by: Denise Wallan

Blue Mustang

A hot breath breathed into Chet’s face an he batted away the thin air with one hand an continued to doze with his eyes closed for a few more moments. Warm rays of sunshine beat down heavily on him an pressed down on his eye lids as a warning that the first rays of morning had come an that it was time he got his ass off the ground. The hot breath hit his skin once again, but harder this time, the sound of a light snort came to his ears an Chet froze his heart skipping a beat in time.

He raised his right hand again an felt along the object that his head rested on, the object felt well worn an rather rough. An the smell of leather came to his nose an he took it in with a deep breath, his heart skipping again as the possibilities crept into his mind an rolled over. The last time he had smelled leather like that had been…when….he thought to himself about his experience or call it what you will, in the old west with the tall fiery red gelding.

It all came back to him now, he could remember the run in with his brother and the visit to Joey’s supply store. An the train robbery where he had been wounded, the visit to his mother that had ended with the death of the man on the Paso Fino and then the end, his father being shot an killed. The warm breeze hit him in the face again an the smell of wild flowers, green grass, fresh running water and land as wild as the west itself quivered in his nostrils. An a high pitched whinny came to his ears, loud an clear as if it had been right next to his head.

Slowly the realization sank into him an his eyes flew open, he peered around not immediately moving his head to better see, he knew all too well what he might see. But reluctantly he turned his head to the right and a pair of big light blue eyes met his an a nervous snort blew into his face as a powerful hoof pawed the ground right next to his head. Chet rolled away a few feet an sat up immediately putting his hand to the back of his head where he thought he had been stricken while analyzing the downed tree in front of his car. He pulled his hand away feeling know bruise an his hand showing know sign of blood, his hand naturally ran through his very short black hair, feeling dry and ruffled from sleep.

He turned his attention back to the eyes that had so nervously looked at him, an the horse looked back standing quietly now, just staring. A small crackle in the woods nearby suddenly caused the horse to rear an paw the sky with its large hooves an then crash back down onto the dry, hard, GA dirt. Chet pushed himself to his feet slowly, his mismatched eyes intent an steady on the horse as his voice finally came to him.

“Easy now…..easy there big fella….easy….shhhh.” He spoke soothingly to the horse an held his hands up at waist height in a steady motion.

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by: Marty Chrisman

            Luke was still sleeping the next morning when a light tapping at the bedroom door awakened him. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around, momentarily forgetting where he was, until he heard Diane’s voice on the other side of the door.

“Luke, Mom said to tell you it was time to get up. Breakfast is ready, she said you have ten minutes or she’ll take a switch to ya.”

“Alright,” Luke called out in a grouchy voice. He didn’t feel like getting up but he knew that Pauline wasn’t about to let him hole up in his room like he had been doing at the farm. Tossing aside the covers, he sat up on the edge of the bed and ran his fingers through his tousled hair. Knowing that his aunt would come looking for him if he didn’t hurry up and get downstairs, he pulled on his clothes and headed for the bathroom across the hall. Finding it occupied by one of the twins, he went downstairs.

As he sat down at the kitchen table, Pauline sat a cup of coffee, a glass of milk and a plate of pancakes dripping with butter and syrup down in front of him. “You are going to sit in that chair until you eat every bite, even if you have to sit there all day.” She told him sweetly. When Luke threw a resentful glance her way, she smiled at him and said, “Don’t give me that look, Luke Duke. You need to eat, something you obviously haven’t been doing much of lately.” In a firmer voice, she ordered “Now eat!”

Luke knew when he was outmatched. Pauline had the same stubborn streak that all the Dukes seemed to have and in a battle of wills she wouldn’t back down until Luke did. So, he knew from experience, it would be easier to just do what she wanted rather he wanted to or not. Back home Luke knew that everyone had been worried about him but they had been treating him with kid gloves, acting like he might fall apart any minute (which Luke still felt like he might do) but Pauline wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t let him withdraw into himself any longer. Luke knew that was why Jessie had sent him here because Pauline wasn’t as emotionally involved in the situation as they were.

