Second Harvest

Off in the distance, Roy spotted dust devils sweeping across the desert floor. The sky was again void of any clouds. Downing the remaining contents of his canteen, Roy swallowed noisily. Opening his mouth wide, he made a wordless sound of pleasure. Roy had arrived at the point of satisfaction with the solitude of his current life and was used to hard work. Determined and quiet, Roy's strength came from within, where he wrestled with troubling memories of his past, choosing to bury select emotions. His current life wasn't the existence Roy wished for. However, Roy was resolute in his will to survive the challenges laid down in his life's path.

Turning to refill his canteen, Roy entered the cabin and walked toward the tunnel that was located in the rear of his home. As he rounded the fireplace, his shoulder bumped the mantel and several items resting on the ledge crashed to the silt-covered floor.

Darn it all, Roy, watch where you're walking, Roy thought.

Inside his head, Roy could instantly hear his father Thaddeus yelling those same words. Shaking his head and laughing quietly, Roy bent down to collect the spilled treasures. He dusted off a small oval photograph of his grandparents, William, and Rebecca, taken before they moved to Arizona. Roy placed the picture on the mantel and carefully adjusted its position. When he returned to the floor, he found a copper tag, round and roughly the size of a half-dollar. A watery film formed over Roy's eyes as his fingers traced the name Riddle, and some numbers stamped into the disc.

To no one, in particular, Roy muttered, "My dear friend, Stanley, so much has changed. I doubt you'd recognize this place. It's been too many years since it last rained, although my little garden is doing better this year."

Roy sniffed and a single tear dripped onto the round tag. He quickly wiped it off with the sleeve of his shirt. Standing, Roy carefully placed the tag on its thin edge and leaned it against the photograph. Elements of Roy's family history sat on the mantle-reminders of people and places long past.

Roy sat down to enjoy a hot cup of black coffee when he was startled by the sounds of Sally and Molly. Their eerie noises announce the arrival of someone nearby. Roy jumped to his feet and ran out onto the porch. Riding up the road was Sara and the boys in their buckboard wagon, with the filly tied to the rear. Sally and Molly had their heads in the air and repeated their noisy performance. The animals continued this act several more times. When the wagon pulled close enough, Sally and Molly made whinny and clucking sounds. The girls looked excited by the new arrival of the filly.