5The Unridable One
Virgil Smallwood was a big time bull rider. He had been at it since he was 17 and now being 24, well, you get the picture.
All he ever wanted to do was ride that bull. That bull was the bull that everyone had dubbed 'unridable'. Not even the best riders could stay on that bull.
They say he got his name back when he was a young bull, new on the circuit. He had thrown the man then speared him on his horns. The man hadn't survived the five minute drive the local hospital. and now Bloodstain was his.
Virgil didn't know how he felt about that, either. Maybe it scared him but then, maybe it made him stronger. Even the strongest person in the world can be conquered, if you find his weakness. And even though this was a bull, a belligerent animal with few original thoughts except which way to turn to get the man with spurs off his back, it couldn't be that hard?
He walked toward the cattle stalls, smelling only dust, cows and sweat. And then there was the bull.
The bull that smelled like blood.
He mounted the big red bull, cinching his rope tight and prayed to his god that he be okay after this ride.
And then they let them loose...
wind whipped across his face, obscuring his vision with dirt. he couldn't see, he could only taste the dirt. It tasted like the bull under him, fierce and bold. He whirled with the animal, an ancient dance of whose better than who.
With every strike of hoof upon ground he made minute adjustments to his balance, keeping his hand in the air. He had lost his hat a long time ago and in the back of his mind, mused about the 25 dollars they charged for that.
It seemed that when he was on this bull, time slowed down to a perfect pace, giving him plenty of time to buck the bull and be a crowd pleaser.
then he heard it... a horn blowing...just barely in his peripheral vision, he saw the clowns run in and he let go and jumped of the back of Bloodstain. He rolled on the ground, coming to a stop by his beat up black Stetson. Then he got up and ran toward the gate laughing like a maniac.
He had ridden the Unridable one 8 seconds. He had looked in the eyes of the beast and became one.
Then he shook off his thoughts and ran to help with the next rider.
This was, after all, a competition.
~* the end.*~