The Sommersagan's

October

What started as a routine buffalo hunt, turned out to be a dangerous path to destruction. Of course, in the brand-new state of Texas, such things didn't come as a shock, between fighting the Indians and fighting the Mexicans back in 1846, they had seen their fair share of destruction.

As Mack Rosenberry walked behind his hunting partner on the trail of a mature buffalo, they heard a loud bang, the sound was not from any kind of gun, it was a loud, booming shot from an industrial killing machine. It was at the break of dawn and he could not understand what sort of people carried such heavy machinery to a hunting party. Isaac Garrison paused, with his rifle against his shoulder and Mack could see him shaking his head, his cowboy hat turning one way and the other.

"Those sons of bitches spooked my meat, " he grumbled. They had been stalking that Buffalo for two days and they were going to have to return to their homes empty-handed.

"What do you reckon that is?" Mack asked as he stood beside him.

"Don't know, " Isaac replied. "But it sounds mighty dangerous."

Mack agreed. The sound of machinery was never heard in the lonesome desert. He knew exactly where that sound was coming, he had heard plenty of them during the war.

"Wanna investigate?" asked Mack as he saw smoke in the distance curling up into the air and disappearing. Their hunting trip was cut short and they had nothing to show for, and Mack needed someone to blame it on.

Isaac spat the last piece of tobacco he was chewing on and smiled. "You read my mind."

They took their time getting there, it was three hundred yards from where they stood and the sounds of battle didn't seem to be wanting to stop. They took slow, measured steps, as if stalking an oblivious animal, except that these animals were armed. They climbed the small hill that stood between them and the smoke, the sun was now high up and unforgiving as if the cold morning never happened. Isaac seemed to be unaware of it once they stood at the top of the hill. "What the hell?" he wondered under his breath.

Mack followed his gaze. The sounds came from a heavy piece of brass, almost the size of a small house, except this house, had a barrel that was six meters long and it was meant to shoot cannon balls. They had seen canons before, but none like that. The barrel aimed at the hill far off into the distance. Up close, they could hear the rattling sound from its engine, it was monstrous and it seemed to be growling with hunger.

Beside it, stood a man in a white coat and goggles. He was facing an open panel which Mack assumed was the machine's heart. He yelled something and the long neck of the canon turned red with life, there was a flash and it shot a cannonball out into the air, it went high up into the sky, but it didn't go very far, it landed heavily a few meters away with a loud thump.

"Come on, " said Isaac. Mack nodded and walked down the hill beside him.

Once they reached the bottom of the hill, the tank seemed bigger and ten times noisier. Mack found his strength as he watched Isaac approach the man beside the tank, with the rifle in hand ready to shoot. He was at the prime age of thirty-two like himself, but he sure carried the confidence of a man of fifty.

"Excuse me, " Isaac yelled over the cacophony coming from the machine. "Excuse me, " he yelled again at no response.

The man turned his head, he heard something but he couldn't quite make out where it had come from. Isaac raised his gun and poked the man on the back. The man turned raising his goggles to his forehead, his eyes squinting as they got used to the sunlight.

"Sorry to interrupt, sir, but this here ain't a testing zone, " Isaac said, his voice deep and firm.

The man wiped his black stained hands on his jacket and extended his hand. "Morning, gentlemen, " he said as if he hadn't heard a word that was said to him. "I'm doctor Jericho Sommersagan and this here is Athena the Great, " he said pointing at the machine proudly. "Oh, give me one second." He turned back towards Athena's open panel and seemed to be speaking to it. Isaiah studied the man carefully. The man was probably in his sixties, but his gray beard made him look a hundred. He wore typical clothes, brown wool pants, black shirt and a brown vest under his white coat. His boots were immaculate and seemed expensive. The man turned to them and didn't speak a word until the machine died down leaving their ears ringing.

"Now, " Dr. Sommersagan started as he grabbed a dirty rag from his back pocket and used it to wipe his face. "What can I do for you, boys?"

"This ain't a weapon testing zone, " Isaac replied.

"Oh, we didn't see any signs prohibiting it."

Isaac turned to Mack fighting a smirk that threatened to escape his lips. There was no way that he spoke of Athena as if it was a living thing. "Well, sir, it ain't so you better get on out of here."

The Doctor watched them attentively with an amused look on his face. "Where do you boys come from? We didn't see any towns nearby when we arrived."

"Salt Water."

"Salt Water?"

Isaac and Mack turned at each other unsure if they heard a woman's voice coming from the sleeping machine. Did the thing speak to them?

