{"id":8553,"date":"2014-03-13T17:20:44","date_gmt":"2014-03-13T17:20:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ramworks.net\/blog\/?p=8553"},"modified":"2014-11-14T14:08:38","modified_gmt":"2014-11-14T14:08:38","slug":"the-trespasser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/the-trespasser\/","title":{"rendered":"The Trespasser"},"content":{"rendered":"

This morning I was looking back over some work I’d completed 10 years ago. Sometimes I have to research my own work because my brain is old and cannot remember things. While doing so, I stumbled on this story I wrote and it might be of interest to some. (This is about as deep as my shotgun writing gets and maybe it won’t waste your time\u00a0like some stupid list<\/a>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Z2\"Small patches of fog drifted just above the treetops like lost spirits. The morning was cool and overcast and the world seemed dim. Robert stepped from the car and picked up his coffee he had ignored during the drive. The coffee was cold.\u00a0 He poured it out and tossed the cup into the car. Taking the hunting vest from the back seat he slid it on; 16 gauge shot-shells ratted in the pockets. It had the aroma of must but there was another smell, one he remembered.<\/p>\n

Pulling the shotgun from the well-worn case he noticed rust on the receiver at the balance point. That bothered him. Like it would make it go away, he covered the rust with his hand and started toward the old gate that framed a new high-tech plastic posted sign. His keys were still in the ignition.<\/p>\n

On the old haul road, just past the gate, a wide hollow opened to the left and into the rising sun. Covered by a canopy of giant hardwoods a trickle of a creek meandered down the draw. The path was there, just as he remembered it. It would follow the creek up to a point where the water disappeared into the ground under a stand of hickory. As the timber swallowed him he felt alone and out of place. He had been here many times but that was long ago and this time, he was alone.<\/p>\n

When he reached the hickory trees he was surprised to find the same stunted oak with the bent trunk he had hunted from so often. He rested there again with the old Winchester in his lap. His mind wondered but after a while he could almost see his father beside him; hat pushed far back and whispering instructions as a big fox squirrel fed ever closer. He could remember shouldering his little 410 single shot and wishing it was his father\u2019s 16 gauge. He could remember his father\u2019s smile when he put that fox squirrel in his vest too.<\/p>\n

He remembered the other times he\u2019d seen that smile. When he graduated.\u00a0 When he came back from overseas with the Purple Heart, and the crutches. And the last time, when little Bobby was born. His father had been a serious man, smiles with him were like respect, they had to be earned. But, hunting with his father had always been special because Robert never had to compete with anyone or anything else for his father\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n

He also thought about the only tear he ever saw come from those deep dark eyes, when Dad had to tell him Mom was gone.<\/p>\n

When Robert looked at his watch for the first time it was past noon and the sky had cleared. He stood, took a deep breath and a long look into the tops of the same old hickory trees that had stood over him when he was growing up. When he was learning. He wiped his own tear and started back down the path.<\/p>\n

As he approached the mouth of the hollow he noticed a pickup truck beside his car and when he stepped into the road a man about his age, dressed in overalls, white t-shirt and a John Deere cap got out of the truck. Robert felt embarrassed he had trespassed. He knew better. Had been taught better.<\/p>\n

Taking his ball cap off and shoving it toward the posted sign the man said, \u201cI\u2019m a guessing you didn\u2019t see the sign.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robert nodded, \u201cNo sir, I saw it and I\u2026I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe you thought it wasn\u2019t meant for you. I\u2019ve had so much trouble with fellers coming in here trashing up the place and poaching I don\u2019t allow hunting anymore. And those kids on them blasted four wheelers.\u201d\u00a0 The man replaced his hat, obviously annoyed.<\/p>\n

Robert continued, \u201cI do apologize and I understand\u2026it\u2019s just, well, my Dad used to take me squirrel hunting up here. I just wanted to\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The man cut Robert off and pointedly asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Walton, Robert Walton.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wide-eyed, the man said, \u201cSay. You Bob Walton\u2019s boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes sir, I am.\u201d Robert nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be damned!\u00a0 I\u2019m Allen, Allen Wise.\u00a0 I remember when y\u2019all used to camp down by the river. Roland is my Pa. Y\u2019all used to come by every fall. I remember Bob would always bring Pa a pair of them boots he sold back in the city and he always had some chocolate too. Pa really liked him.\u00a0 He always said your dad was one of a kind; put together the way a man ought to be. How is your dad?\u201d<\/p>\n

Robert looked away, back toward the hollow.\u00a0 \u201cDad\u2019s gone.\u00a0 Two months.\u00a0 Cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allen, hanging his head, \u201cDamn. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still uncomfortable he\u2019d went onto another man\u2019s land without permission, Robert continued, \u201cThat\u2019s why I was here, I wanted to\u2026There\u2019s no excuse for trespassing.\u00a0 Especially to hunt\u2026I just\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Allen cut him off again, \u201cI understand.”<\/p>\n

