Scott Hopkins by Bill Schenck’s “Gone with the Gunsmoke” at the Tucson Museum of Art
Ron Machado and Scott Hopkins
Ranch Writers is a group of SaddleBrooke Ranchers who have a passion for writing. Our mission is to encourage writers and improve our writing skills. We recently asked members to write a drabble (a 100-word short story) based on a picture from the Tucson Museum of Art. The picture was Bill Schenck’s “Gone with the Gunsmoke” (1996). Here are two of the drabbles shared by our members.
Mrs. Scarlet Moon
Ron Machado
The year was 1950, and I was in my first year of Junior High School.
At lunch I sat with two friends near the baseball field, when she walked by. I had never seen anyone so beautiful. She glanced at the three of us, smiled, and said hi. My two friends said hi back, and I couldn’t get a word out.
I was smitten with her.
In my classroom later, there she was… Standing in front of the class.
She said, “My name is Mrs. Scarlet Moon, and I will be your social studies teacher.”
The Redheaded Cowgirl
Scott Hopkins
They drove up in a dusty Cadillac. The young cowgirl scampered off to the restroom as my boy pumped their gas.
After her stop, the cowgirl went through my store gathering goods like some spoiled child or movie star. She was in her mid-twenties with flowing red locks, a sweet face, and dressed like a Hollywood cowgirl. I was helping a customer, but that didn’t stop her from interrupting us.
“Who’d you think you are?” I asked.
“Mrs. Howard Hughes.”
That’s when the disheveled old man came in and said, “That boy of yours can’t break $100. Can you, old-timer?”
Ranch Writers want to wish you and yours a warm and enjoyable Thanksgiving this year! We meet on the second Wednesday of every month at 1 p.m. New and interested writers are always welcome. For more information about Ranch Writers, contact Chuck Coxe at cfcoxe@gmail.com.