"I saw it on the map, you are a long way from home, aren't you?" the female voice asked from somewhere they could not pinpoint. A thud from the top of the machine made them look up and that's when a woman slid down the side as if it was a kids' game and landed on her feet. The woman was breathtakingly beautiful, Mack did his best to not stare but her unruly, curly black hair that framed her pretty face made it impossible not to.

"Well, Ma'am, it's hunting season and we are preparing for the winter."

The woman nodded, her light brown eyes studied them carefully, Mack feared she would know what he was thinking by just looking at him.

"Gentlemen, my daughter, Joanne Summersagan, " the doctor introduced her proudly. The woman gave them a dashing smile as she wiped her hands on her brown pants, that was when Isaiah noticed she too was filthy with coal, she was so beautiful it hardly even mattered.

"I'm Isaac Garrison. My friend, Mack Rosenberry and you're ruining our hunt with your little toy here, " Isaac replied completely indifferent to Joanne's beauty.

"Toy?" Miss Summersagan enquired angrily. "I will have you know that Athena is one of the few weapons that carry this kind of technology."

"I don't care what it is. What I care about is my hunt. Winter is a month away and my town is in need of fur. And your little invention is gonna be the cause of a miserable winter, " Isaac replied firmly.

Mack studied the cannon and realized that Isaac was failing to ask the big question. "You working for the government?"

"No, " the doctor replied baffled by the accusation. "We are not."

"Is this some kind of a military practice?"

The man shook his head. "No."

"Then why are you shooting this thing in the middle of the desert? Are you bored?"

Father and daughter turned to each other. "I'm not at liberty to say, " the doctor replied. "It's classified."

Mack nodded turning to the machine and walked beside it, his hand grazed the hot metal. It was unlike any weapon he had seen in the war. Mexicans didn't have that kind of technology, and it was hard to tell who actually did. "You made it, doc?"

"We made it, " Doctor Sommersagan replied.

Mack nodded. That explained Joanne's manly clothes. Her mother was most likely not around anymore. "For what purpose?"

"For security."

"Security?" Isaac scoffed. "From what?"

"You never know, " the doctor replied.

Isaac wiped the sweat from his brow and turned to his friend. Mack shrugged. At the lack of real answers from the strange family, they decided to let them be. The day was still young and they were going to find a new place to hunt.

"Alright, " Isaac said after a moment of silence. "We will leave you now, I suppose there's enough land for the four of us. Doctor, Ma'am, " he tipped his hat and signaled towards his friend. Mack tipped his hat and took one last look at Miss Joanne before walking away.

Mack sat at the bar of the local and only tavern in town, the day had died down and the cold rolled in without warning. Luckily, they had caught up to the Buffalo just in time for them to call it a day. They distributed the meat with the rest of Salt Water and they gave the animal's fur to the local seamstress so she could fix it into, hopefully, a couple of coats.

Jackson, the bartender, wanted to thank them for his portion of meat by buying them as many drinks as they wanted. Isaac had to refuse the invitation for his family was waiting for him for supper. Mack sat alone, brooding over the bottle of whiskey that sat in front of him. Several men came by and shook his hand appreciatively and moved on with their business. Some whores walked around the tavern looking for something to do, Mack avoided any eye contact with them, he wasn't in the mood.

Athena the Great kept coming to his mind and made the hairs on his arms stand on end. What kind of threat was the Sommersagan family expecting that made them built such a monstrosity?

"Mr. Rosenberry?"

Mack's back became tense as he recognized that female voice, even if he did hear but five words from her, he knew who it was. He stood quickly. "Miss Sommersagan, what brings you here?"

Joanne smiled. "I was hoping I could speak with you for a moment. Is Mr. Garrison with you?"

"I'm afraid not. He's home with his family."

"Alright, do you have a minute?"

Mack looked around him and found a small table in the far corner where they could talk in peace. He led the way and pulled out a chair for her to sit. Once they settled down, Joanne started, "I wanted to apologize on behalf of my father for the type of responses we gave you earlier, or the lack thereof."

"Mh-hm. That was strange."

"I assure you that we are not here to cause any harm."

"Why are you here, then?"

She sighed and looked down at her hands. Jackson came along and dropped off the bottle of whiskey he had left behind along with two glasses. He poured her a drink and sat it in front of her. "It'll give you courage, " he explained.

Joanne nodded and gulped it down as if it was water. He poured her some more. "My father says something terrible is going to happen."

"Something like what?"

She shrugged, "That, he doesn't tell."

"So, he's hiding stuff from you too?"

"He's not hiding anything, he calls it, protection. He's protecting me by not telling me."