Silent, Robert walked over to the car, opened the door and reached for the gun case.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell look there, is that a Model 12 Winchester?\u201d Allen asked, in an effort to change the subject.\"12\"<\/p>\n

Robert looked down at the old gun. It was his now. His eyes and fingers felt the nicks, gouges and the bright shiny steel, long void of bluing. It looked rough but each imperfection had been earned honestly. It was a finish that couldn\u2019t be bought or duplicated by the finest craftsman.<\/p>\n

The sun was high and bright now, warm on Robert\u2019s shoulders and it made the fall colors surrounding the two men all that much more alive<\/i>. Smiling, Robert slid the old pump-gun in the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes sir, that\u2019s a Model 12 Winchester. Put together just the way a gun ought to be. Leastwise that\u2019s what Dad used to tell me\u201d<\/p>\n

\"dogs<\/a>
You might also like this post.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This morning I was looking back over some work I’d completed 10 years ago. Sometimes I have to research my own work because my brain is old and cannot remember things. While doing so, I stumbled on this story I wrote and it might be of interest to some. (This is about as deep as my shotgun writing gets and maybe it …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[524,525,465],"class_list":["post-8553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-hunting-with-dad","tag-shotguns","tag-squirrel-hunting"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5hujZ-2dX","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15244,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/under-orion\/","url_meta":{"origin":8553,"position":0},"title":"Under Orion $19.99","author":"gunwriter","date":"October 29, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Under Orion - Hunting Stories from Appalachia to Africa is the latest book from the Empty Cases' proprietor Richard Mann. It\u00a0is a collection of stories he has written over the past 15 years. Some of the stories are sad, some are happy, some are nostalgic. Most are true - or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "BOOKS by Richard Mann"","block_context":{"text":"BOOKS by Richard Mann","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Cover-Image.jpg?fit=804%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Cover-Image.jpg?fit=804%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Cover-Image.jpg?fit=804%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Cover-Image.jpg?fit=804%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12077,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/the-trespasser-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":8553,"position":1},"title":"The Trespasser","author":"gunwriter","date":"September 11, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This is an excerpt from the upcoming book, Under Orion - Hunting Stories from Appalachia to Africa Small patches of fog drifted above the treetops like lost spirits. Sunrise was an hour gone but the morning was cool and overcast. The world seemed dim and for hunting, he was late.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"hunting memories\"","block_context":{"text":"hunting memories","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/tag\/hunting-memories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"TRs-2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/TRs-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/TRs-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/TRs-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/TRs-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7786,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/front-sights-for-handgun-hunting\/","url_meta":{"origin":8553,"position":2},"title":"Front Sights for Handgun Hunting","author":"gunwriter","date":"December 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"To be a successful handgun hunter you need three things: Your handgun has to have sights you can see. You handgun needs a good trigger. You need to practice, practice, and practice. \u00a0 Experienced hunters know that the best times to see game is often in the early morning and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HUNTING"","block_context":{"text":"HUNTING","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/hunt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Opening day Blackhawk buck.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/HS-11-300x239.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12090,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/the-empty-cases-guide-to-big-game-hunting\/","url_meta":{"origin":8553,"position":3},"title":"The Empty Cases’ Guide to Big Game Hunting","author":"gunwriter","date":"September 8, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Big game hunting is really a very simple endeavor. One we have complicated with gear and boundless minutia. You find an animal, work yourself into a shot, take it, and then the work starts. I remember when I was a teenager my hunting gear consisted of a boots, military surplus\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HUNTING"","block_context":{"text":"HUNTING","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/hunt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hunting Guide-1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Hunting-Guide-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Hunting-Guide-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Hunting-Guide-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Hunting-Guide-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8910,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/turkey-hunting-is-stupid-part-iii-calling-in-the-expert\/","url_meta":{"origin":8553,"position":4},"title":"Turkey Hunting is Stupid Part III – Calling in the Expert","author":"gunwriter","date":"May 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Not being a professional turkey hunter and seeing how my son wanted to shoot a turkey bird with his grandfather\u2019s old model 12, 16 gauge, I called one in. Calling in a professional turkey hunter seemed much easier than calling in a turkey; this is probably because there are more\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HUNTING"","block_context":{"text":"HUNTING","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/hunt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"CHRIS ELLIS - One of the best \"professional\" turkey hunters I know.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Expert-2-925x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Expert-2-925x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Expert-2-925x1024.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8597,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/turkey-hunting-is-stupid\/","url_meta":{"origin":8553,"position":5},"title":"Turkey Hunting is Stupid","author":"gunwriter","date":"March 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Turkey hunting is stupid. I know, some of you have already picked up rocks to throw my way; you may have even loaded your Mossberg 500 with three-inch magnums and jumped in your truck to drive to West Virginia. But wait; let me explain. You get up before the crow\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HUNTING"","block_context":{"text":"HUNTING","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/hunt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Gobble","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Gobble-300x190.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8553\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}