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**Note: This story is dedicated to Brian Coltrane and his author Cuz.
Thank you for all that you have done for me in my short time here in Hazzard.**

“Wild West Show” By: Big & Rich

I’m feelin’ like Tonto,
Ridin’ a Pinto,
Tryin’ to chase the Lone Ranger down.
I’m a little unraveled,
But I’m still in the saddle,
Cryin’ your name out to the crowds,
Hey yaw, Hey yaw!
Why don’t you meet me,
Back at the tepee?
We’ll lay down by the camp fire.
There, in the dark night,
We’ll smoke the peace pipe,
Forget about who’s wrong or right.
Hey yaw, Hey yaw!
Yeah, it was a big showdown,
Oh yeah, we stood our ground.
Shot out the lights:
It got a little crazy.
I don’t wanna see us go,
The way of the buffalo:
Don’t wanna have another wild west show.
Hey yaw, Hey yaw!
Only forgiveness,
Will finally end this.
There won’t be a witness if we both fall.
There’s never a hero,
In a battle of egos.
There’s never a winner of the quick draw.
Hey yaw, Hey yaw!
Yeah, it was a big showdown,
Oh yeah, we stood our ground.
Shot out the lights:
It got a little crazy.
Don’t wanna see us go,
The way of the buffalo:
Don’t wanna have another wild west show.
Hey yaw, Hey yaw!
Hey yaw, Hey yaw!
It’s like a ghost town,
Without you around.
Why can’t we just forget it,
Ride off in the sunset?
It was a big showdown,
Oh yeah, we stood our ground.
Shot out the lights:
It got a little crazy.
I don’t wanna see us go,
The way of the buffalo:
Don’t wanna have another wild west show.
Hey yaw, Hey yaw!
I’m feelin’ like Tonto,
Ridin’ a Pinto,
Tryin’ to chase the Lone Ranger down.

****************************************************************

Family Affairs

“Chet I called that eight ball in the middle pocket! I won fair and square!” Breyer Duke spoke calmly to his twin brother Chet Duke.

The elder Bo, Luke and Daisy Duke looked on from the bar as the brothers were playing a friendly game of pool in the corner of the room. Brothers, as in Bo Duke’s 19 year old twin boys, Chet Hugh and Breyer Sterling Duke.

Now, as the games friendly atmosphere took a dark turn Bo and Luke straitened up there relaxed posture where they were leaning against the bar, the boys were about to have a disagreement about the game an any disagreement between the two was not short lived.

“You didn’t call the eight ball, I’m half blind not half deaf remember.” Chet spate at his brother in a coy deep voice an then mumbled under his breath. “Soar looser.”

“What was that Chet?” Breyer looked at his brother as he placed the pool stick he had been using back on the rack. His brothers mismatched eyes, watched him glaring back at him with there own silent warning.

“You’re a soar looser Breyer! You called that eight ball, you’re a looser. You got to lie to win?!” Chet said spitting the words at his brother as if he were a rattler ready to spit venom.

A crash of thunder sounded outside and a strike of lightening flashed lighting up the dark night in the blink of an eye. An the lightening flash beamed through the windows of the Boars Nest, the thunder booming moments after Chet’s voice rang out in a coy, sarcastic tone, a warning in itself. An his eyes drilled his brother in a final warning not to defy him again, his thin black goatee twitched with irritation around his mouth as his lips pressed together tightly.

“I’m not a looser! Your just too proud to admit that you lost against….” Breyer’s voice was suddenly cut off as his brother threw his pool stick to the floor and tackled him to the ground with a bone racking thud.

The storm outside grew in strength and the winds picked up power an began to hurdle there mighty force against the trees an cover everything in sight, in sheets of down pouring rain. The dry, cracked ground quickly became a muddy mess, an the rain waved down from the sky like the ocean, encouraging the winds.

Chet pinned his brother to the floor his temper raging, his teeth gritted an his face twisted into loose anger. He fed his brother two quick punches in the jaw an was suddenly thrown to the side an onto the wooden plank floor of the Boars Nest. Breyer got to his feet fast in a quick recovery an backed away from his fiercely angry brother as Chet got to his own feet again as well.

