The Gift (Synopsis and background)

I told this story to my son and his friend on the way to Judo. We've got a twenty minute drive to get there and lately they've been asking me to tell them stories to pass the time. I made this one up as we drove. When I finished my son said, "Dad, that story made me cry." To which his friend replied, "Yeah, sometimes things that make me happy make me cry." And my son said, "Yeah." So, there you have it, an endorsement from two young boys. (In case you need an adult's perspective, when I shared the boys' comments and the story with my wife, she said, "Yeah, that is good.")

I'm just putting the synopsis down right now, but will write the story after I finish my other story, "The Ill-Made Knight". (Unless I get impatient. Then maybe I'll write this one first and then finish the other.)

The synopsis is as follows.

There are two ranchers, both growing in wealth and power, living in a small western community. The one man, Duke, has a wife and a son. The other man, Joe, has a son and a daughter. Both men believe they have the right to graze a certain pasture. As they gain more animals, the conflict increases to the point that, late in November when Duke happens to come upon Joe's son trying to rope a stray steer belonging to him in the disputed pasture, Duke shoots him dead. He then enlists his right-hand man on the ranch to falsely testify that he was with Duke at the time to bolster his story that the shooting was justified because Joe's son was trying to steal his cattle. Naturally Joe is devastated and wants revenge.

Being such a small community, the town only has one church. Although neither man is particularly religious, both attend on holidays -- Joe because his mother was a religious woman and feels he ought to be more religious and Duke because his wife expects it. On December 24th, both men are in church. The pastor preaches a sermon about God's love as manifest through the gift of his Son. Joe, whose loss is so recent, can only think of his own son and how he was killed so young and so unfairly. Throughout the sermon he plots his revenge against Duke.

Unbeknownst to both Duke and Joe, Duke's son and Joe's daughter have fallen in love. Even though she has warned Duke's son to stay away, he wants to give her the gift he has gotten for her and makes a foolhardy visit to Joe's ranch. He manages to meet her in the dark and give her the gift. In the meantime, Joe is staring out the window into the dark, thinking about his son's death and the pastor's sermon. In the moonlight, he sees Duke's son crossing his land on the way home from his rendezvous and raises his rifle. Sighting down the rifle, he thinks of God's son and then his own, then finally lowers the rifle and says through tears, "Merry Christmas, Duke."

So there you have it. I hope to get it written soon, so check back sometime next month.