Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Rescue - Recuse - Secure (07/24/25)
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TITLE: Brand Lifted | Previous Challenge Entry
By Lynae Fisher
07/30/25 -
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Cattle rustler. Of all things THAT he was not, thought the boy as he ran for his life.
“Get him!” Tom Ross shouted over the thunder of horses’ hooves.
“Lynch him!” barked Bill Sieze.
The boy ducked through the wooden fence at the edge of the cliff. Half-rolling down the steep slope, he escaped out of sight among the rocks and sagebrush where they could not follow.
The horses skidded to a stop, throwing dirt over the edge. A shower of pebbles rained down the cliff’s face.
“How could you let him get away? That boy butchered my cow!” roared Tom.
“Hold it boys, we aint’ got no sure proof he done it.” The sheriff differed. “You can’t hang a man you ain’t sure’s guilty.”
“Oh, he’s guilty alright. Caught him with blood on his hands,” Tom retorted.
“We can’t let him get away. Who knows what he’ll do next,” Bill chimed in.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if that boy broke his neck going down that cliff. I ain’t riskin’ mine. Any of you wanna try, be my guest.” The sheriff turned his horse to go.
The ranchers followed, not knowing what else to do. The boy had no family, home, or friends. The ranchers wondered that he survived the harsh mountain winters at all. They never liked the boy. Now they finally had excuse to hang him.
———
The boy had found the entrance to a small cave when he scurried down the cliff. Now inside, he sat catching his breath. Sweat trickled down his back.
A sound coming from further inside the cave caught his attention. Peering into the cave, he saw a bear groaning. The bear did not rise or pay the boy any mind.
Slowly, the boy crept closer. The bear’s leg was badly torn with a chunk of metal lodged in its forearm. Obviously, the bear had been tearing at it, only making it worse.
“Hey, Mr. Bear.” The boy spoke gently. The bear grunted and shifted its head but did not otherwise move.
The boy looked the wound over carefully. With a quick and decisive move, the boy grasped the metal firmly and yanked it out of the bear’s leg. The bear roared with pain making the earth shake. When the roaring stopped, the boy opened his eyes. The bear licked his leg —blood pouring out. Looking around for a solution, the boy saw a thick spider’s web near the entrance of the cave. Taking a stick, he collected some and wrapped it onto the bear’s leg. The bleeding stopped. For the first time, the bear looked up at him. A little fear, but no malice was in his eyes.
The two became friends, playing together and living happily in the wild lands beyond the reach of civilization. All was well, until one day the bear did not come home. The boy became worried. As he traveled through the mountains looking for him, he felt drawn back towards the Ross ranch.
Suddenly, he heard a scream. Running towards the sound, he saw Tom’s wife Nancy, with her little daughter Clara, huddled near a boulder. The bear roared at them. The scar on its forearm was still visible through the hair.
“No!!! Leave them alone!” the boy ran towards the bear, speaking a mixture of words and gibberish, with which he used to speak to the bear.
The bear stopped mid-roar. Ashamed, the bear turned and waddled away.
The boy stood panting.
Nancy staggered to her feet. “Thank you. You… you saved our lives.”
“What’s going on?” Tom sauntered out of the trees.
“That bear… Clara threw a rock… the boy… saved us…” Nancy stammered.
Tom got the point.
“What’s yer name, boy?” Tom asked.
“D-David, sir.” The boy struggled to remember proper speech.
“Look… uh… David, you be interested in comin’ to live with us? I’ll straighten out the mistunderstandin’ with the neighbors.”
David stood speechless before his newfound friend.
“’Least have supper with us? My wife here’s a good cook.”
“Sure… Thank you.” The boy spoke cumbersomely.
That night, the Rosses held a feast with Bill and the sheriff. They all welcomed David heartily as a hero. A weight lifted off David’s shoulders, as he no longer had to run from their accusations. For the first time, his name was restored.
(fiction)
Psalms 107:2 KJV "Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;"
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