Circa 1873

“The Shelter of Your Arms”

U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon and Festus Haggen were just about to cross the old covered bridge when they saw someone fall into the river. Matt jumped off his horse.

Festus:” NO, MATTHEW. (3) it’s just TOO dangerous!”

Matt took a flying leap and was able to reach the man. (6) Ice water flowed through every pore of his body as he grabbed hold of his collar and swam for safety.

He pulled him out of the frigid water. Travis Tolliver had attemtped suicide. Matt had foiled his desperate effort.

Once ashore, Matt turned to him……” (2) Give me one good reason why you would want to take your life.”

Travis stared straight ahead……. ” Marshal Dillon….. Ever since my wife died my life has been a shambles. (1) The murky waters below beckoned me. I was only answering the call.” He paused……. (4) This is what happens when you’ve lost your will to go on…… No point to go on.” His voice trailed off.

Matt:”I’m going to get you back to Dodge. I want Doc to look at you. ”

Travis:”He ain’t got nothin’ in that black bag of his that can cure me. I think I gotta better chance at the Long Branch .”

Matt:” Drinking yourself to death isn’t the answer either.”

Travis pulled away from him…….”(5) Do you dare to doubt me?!”

Matt:”I sure do. This isn’t any way to prove your love for your wife.”

Travis:” I’m lost. I’m lost. I ……”

Matt took him back to town…… “Can you help him, Doc?”

Doc: “He needs more than I can give him, Matt. I’ll send some wires to a few colleagues.”

Matt left him there and rode out to Sunshine’s farm.

He got out of his wet clothes and she put a blanket around him that she had warmed by the fire. As she handed him a hot cup of tea, Matt reached out for her hand…….”I wonder if I would behave the same way as Travis, if something happened to you.”

Sunshine sat next to him and held him…….. ” There’ve been a few times I thought I had lost you, Matt.”

The emptiness and misery that she had experienced came flooding into her mind.

They sat, not saying a word……… wrapped in the shelter of each other’s arms.

Ice water flowed through the channel below the bridge. I stood on the ledge railing about 15 feet above the flood, with my girlfriend Peggy. Peggy and I were carrying air mattresses. Although I couldn’t swim, I could feel the thrill, the urge to jump. The murky waters below beckoned me.

“Do you dare to doubt me?” asked Peggy. “This will be fun. Jump, Emu, jump!”

“It’s just TOO dangerous!” I whined. “Give me one good reason…” I eyed the chill river in terror.

A felt a strong shove, and then I was off balance, and falling. This is what happens when you have a crazy girlfriend!

I hugged the air mattress to my chest. OOF! I hit the water — with me in the water, and the air mattress above me! I thrashed and rolled, and was on top. I coughed a bucketful from my nose.

“Rock!” shouted Peggy behind me. “Paddle, Emu, paddle!”

I saw the rock in the middle of the stream, and paddled away from it!

Oh man, if I had smashed up on it…

I looked back. Nice view of Half Dome through the trees! I relaxed, and started having fun.

“Paddle to shore!” shouted Peggy, after a couple of miles.

It took us a while to work our way to the shore. I startled a frog — I was surprised myself to see a bullfrog here, since they’re not native.

Peggy led the way, and in a surprisingly short time, we were at our little camp. What I hadn’t known, and Peggy had, is that the river makes a big “U” shape. We’d gone around the bend, and had fetched up on the other leg at the point closest to our camp!

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Author’s note: the water was actually very clear, not murky at all. I had to use “murky” because that was the phrase I was given!

“Give me one good reason that we should stop now after all our hard work.”

“We just cant be sure that this is the place.”

“Even after the other successful dives we’ve completed, do you dare to doubt me now?”

In the moment of silence, I proceeded to let myself down as the ice water flowed through the large channel.

As the water grew darker and colder, I thought of the possibility that this could be the most rewarding dive we had had yet. Then, suddenly, I felt my chest tighten. In a moment of horror, I realized that I had picked up the wrong tank as I left the boat. “This is what happens,” I thought to myself, “when you don’t take your time.”

“Come on Touche” he says, “Lets do this!!!” I’m telling you ice water flowed through his veins. He was always pushing the limits of life and love. “It’s going to be ok. Do you dare to doubt me?” His brown eyes searching my face for any possible negative response. “Give me one good reason to jump” I said quivering, “It’s just TOO dangerous!”

“Baby, this is Couples Fear Factor, there’s half a million on the line.” Under different circumstances I may have smiled. “Let’s show ’em what we’re made of.” He whispered.

He was so right. We walked to the edge, and looked down. The murky waters below beckoned me.”Ok,” I said “On the count of three. One.. two..threeeeee….”

All the way down I was thinking,

“Darn, this is what happens when you sell your soul to the devil!”

Another Short Story by Touche