"Is that what you think?"

"Of course, he's my father and I will believe anything he tells me."

"So, you came all the way down here, to tell me that some danger is coming but you can't say what it is. Do you know when you're expecting it?"

She shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't know that either."

"Well, should we be getting prepared for whatever it is, as well?"

"Father says that it would be enough with Athena."

Mack chuckled. "Is that so? I suppose a cannon that doesn't shoot very far will save our lives."

"I admit it needs some tinkering but once we finish it, it will do what ten can do in a battlefield."

"You sound confident with your invention there."

"And why shouldn't I be? We constructed it ourselves."

Mack wasn't about to argue with that. "Is your father with you?"

"No, he stayed with Athena."

"You came here by yourself?"

"No, I have my horse."

Mack nodded as his eyes drifted outside to find a massive, brown horse waiting for her outside, he wasn't tied to the post which meant she had him very well trained. "Where are you staying?"

"Where you found us."

"In the middle of nowhere? Are you crazy?"

"What's so wrong with camping in the desert?" she asked puzzledly.

"Well, the wild animals, for one. There are not only coyotes, wolves, and cougars as well. Not to mention it will get colder by the time the sun sets. Are you guys equipped for the low temperatures?"

"Of course, we are. We aren't completely ignorant."

Mack shook his head, the sun started to set and he could see his neighbors rushing to finish with their chores to return to the shelter of their homes. There was no way he was going to allow her to sleep outside like some animal.

"You're welcome to spend the night in my house, and any other nights if you need to."

She watched him taken aback. "Are you sure you want us intruding your home? What will your wife say?"

"Nothing since I don't have one. It's too much of a house for me anyway, there's plenty of space."

Joanne thought about it for a second and replied, "Alright Mr. Rosenberry, I will accept your invitation." She got to her feet and he stood along with her. "I'll just go get my father."

"I'll help you gather your things, " he said following her out the tavern.

"That's very kind of you, Mr. Rosenberry, " she replied as she mounted her horse effortlessly.

He mounted King as he replied, "My pleasure." Their horses galloped down the desert and Mack couldn't help but smile as he followed her keeping a distance between them, it had been a while since a woman had made him smile so foolishly and he didn't quite know how to handle it.

Mack woke up at four in the morning to feed his chickens. He played with his loyal hounds that he trained and he picked some fresh eggs from the kitchen coop. By the time he finished with his morning chores, it was already five in the morning. Then it was time to get ready for the last round up of the year. He had to gather a big herd if he wanted to survive the winter. The cowboys in town were going to join forces for the upcoming cattle drive and they had to meet in the outskirts of town.

He gathered his horses and proceeded to saddle the one he was going to ride for the roundup, the other two were trained to keep the herd together, he grabbed his chaps and examined them for any tears.

"Morning."

He looked up and found Joanne leaning on the door frame, looking completely refreshed. "Morning. You slept well?"

She nodded. "Yes, thank you. You have a beautiful house."

"Thanks, " he replied grabbing a wool blanket from the clothesline.

"Father kept asking me how a cowboy such as yourself came to obtain such a house. I must admit, I'm also curious."

"Why? You don't think I could afford it?"

"Well, not after the war."

He wiped his face with his bandana and replied, "It was my father's."

"You grew up in this same house?" she asked surprised.

He nodded.

She looked at her as if seeing it with new eyes. "How about your brothers or sisters? They didn't want the house?"

"I was an only child."

She nodded again as if piecing everything together.

"I also realized you don't have appliances that other houses would have."

"What do you mean?" he asked as he tied the rolled blanket on the saddle.

She shrugged. "Well, your wood oven, it can be updated to a new model. You won't even need wood."

"Yeah, I've heard of that."

"I can fix it if you like."

He shook his head. "I'll keep it how it is."

She nodded biting her lip as if forcing herself to not question his decision. "Where are you going?" she asked after watching him binding a canteen at the side of the saddle, his loyal horse waited patiently without any sign of distress.

"Cattle roundup, " he replied without looking at her. He wasn't used to having company, having someone asking about his whereabouts was something strange, he never had anybody to report to since his father died while he was out fighting in the war. "Is the doctor up yet?" he asked, mainly to fill the silence.

"Yes, he left early to El Paso to gather some instruments."

"For your toy?"

She straightened at his comment but replied calmly, "Yes, for Athena."

"Good-mornin', " a voice from the right side of his house made Mack turn. Isaac in his chaps walked up to Mack, the spurs of his boots clanging against the dirt. "Miss Sommersagan, " he said confused by seeing her on the porch. "What a pleasant surprise."

