April 1 2020
April First … clear wonderful morning … members of the world
dilemma think tank down at the Mule Barn coffee shop looked
around.
“Anyone seen Dud this morning?”
“Not me. Haven’t seen Herb, either, come to think of
it.”
“Hey, that’s right,” Steve said. “Matter of fact,
haven’t seen much of those two all this past week.”
“Working, you think?” said Doc.
“Those two?”
“Yeah. What was I thinking?”
They were quiet through the sweet rolls and
Steve’s hash browns.
“Last time I talked with them,” Doc said,
“they were scheming something for April Fools Day. Wonder if
they came up with something.”
The sirens got them up from the coffee and
to the front window in time to see the village fire truck go
screaming past toward the mountains. Steve went outside
and got his binoculars out of the truck.
“Baldy Rock’s on fire!” he yelled. Sure enough,
black smoke was pouring from the top of Baldy Rock, some ten
miles or so to the northwest.
“You know,” said Doc. “There’s nothing to burn on
Baldy Rock.”
“That’s right. Let’s go!”
The fire truck got there first, of course, up the
winding little trail that would handle a fire truck if the
driver was optimistic and a little dumb. The firemen were
hosing down a burning pile of dead tires in the middle of the
summit.
The fire chief was muttering to himself about April
First, old ladies who had telephones, and a critical lack of
coffee.
“What happened?” Doc asked.
“Got two calls about the same time this morning
from a couple of old ladies who said a volcano was erupting.”
Doc turned to Steve. “Might as well go back to
the Mule Barn and finish our breakfast. Might even find Dud
and Herb there. In fact, I’d bet on it.”
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