“This is foolish Chet, fighting over a pool game!” Breyer said an plowed into Chet pinning him up against the wall.

Breyer hammered his fists into his brothers ribs holding his taller but thin an leaner twin against the wall. Soon Chet became winded from the blows to his chest, an gasped for air struggling to recover enough to answer his brother with a come back. Chet balled his fists together an drove them down into the center of his brothers back, an it was over. Breyer hunched forward from being stricken in the back by his brothers powerful double fisted blow an gasped for air.

An as suddenly as it had begun it was over, Luke Duke grabbed Breyer by his shirt and dragged him across the floor an forced him to his feet and backed him as far away from Chet as possible.

Only seconds after being relieved from his brothers hammering fists, Chet pressed himself from the wall and made another attempt to attack. His father, Bo, rammed into him sending him to the floor without losing his footing. Chet collided with the floor like a sac of potatoes and rolled over onto his side to get back up again, but not soon enough. Bo Duke pinned his son to the floor rolling Chet onto his back and holding him there.

“Just calm down.” Luke said to Breyer, who had willingly taken a seat at the bar on a bar stool.

Chet shook his father off and got to his feet also, his anger still flaring he gave his father a rough push away and stalked passed him giving his brother a cold glare as he headed for the exit of the Boars Nest.

“Get out!” Bo said pointing towards the door his angry voice echoing throughout the empty room. His blue eyes steady on his son as he gave the cold demand, his age and maturity ringing in his voice, a voice that had once been etched with a boyish tone now rang strong with a mans drawl.

“Don’t @#$%! worry I am!” Chet shouted back at his father his voice still boiling with anger.

He turned his back on his family an cousins, his boot steps echoing across the wood floor with every one of his long strode foot steps. An finally the entrance door slammed shut shaking the glass bottles an plates on the shelves.

Bo an Luke Duke shook there head, there was just so much you could do with a person like Chet, hot headed an young. The only thing the elder Dukes could do was pray that he would mature with age an grow to understand life, but most of all they hoped that he would grow out of his temper.

Chet stormed outside, the rain hitting him suddenly as he stepped out the door, but the storm wasn’t going to cease because of his presence an anger. Instead it wailed on harder beating down on the young enraged Duke as he strut towards his white 1970 Dodge Charger, properly entitled Ghost where it sat next to the famous General Lee.

He cussed angrily under his breath as he slide into the stock car with the ease and profession of a Duke. The car came to life in the flick of his wrist as he tossed his hat in the passengers seat next to him an threw the car into gear an pealed out. Ghost’s tires gripped through the mud of the wet parking lot an sped the car forward with a mighty jolt as Chet left the Boars Nest parking lot behind.

The storm raged on as Chet drove at high speed towards town, his windshield wipers slapping an throwing the rain out of his view. He clutched the steering wheel with his fist until his knuckles showed white an his fingers threatened numbness, an at that point he loosened his grip and searched his black leather jacket pockets for his pack of smokes and lighter. As he took the pack of cigarettes from his pocket one of them fell out of the pack an onto the leather seat between his legs.

Chet looked down briefly to see where the cigarette went but the car was dark an he could not see it, he looked back up at the road in just the nick of time. His right foot suddenly rushed from the gas to the brake pressing it hard in one fluent motion. Slipping an sliding at first, Ghost’s tires dug into the muddy earth an came to a mighty halt in the center of the road, its soaking wet chrome bumper only inches away from the tree that lay across the road.

The storms furry continued in a rampage of scourging the earth with its mighty fingers of rain, thunder and lightening racking over it and all around the young Duke. Chet cussed in irritation an slide out the drivers window as gracefully as he had gotten in, taking his black stetson still soaking wet an placing it back on his head. The brim of the hat naturally curved down an set forward on Chet’s head concealing his mismatched eyes from the world.

He strut up to the tree an looked down at it glaring, his wet sky blue shirt stuck to his lean body showing the movement of the toned muscles in his arms and back with his proud an sure footed movement. A powerful crash of thunder sounded, but the young man didn’t flinch an he didn’t blink as he glared down at the tree standing in his way.

