The shoeless boy with frayed trousers often rode the freight train to cattle market. He had a wall-eye and folks called him simple.
Perched atop, he played cowboy tunes on his harmonica to entertain the steers. As they rattled about and clomped their hoofs against containment, he imagined them dancing to his music.
One week, the train broke down and stayed broken. The boy sat for a while, tapping the spit out of his harmonica and thinking so hard the wrinkles in his forehead hurt. When nobody came, he released the steers but forgot to jump out of their way.
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Friday Fictioneers: 100 word stories
Photo Prompt: image © Jennifer Pendergast
Sarah Potter Writes 