flash fiction.

Flash Fiction: The Lone Ranger Rides Again by Mark Tulin

 

 He would call me a “pilgrim” and act like he was a tougher cowboy than me. Once I got mad at him for mocking Tonto and me, and I shot him a couple times with a six-shooter.

The Lone Ranger Rides Again 


The Lone Ranger Rides Again, by Mark Tulin
2/7/2018

When I was a kid, I rode a wooden hobby horse named Silver and imagined that I was the Lone Ranger.

I got a bunch of grass from the backyard and made believe it was hay. I brushed Silver's long mane and hindquarters and made sure that I talked to him low and soft because I wanted him to relax. “A calm horse was better at riding than a nervous one,” my father said.

When there were bad guys to catch, I whistled for Tonto, who had his own horse, and I hopped on Silver and yelled: “Hi-Yo Silver! The Lone Ranger rides again!”

Tonto and I caught cattle rustlers, bank robbers, and the guys who were on the Most Wanted posters and put them all in jail. They were no match for Tonto and I because we knew how to draw our guns faster than any bad man in town.

After a long day of chasing bad guys, Tonto and I would relax by the campfire and roast some weenies, heat up some beans and eat all the grub with our fingers, something that my mother disliked.

Sometimes when I rode Silver, my dad used to sing “I’m an Old Cowhand” and make believe he was John Wayne just to get my goat. He would call me a “pilgrim” and act like he was a tougher cowboy than me. Once I got mad at him for mocking Tonto and me, and I shot him a couple times with a six-shooter.

“Ya got me,” dad said, holding his heart and falling backward. He dropped right on our green shag carpet and stayed down for a while to make like he was really dead. Of course, he’d get up later when mom asked him to take out the trash.

I shot a lot of bad guys back when I was the Lone Ranger, but the one thing that I didn’t do was shoot Indians because my mom told me that I had to respect all kinds of people and not just good cowboys.

Unknown's avatar

I am an author, poet, humorist, and short story writer living in Long Beach, California. I write about various topics, from my early childhood in Philadelphia to my years as a family therapist and finally to my soul-searching in California. These are poetic narratives that may have humorous or serious content or both. Either way, I hope my poetry and stories resonate with you. My books include Magical Yogis, Uncommon Love Stories, Awkward Grace, Junkyard Souls, and Rain on Cabrillo.

2 comments on “Flash Fiction: The Lone Ranger Rides Again by Mark Tulin

  1. Hope's avatar

    Hi-Yo! Silver!!!!🐴🤠

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