Syringa Place

Galveston is on the list.

She was twelve when her father sold her to a saloon owner. Abilene, Kansas, 1879. Dust on her face, tears cutting lines through it, a rag-doll hanging from her hand like the last thing in the world she could hold on to. Her father, soaked in whiskey and shame, traded her away as if she were nothing. Coins hit a counter. Men murmured. The air felt heavy enough to choke.

Then the door flew open. Her brother stood there, sixteen, thin as fence wire but with a look that could burn through timber. No weapon. No clever idea. Only the kind of love that rises up like a storm.

He stepped between her and the men. His voice cracked. His hands trembled. The saloon keeper reached for his pistol, but the boy struck first. A bottle smashed, spraying whiskey and slicing skin. The whole room froze. Even the father wavered, confused and hollow.

And then the two of them ran. Through the alleys. Past the horses tied outside. Past lanterns swaying in the wind. Their hearts pounded hard enough to echo off the wooden walls behind them. They didn’t stop until morning light spilled across the plains and a cold breeze brushed their cheeks. That wind carried the promise they made out loud and in silence: never again, never back, never owned.

Years passed. Folks began calling them the Carter orphans. No family left. No coins to their names. But they had grit. He took on freight work, hauling whatever needed hauling for long miles. She sewed for anyone who needed a steady hand, and she kept a little locket of dried prairie grass to remind her of the night they ran free. Hunger pushed them. Winter pressed hard. Life kept testing them. They held firm.

And sometimes, when the fields rippled under the late sun, the grown boy would glance at his sister and think about that night. In a place where freedom often draws blood, he wondered how many would have fought with the same fire for a child so small.

Good morning.

Snow in Galveston this morning.

Good morning!
Dawn at Pelican's Rest Marina, on a gorgeous morning. September 2018
Have a fantastic Saturday.
Galveston, Texas


www.watersedgedigitalphotography.com