" The Ghost Rider and the Calf "

It's been six long years
Since our civil war came to an end
Life has been pretty hard
With our country slow to mend
-
I went back to raising cattle
It was just a small herd
That's when I started hearing stories
That I thought were absurd
-
Some swear there's a Ghost Rider
Who rides a dark horse through the night
Like some sort of avenging angel
He appears in the darkest of plight
-
Some claim he's a guardian angel
Others say he was forged in the flames of hell
It's said no human who's challenged his gun
Has ever lived to tell
-
I've never believed in superstitions
Those ramblings are for the insane
Still there are some things in this life
That just can not be explained
-
But between rustlers , disease and bad weather
Our herd was beginning to grow thin
It was only a few head
But more and more it happened again
-
I figured it was rustlers
There was only one thing to do
I rode out to the north forty
As a storm was beginning to brew
-
I had that feeling of being watched
But I saw no one around
I herded the cattle back
All but a young calf I hadn't found
-
But I did find the tracks of horses
I could tell there were at least three or four
The rustlers had headed for higher ground
Where perhaps there could have been more
-
I herded the steers back to the ranch
But I knew the calf wouldn't survive
The temperature was dropping too fast
The storm would soon arrive
-
I was sure the calf had strayed
Where the canyon grass had grown quite tall
I tied an old lantern to my saddle
Knowing that night was soon to fall
-
I found the calf at sunset
Just as the icy winds began to blow
I realized this storm was a Northern
I knew we had to go
-
Suddenly lightning struck a tree
Showering burning debris all around
My horse reared back in fright
Throwing me upon the ground
-
I heard the distant sound of gun fire
Then thunder exploded over head
If I didn't find cover soon
I knew the calf and I were dead
-
The icy rain fell with a fury
Quickly turning to ice and snow
Whipped by a savage northern wind
I couldn't tell which way to go
-
Then out of no where
A loan rider galloped past
I doubt that he even saw me
He was moving way to fast
-
But I did recognized the rider
He was a young runaway named Seth
And from the look on his face
Something had scared him half to death
-
But without my horse
I had little chance of getting back
And in this blinding snow storm
It's impossible to follow tracks
-
With the temperature still dropping
The small calf could no longer go on
His legs had grown too numb to walk
So I carried him along
-
I'm sure I was walking in circles
I couldn't tell where I had been
Then suddenly I heard it
A voice within the wind
-
Half frozen and exhausted
I struggled to follow the sound
Then I tripped on a piece of old fence line
And fell upon the ground
-
At least I knew where I was
But I was too tired to go on
I cradled the small calf in my lap
My strength was all but gone
-
I'm not sure how long I sat there
But sometime during the night
There was a small break in the storm
And I began to see a light
-
My mind was drifting in and out
My arms and legs I couldn't feel
I could only watch the light grow closer
And pray that it was real
-
I tried to call out
But the Northern had taken it's toll
Suddenly in the light of a lantern
Stood a man with eyes as dark as coal
-
I must have blacked out
I suppose fatigue was the source
But when I came too
I was sitting on my horse
-
The calf still cradled in my arms
We had both been tied in place
The rider lead us to my ranch
At a slow and easy pace
-
Again the snow began to fall
As the icy winds both howled and blew
Yet the rider didn't seem affected
He carefully lead us through
-
He helped me to my door
But he never stepped into the light
Then he mounted a dark horse
And disappeared into the night
-
It was two days later
When the storm began to stall
I was still pretty weak
When the Sheriff paid a call
-
He said a fifteen year old named Seth
Confessed to comitting a crime
The boy had turned himself in
Ready to do his time
-
Seth fell in with three outlaws
Rustling cattle here and there
They planned to sell them in El Paso
Then split up the share
-
The outlaws had watched my every move
And the story according to Seth
From the moment I returned
The three had planned my death -
-
But when the storm hit with all it's fury
And lightning lit up the night
They found a stranger blocking their path
Seth described the chilling sight
-
Not a word was spoken
Then someone reached for their gun
But the three were no match
For the blinding speed of the one
-
In a split second it was over
Seth was frozen in fear
Unarmed and frightened
He watched the stranger slowly stepping near
-
Staring into eyes as dark as coal
Seth heard the stranger say
If you want to save your life tonight
Then forever change your ways
-
Then a bolt of lightning flashed
Causing the night to shine like dawn
And in less than the blink of an eye
The stranger and his horse were gone
-
Three lives had been lost
Upon that dark and stormy night
Yet three others spared
To again walk within the light
-
I've never regretted my decision
Asking the Sheriff to let the young man go
I've thought about that night many times
As I've watched a young calf grow
-
Is he an angel or a demon
Only God can stamp that seal
But I know now for a fact
The Ghost Rider is real !!
-
Robert Pledger©
9/11/09