An suddenly followed by the crash of thunder came a mighty bolt of lightening striking the tree behind Chet an shaking the earth under his feet. A large limb from the tree in which had been stricken came tumbling to the earth slamming Chet in the shoulders and the back of the head and throwing him to the ground. The force of the branch immediately pounding Chet to the muddy ground, the blow to the back of his head knocking him unconscious as if someone had turned the lights out.

Chet laid on his chest on the muddy ground, his hat laying close to his head, the right side of his face crammed into the muddy ground. The rain water fell onto his body, still coming in a heavy sheets that plastered the earth with every mighty whip of the wind. An in the dark of the late night, crimson drops trickled down the back of Chet’s head an quickly mixed with the rain water turning to a river of red that fell to the ground creating a puddle of its own beside the felled Duke boy.

by: Marty Chrisman

Luke was in a quiet mood as the boys prepared to leave the next morning. At least he took a shower, shaved and changed clothes for the trip. Cooter and Bo both ate breakfast but Luke refused. Daisy looked at him worriedly. He had barely eaten anything since the accident and it showed, he had lost at least 15 pounds. She hoped that Pauline could at least get him to start eating again and soon.

Bo and Luke rode in the General, while Cooter followed them in a powder blue Ford Escort that he was letting Luke borrow while he was in Ohio. Cooter and Bo kept in contact with their CBs, while Luke stared out the side window, lost in his own thoughts. They stopped around noon at a truck stop just off the interstate. Bo and Cooter both ate but all Luke did was drink coffee. They were back on the road in an hour. With Bo and Cooter driving, they made good time. They arrived in Greenville around six o’clock that evening.

When they stopped for gas in Dayton, Ohio, Bo had called Pauline to let her know they would soon be there. She had told him that she would have supper waiting for them. Cooter and Bo would be staying overnight, then heading back to Hazzard in the morning. Luke had dozed off just after they got gas and Bo let him sleep. It was the first real sleep Luke had gotten in the past few weeks without drinking himself into a stupor first.

Greenville was a small rural town in western Ohio just a few miles from the Indiana state line. Pauline and Jed lived in a split level ranch house on Ohio Street. As soon as the two cars pulled up in front of the house, the front door opened and Pauline stepped out on the porch, grinning happily. Obviously, she had been watching for them.

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by: Marty Chrisman

Jesse knocked on the door to the room that Luke and Bo shared. When Luke didn’t answer, Jesse opened the door and went into the room. Luke was lying on the bed with one arm thrown up over his eyes. Dark shadows filled the room. Luke had pulled the curtains, shutting out the light. Jesse was deeply concerned about his oldest nephew. Luke had not come out of his room, except for the funeral, in almost two weeks. Bo and Jesse took him his meals but he seldom ate more than a few bites at a time. He had fallen into a deep dark depression, a depression that Jesse knew could be dangerous in Luke’s present state of mind.

“Luke, we need to talk.” Jesse said, sitting down on the edge of Bo’s bed. Luke didn’t answer but Jesse knew that he was awake and could hear him. He continued “I know how you’re feeling and I know what you’re thinking. I know how easy it would be to just take my ole shotgun out to the barn some night and make the hurt go away.” Jesse’s voice broke slightly as he struggled to control his emotions “But, damn it, boy…I couldn’t stand to lose you too! And I’ll do whatever it takes to make damn sure that don’t happen!”  Jesse’s use of profanity was an indication of just how upset he was. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself so that he could get through to Luke. “We all loved Kelly too and we’re all hurting. But we should be hurting as a family and helping each other git through this. Keeping it bottled up inside of you ain’t gonna make it no better, it’ll just make it worse.” He took another deep breath before telling Luke the plan he had come with. He just hoped it wasn’t too late to save Luke from himself. “I called Pauline. She said you can come up there and stay for awhile….get away from Hazzard so you won’t run into memories of Kelly wherever you go. I ain’t gonna make you go if you don’t want too…….I just want you to think about it.” Having said his peace, Jesse stood up and left the room.

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