TTS2022 The Shrine

I guess it's just force of habit to go out to the shrine in the advent of another solstice. Pulled off 550 and pulled around back of the walmart and parked. It was only 2 clicks to the shrine the old Bruja told me about; built of lava, sandstone and old rusted BLM fencepost. It was on the edge of aa arroyo and stuck out like a sore thumb among the juniper, pinion, and rabbit bush. I was about a hundred yards away when I spotted her kneeling down in front of the shrine reading a book. I couldn't make out her chant but it sounded like Tewa spoken by a few Pueblo people here abouts. After a few min. she got up and started walking South headed to the rez a few miles away.

I waited a few until I walked up to the shrine; the woman had left her diary and a .38 Taurus on the alter. Being an gentleman I didn't even crack open the diary to see who she was but I picked up the .38 and saw it was loaded with hollowpoints. I wonder what she had in mind to leave that stuff there. I said a prayer to what ever higher power that happened to be listening, left my offering of 2 cigars and a can of Dos xx, turned and started walking back to my truck; I hadn't gone but about a 1/4 mile and I heard that .38 go off.

One thing I learned early on from living around the locals in the Land of Enchantment be they gringos, Vatos and NAs is to mind your own business and kept on walking.

THE END

I took three more steps and said, "What to heck" and reversed my course back to the shrine. There was the girl standing over a 6 foot long rattle snake which was still thrashing about even though almost all of its head was blown off.

She looked up at me and said, "Can't be to careful around here. !

I just smiled and started back to my truck.

a reply to: olaru12

So many potential directions and tangents.
Including the narrator's fingerprints on the gun, maybe...

Love the leave 'em hanging aspect.

So many unanswered questions makes me wish for more from your story... because I got sucked in.



Thanks for your submission and good luck in the contest,
Johnny

A nice little cliff hanger there,my friend.

a reply to: olaru12

It leaves unanswered questions but it feels like a lead in to another story. Like "this reminds me of the time..." Kind of thing.

Good entry!

originally posted by: oddscreenname
a reply to: olaru12

It leaves unanswered questions but it feels like a lead in to another story. Like "this reminds me of the time..." Kind of thing.

Good entry!

That's it exactly...

I plan on expanding the tale, but in a screenplay. A 90 page script is a bit much for this format.

a reply to: olaru12

Last time before I slept; I was watching Tales From the Hood 2 "Black Lives Matter" was said in it; film date 2018, movement start 2013.

Quite the snakes head when symbolized as hate in South East Asian religion, I could go into that it is just a horoscope missing 11 more wheels but not knowing who's horoscope has the cock, pig, or snake as their "evil"... if Shakayamuni is supposed to be the lord of that wheel? Knowing who's it is, is important. Being a water rat? My wheel is completely different horse, chicken and sheep are the three "evils" in "mine" since Gotauma said his father was a wheel conqueror? It can't be Suddhanas wheel.

Feel free to use this as food for thought and good luck with your screen play and writer status.