"There's a mess of law outside," Ben said, from their vantage point at the top of the hill. "You just had to do it, didn't you? You left that poem at the papers."
"Yes," she said.
The hail of bullets that the officers released drowned out any other words the two might have said. Instead, Ben motioned for her to get inside their newest stolen car, and the two sped off, disappearing into the night.
The sheriff bawled up the piece of note paper and threw it on the dirt. Hemp Parlier picked it up and secreted it into the pocket of his overalls. It would make a great souvenir, he thought.
For the next thirty years, Hemp might pull the note from his wallet, faded, stained, and so fragile, it was coming to pieces at the fold, at any moment.
He knew the words by heart, but the effect of seeing the artifact in real life always brought looks of awe to his audience's faces.
In a deep baritone voice, full of pride at the fact that he'd been there the night they almost captured two of America's Most Hunted, Hemp recited those now-famous words of outlaw Ben Willie's lover.
An Outlaw's Lament
By Audra Hatcher
Although the road seems endless,
And the sheriff's on our tail,
I've sold my soul for the one I love,
And it's a short, rough ride to hell.
If you want to meet your Maker,
Try and track our scent.
So many tried. So many failed.
They haven't got us
Yet.
YOU ARE READING
Love Songs: The Wrong Note - A Collection of Short Stories
General FictionA second volume of short stories in the Love Songs collection. Many of the stories in this collection focus on the theme of love and how it sometimes goes wrong. A large collection of stories that run the gamut from humorous to tragic. 1. Love Songs...