"Good morning, Mr. Garrison."

He tipped his hat and grabbed Mack by the arm pulling him away, once they were far enough from Joanne, he whispered harshly. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why'd you get those lunatics in your house?"

"They needed a place to stay, " he replied.

"Did it not bother you that those two are in cahoots?"

"Sure. But Miss Sommersagan was kind enough to come looking for us to apologize for their strange behavior."

Isaac stared at him. "I don't recall that."

"Yeah, well, she found me at the bar and we talked."

Isaac nodded understandingly. "You like the girl."

Mack shook his head. "They were going to camp outside, Isaac."

"Alright. Sure."

The front door of Isaac's house opened and his wife, a lively, red-headed woman stepped out. "Good morning, Mack! Ready to head out?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, " he replied tipping his hat.

She smiled. "Howdy!" she yelled past them, towards Joanne. "I didn't know Mack had guests, " she turned to Mack with a smile he knew too well.

Now that she had been discovered, Joanne approached them.

"I'm Hanna Garrison, nice to meet you."

"Joanne Sommersagan, likewise, " she replied, and Mack could see her cheeks turn slightly red.

"Miss Sommersagan and her father are staying with me for a while, " he explained.

"Is that so?" she turned to her husband who raised his eyebrows. Mack watched their silent exchange and knew he had told her about their discovery from the day before. "My husband and Mack will have to go soon; would you like to come over and keep me company?"

"I would love to but I'm waiting for my father to arrive, we have some work to do, " Joanne replied politely.

Hanna looked disappointed but her face brightened as another idea came to her. "Tell you what, why don't you and your father come over for dinner."

Isaac's head shot up at his wife's request. Mack brought his hand to his mouth trying to hold back his laugh.

"Oh no. We don't want to intrude, " she replied softly.

"None sense, " said Hanna. "We'll make a night of it, to celebrate the last roundup of the year. Mack will accompany you, won't you Mack?"

It was Mack's turn to look up. "Of course, " he replied as he turned to Joanne.

Joanne gazed at him for a moment before replying, "I'll ask my father."

Hanna's face beamed as she turned to her husband, Isaac didn't find amusing the little plan she had concerning Mack and Joanne. "Great!" she replied ignoring Isaac's somber expression. "I'll see you tonight, " Hanna said as she walked back inside her house. Isaac gave Mack a nod and took after her, surely to express his disfavor.

Joanne turned to Mack as soon as the Garrison's were out of sight. "You'll excuse my absence, won't you?"

Mack turned to her confused. "You're not gonna go?"

She shook her head. "I can't go. My father loves meeting new people, he'll go for the both of us."

"Why can't you go?"

"I just can't."

Mack took a step towards her and watched her. "What's the matter?"

She looked back at the Garrison's and back at him. "I don't own a dress."

"So, what?"

She rolled her eyes. "So, what? You saw what Mrs. Garrison was wearing."

Mack nodded as it dawned on him. Hanna wore extravagant dresses all day, every day. Too extravagant for Salt Water as far as Mack could tell. "I got dresses."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "You do?"

He nodded and started back to his house. He heard her soft footsteps behind him. He arrived at a door and unlocked it. Once inside he opened his mother's armoire. He held his breath as he opened the doors slowly. It had been years since he last opened her beloved armoire. He could still see her organizing it every morning, treating its contents with so much care.

He stepped aside allowing Joanne to look inside. She ran her hands over the clothing gently as if not wanting to damage them.

"Whose are these?"

"My mother's."

She shook her head as she dropped her hands. "Forgive me, but I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?"

"I can't wear your mo..." she became quiet as her voice cracked.

He stood before the armoire and grazed his fingers on the different fabrics. His mother had made them herself, he remembered. She had put so much work into every single one of them.

"Well, they're not doing much good in here." He spotted the light blue dress he only seemed to remember his mother in. It was a simple dress, but it had some very endearing memories attached to it. He extended it towards her.

She studied it carefully and accepted it. Her soft eyes moved up and down the dress admiringly, she ran her delicate hands down its long sleeves. It was hard to believe that those hands were capable of constructing weapons.

He cleared his throat as he caught himself staring. "Alright, I better go. I'll see you tonight." Before she could reply, he left the room and straight outside. The fresh air helped him clear his mind and refocus on the task at hand.

Isaac waited for him on the porch. "Why did she have to invite those people to my house?"

"They're not so bad, " Mack found himself defending.

"Is that so?" Isaac scoffed.

Mack could feel his eyes piercing his skin. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Isaac chuckled as they stepped down the porch steps towards their horses.