Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Devlin's Dream by George Clayton Johnson

Cowboy Cooney Devlin wakes from a nightmare in which he had no right arm and he watched a hawk circle in judgement. He is immensely disturbed, especially because that is the hand he uses to draw and shoot his side arm. He practices drawing with his left arm and when satisfied, rides into town and picks a fight in a bar with a Swede . He draws from his left and shoots the Swede dead. Satisfied that he can draw quick enough if he ever loses his primary hand, he switches the gun back to his right. Just then, the sheriff enters and the two men have a standoff. Cooney reaches for his hip, his left hip, and is shot by the sheriff. The narrator steps outside as Cooney's right arm is removed at the shoulder. A lone hawk circles in the night sky.

What a great western short! Dark and foreboding. Such a great little read.

No comments:

Post a Comment