, some days I wanna paint things blue, and other days I have got to brave the storm, but what do you do when that storm has been attacking you your whole life? At first, you roll up your window to stop the water from coming in. By then, it's already too late to seek shelter. A droplet turns into a cloud, then that cloud turns into a full on tsunami. You can do nothing except grab your raincoat and hope for the best. That tsunami has struck again, this time in the form of fire and endless rain. Before you know it, the storm wreaks havoc on your life and chooses to take everything from you. I nearly lost you and my livelihood. That won't happen again. Let's go fight." Charley looked lovingly with puppy eyes at Travis before he walked towards the city with a brave cowboy.