A Ride Into Reality
A Ride Into RealityDisclaimer: Some of the characters in this fiction have been borrowed from the TV show The Young Riders and are the copyright of Ed Spielman and Ogiens/Kane Production. The other characters are created by the author. Some characters may be based upon today living persons but the author have no connection with these persons, nor does the author claim to have any specific knowledge of these persons. This story is written for the enjoyment of TYR fans and are posted without any economical gain for neither the author nor the siteowner.
© Charla
Dumbfounded, the riders sank into the chairs inside the first room. There were so many things around them that they didn't understand, they didn't know what to question first. Lou began rubbing her temples with her fingers as Kid fidgeted in his chair. Cody kept repeating "Well, I'll be!" Jimmy's look was mutinous and he refused to look at anything around him, only stare at the table directly in front of him. Buck, on the other hand, studied everything around him, recording it to memory. This was clearly not a saloon.
"Well, would you guys like something to drink?" Sam asked as he moved to the back of the trailer house.
"Sasperilla," they all chimed in unison.
Sam shot an amused glance at Sarah and she rolled her eyes at him in response. He muffled a laugh as he moved away.
Sarah took a seat at the table, studying the five actors. I must say,
she thought to herself, they are giving the performance of a lifetime today;
they almost have me convinced!
"So level with me, you guys decided to meet up in Tucson…"
Sarah was interrupted by a loud and collective echo. "Tucson!?"
"You mean Tucson, Arizona?" Jimmy stood and shouted. Cody stood and patted Jimmy back into the chair. "Let's hear it all."
Sarah glared at each of them a moment, taking in their confused gazes. She shook her head ruefully and placed her head in her hands on the table, letting out a loud groan; she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Sam walked in, carrying several cans of Coke, Dr. Pepper and Pepsi. The group watched him carefully while eyeing the cans warily. Cody reached to pick one up, but dropped it quickly. "It's cold as January!"
Sarah looked up, snatched a can of Dr. Pepper, ignoring Cody and the others. She popped open the top and took a long drink. She grinned over at Sam, "Maybe I just need some caffeine. Maybe I'm still asleep. Maybe I need a long vacation."
Buck, forewarned to expect the cold, imitated Sarah by popping the can top of a Co Ca Co La. He sniffed at the liquid inside while the others watched him expectantly. Only tilting the can up slightly, still wary, his tongue tasted the dark liquid. All of the riders leaned forward in their seats. Buck lowered the can and grinned, "it tastes like the hard candy at Tompkin's store," and he took a bigger drink.
Cody grabbed a Pepsi and popped the top like Sarah and Buck. He took a big drink. "Well, I'll be damned!" Cody then proceeded to gulp down the rest.
Jimmy, Kid and Lou were more hesitant. They each finally grabbed a can, all of them careful to avoid the Dr. Pepper since they didn't need any doctoring, and followed suit, popping the top of the can.
Sarah just watched the group, wide-eyed and skeptical. "Ok, that's it," she exclaimed. "Sam, get me Josh Brolin's agent on the phone. See if he missed last night's performance and why he would be here."
"Will do Miss Stallings, will do." Sam hurried to the back of the trailer.
"Thank you for the drinks, ma'am," said Kid, "but now could you tell us how we ended up in Tucson, Arizona all the way from Rock Creek, Nebraska?"
Buck continued to thoughtfully stroke the silver coin in his palm.
"Are you all so hard up for a new show, you'll stoop to this?" yelled Sarah.
Cody looked wounded. "We don't know what show you're talking about."
"Listen lady, I've had about as much of this as I can stand, so start talking. We want to know what happened to Teaspoon and Rachel and the rest of the town!" Jimmy didn't like Sarah's tone of voice and he had reached his frustration limit.
"Calm down Jimmy. You ain't helping none," Lou remarked.
"Mind your own business Lou," Jimmy retorted.
Sarah broke in with sarcasm. "LOU! Oh yeah right, like we don't all know her name is Louise!" Sarah groaned loudly. "Listen to me, her name is Yvonne, not Louise - I'm starting to sound crazy as you!"
Lou looked startled. "How did you know that?" Kid put his hand on her shoulder to calm her.
"We aren't crazy," Kid explained, turning to look at Sarah, "but we don't know what's going on either. Jimmy, Lou, pipe down and listen."
Before Sarah could reply, Buck tossed the coin on the table. Cody picked it up to look at it as Buck turned his hard gaze on Sarah. "I have just one question for you, Sarah. Could you answer it honestly, for all of us, please?"
Sarah took a deep breath. "What is it?"
"What year is it?" Buck spoke the words slowly.
Cody looked up from the coin and all their gazes volleyed between Sarah and Buck. Sarah's eyebrows raised and she exhaled the breath she was holding. "I guess you are going to tell me you think it's 1861?" Sarah responded. The riders couldn't imagine her expecting them to believe anything else.
"Just answer his question lady," Jimmy demanded.
"Fine," she said in a huff, "I'll play your silly game. It's the new millenium, 2000."
Buck's eyes turned dark, his fears confirmed.
"The hell you say," yelled Cody.
"We aren't playing games lady." Jimmy's voice was menacing as he cocked his gun at Sarah. "Now tell us the truth, what year is it?" The group stood up, glaring down at the woman before them.
Sarah's face turned fearful, more from Jimmy's stance than the gun. "I'm telling you the truth, it's March 11, 2000. Look at that quarter Cody, I mean Stephen, is holding." Sarah's voice shook as Jimmy lowered the gun; he was satisfied that she believed what she was saying, even if he did not.
Cody, ignoring the Stephen, inspected the coin as Buck's voice filled the trailer. "It says 1998 on it; I've already looked."
Lou, who could ride and fight with the rest of them, felt her legs sink beneath her and her head swim. Kid reached to catch her before she hit the floor in a faint.
