What Once Was

           1867, June 10th, raiders attacked our home. We tried to fight, we really did. My pa grabbed his gun and shot, he missed. it seems as if i can guess what happens; it always be right. I reckon that it's the fact that anything good always goes wrong, like so, a raider shot through the wall, it pierces my mother, who in her last moments feeling distress, despair, whilst trying to comfort my little brother Ano.
We all spoke english, and spanish, Though my father couldn't speak english. we lived south of New orleans, somewhere in Louisiana. My mother always tried to look for the good in things, even when we were robbed blind, she thought it was nice to get out of the house; we were looking for work. I ended up becoming a shit shoveler for some farm. After we were finally able to pay off our little giveaway we returned to normal, not but 3 months later.. the raiders came back and turned me and my little brothers life upside down. Me and Ano.. we were what's left of what once was.

       Marcus and his brother started walkin. They don't know how to ride a horse, don't know no directions, and cant handle a pistol. Marcus was sobbing, and ano was still shell-shocked from what happened, he was a husk; just walking somewhere.
       The small breeze, kicking the dust up from their feet, Marcus only had one thing left of his father. A hat. It was an old Gambler hat, the front of the crown pointed, and a strip of cow hide wrapped around the crown of it, tied with some hanging off, enough to be moved and tossed by the wind.
        After a day of walking, ano finally woke up from his fantasy, a world where his father was bringing some carrots and apples for the horses, ma was cooking some diced beef. But that wasn't true; what was true is that ma is dead, pa is lying in the dust, iron in hand. And the raiders got bout' 10$. Marcus had nothing but a hat, an apple he was fixing to eat, and Ano.

        We been walkin for days, i cant believe ma and pa are dead. They was always there and now.. they isn't. Ano hasn't taken it well either, he been quiet since that day. He talked a bit today, he asked a question.
Ano: "when is pa comin home?"
       I didn't answer. I don't know nothin anymore, we in the middle of nowhere for goodness' sake after we ran from the house. I cant handle an iron, and we got no money. I don't know if we gonna survive, so much as to thrive.

Marcus and ano had been walking a week when they finally made it to some sort of civilization. It was a Big city, named New Orleans. Wasn't terrible, they found some folk who gave em some money. They had bout' 26.34$, which they used to get some gloves for work, and food. They started asking round town for work, and found a job at a ranch to take care of horses. They started their new life, from the dust and grime, from the blood and tears. The wind slow, the wind moving along as they. The deer surviving, as they do. Marcus quickly got used to it, ano had more trouble, going from a small 10 year old boy, to a ranch hand and an orphan. Marcus tried to keep optimism, though there's a difference from optimism and keeping your mind off of reality. He worked a lot, for a small morsel of money, it gave them home though. It was a lot more than what they have now. The wind blew across their worn faces, the dust covering the ground in a cloud of crushed rock and dirt, covering their boots in trail dust. Ano was still hopeful that this is a dream, that its merely a figment of his imagination. That he could wake up from this terrible nightmare, a world where his ma is dead, and pa is lying in the dirt. And they would continue working, from 15 to 19, Marcus had to endure.

1871, january 4th. It's still cold, and ano been a brat lately. He thinks he grown and he can just wander off with mary to some magical fairy land. What am i to do with that boy.. I dont want to let him ruin himself or worse, get killed. He wants go to Baton Rouge ever since i taught him how to use an iron He thinks he's John Wesley Hardin, well he's not. I bought an iron to defend myself, and i think i got pretty good, but im not gonna go on a ride around the most dangerous parts of this place now that i got it, theres always bigger fish. I love Ano, he has a fire in him that i don't know anyone else who got. But i don't want that flame to go just for some Mary girl, and it's hard to help him with his "arrogance". I don't know, maybe im overreacting? He's a good kid, and i don't know what i'd do if i lost him. I heard this gang was around out there, they call emselves the o' Kalies. A gang of misfits, and those who needed a place to survive, like us i suppose.

A note was nailed to the door..

"Hey marc, ill be fine. Shes nice and i love her so very much, shes the person i love and im not gonna let you stop me. i took the iron, you taught me well so i don't know why your so scared for me. be back sometime, i love you brother."

Marcus frantically got ready, scraped up whatever money he could, they had enough food for the winter already anyway right?. He took his horse; lenny, to the store and bought a brand new iron and some bullets, luck always favors the prepared.