Trigger's Treachery

By: GrumpyMagrat and Magratconvert

Sixteen year old Scott Tracy stretched as he woke up. He smiled. It felt so good to be in his own bed. He had spent the last month in Mexico on a school trip. He had gotten home last night just in time to drop into bed.

It had been a blast, but he was grateful to be back on the farm, something that he never thought he would feel. It was hard to believe that they had lived there for almost four years. He remembered back when his father announced that they were moving to the farm. He was twelve, and the last thing he wanted to do was to move to the farm full time. Sure, it was fun for the summer, but to have to do chores everyday on top of school didn't sound like much fun. Dad, though, was adamant. Grandpa had just died, and Grandma needed help on the farm. Plus, he wanted his sons to build strong character like he had. It didn't take long for Scott to realize that it wasn't as bad as he had thought. There were plenty of fun things to do year round, and Grandma always made sure that there was a balance between fun and chores. Thinking of Grandma brought his memories back to his Mexico trip. Grandma was the one who convinced Dad that the trip would be good for him and that the farm could survive without Scott for a month.

Suddenly, it dawned on Scott that the room was well lit by the morning sun. He looked at his clock and was shocked to see that it was after nine in the morning. He quickly jumped out of bed. He should've been up hours ago. Grandma always liked to have breakfast at eight, and there were chores to do before that. He couldn't believe that no one had woken him. He quickly showered and headed downstairs.

Scott found his grandmother puttering around the kitchen. "Good morning, Grandma."

"Good morning, Scott," she said as she crossed to room to plant a kiss on Scott's cheek.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Scott asked. "I should be helping with the chores."

"Pshaw," Grandma replied. "Your brothers have become very adept at handling the chores. Besides, I figured the trip would've worn you out. So, I let you sleep. Now, what do you want for breakfast?"

Scott shook his head as he sat at the breakfast counter. "You don't have to cook for me. I'll just have some cereal."

"Nonsense," Grandma laughed. "I haven't had a chance to cook for you in a long time. Of course, I'm going to do it your first morning home."

Scott smiled. "Okay, how about a ham and cheese omelet with mushrooms and onions."

"Coming right up," Grandma replied as she started pulling items out of the refrigerator. "Now, tell me about your trip. I would have thought you could've fit in more than just two calls in the month you were gone."

Scott sighed. "I'm sorry Grandma. We were just so busy. We were on the go from morning till night. We visited three major cities and four out-of-the-way villages."

Grandma laughed. "Busy…that's the same excuse your father gave us when he didn't call at all when he was on a school trip."

Scott laughed along with his grandmother. "I guess it must be a family tradition then."

Grandma turned and waved the spatula at him. "That may be, but it's a trait that you could've changed if you would've put a little effort in it."

Scott sobered. "I'm sorry, Grandma. I'll try better next time."

Grandma reached over and pinched Scott's cheek. "It's okay, dear. I know it's hard to be a teenager now days." She turned back to the stove. "Now, tell me about the things that kept you so busy."

"Well, we did a lot of shopping," Scott began. "Everything from malls to open air markets to the old man selling souvenirs on the street corner."

"That would explain the two extra suitcases you brought back," Grandma interjected. Then, just barely loud enough for Scott to hear, she muttered. "And they say girls shop too much."

Scott laughed out loud. "Sure they do, but the girls on the trip didn't have four brothers at home all expecting a ton of souvenirs each."

Grandma shook her head. "They weren't that bad."

"Right…apparently, you didn't hear them the last week before I left. They turned into little beggars," Scott said. "Scotty, bring me something…I want a sombrero…I want Mexican jumping beans…I would like a bottle of tequila."

Grandma's head shot up. "Who wanted the tequila?"

"Dad," Scott replied. "He was joking, though. He didn't really expect me to bring him it. However, I told Mr. Williams about it. So he bought a small bottle and had me bring it to dad."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate the humor. Now, here you go, honey." Grandma started placing food in front of Scott. Along with the omelet, there were some hash browns, an English muffin, a small bowl of mixed fruit, a glass of orange juice, and a glass of milk.

Scott took a big bite of his omelet and closed his eyes in pleasure. "Oh God, I've really missed this. Even when we had a 'home' meal, it was never this good."

Grandma leaned against the counter. "Did you have those very often?"

Scott shook his head as he talked around his food. "Nah, only about six times in the whole month. We were in the villages, and they were treating us to 'local fare'."

"So, besides shopping and eating, what else did you do?" Grandma asked.

"We did do some learning," Scott offered.

Grandma raised an eyebrow. "Really, what about?"

Scott continued eating as he spoke. "We visited the government center in Mexico City, and then, a few days later, we observed a meeting of the village elders of Rio Poco. Then we discussed the differences between the two."

Grandma began to wipe down the counter just to give her hands something to do. "It's nice to know that your trip wasn't just a great big party."

Scott laughed. "Oh, we had our share of partying." Grandma raised an eyebrow at him, and he continued. "Two of the villages held fiestas in our honor, and when we were at the hotels, there were a few of us who had impromptu parties."

"Parties? That sounds like fun. Maybe I should go on the school trip next year." Gordon's voice sounded across the kitchen.

"You're still a little young, squirt," Scott replied as he shoved another bite of his omelet in his mouth.

Virgil sat down next to Scott. "We want to hear all about your trip. Let's start with the parties."

Alan moved next to Scott and gave him an innocent look. "Did you bring me anything, Scottie?"

Scott reached over and ruffled Alan's hair. "Of course I did, but you have to wait until Dad gets home tonight."

"Aw, man…" Alan grumbled.

"Besides, you have some pickles to pick," Grandma interjected.

"Uh-oh," Scott said. "Are you supposed to be in the field? Is that where John is?"

Alan looked down at his shoes. "We wanted to see if you were up yet."

"And John is gathering up the baskets," Gordon volunteered. "We're supposed to meet him in the patch."

Scott gave a half-hearted nod. "You'd better get going. You don't want John to think that you've abandoned him."

"But I want to stay with you," Alan whined. "I've missed you."

Scott sighed. "I've missed you too. I'll tell you what. As long as Grandma doesn't have anything planned for me, I'll come and help you guys as soon as I finish eating."

Grandma smiled. "You go ahead with your brothers. I'll take the time to get things set up in here."

Scott nodded. "You guys head out, and I'll be out shortly."

The three brothers headed towards the door. "Don't take too long," Alan said.

Gordon laughed. "Right…he's eating Grandma's cooking for the first time in a month. We'll never see him in the pickle patch."

Alan looked crestfallen. "You are coming, aren't you Scott?"

"Of course he is," Virgil answered for Scott. "Gordon's just pulling you leg." Giving Gordon and Alan a light shove, he continued. "Let's go."

Once the brothers had left the kitchen, Grandma looked at Scott. "You don't have to work in the garden if you're not feeling up to it. I know how a trip can really take it out of a person."

Scott shook his head. "I'm okay. Besides, I'd never hear the end of it from Alan."

"Well, if you're sure…" Grandma replied.

"I am," Scott answered as he shoved the last of his omelet in his mouth. He downed the rest of his milk and rinsed his dishes and put them in the dishwasher. He then gave his grandmother a kiss. "Thanks for breakfast. I'll see you in a bit." He left the house to help his brothers.

It took a little over an hour for the five brothers to complete their task. It would've taken less time if Scott didn't have to keep reminding Alan and Gordon to keep working while he described his trip. Using a motorized cart, they moved the two bushels of pickles to the canning kitchen. Grandma had an early lunch ready for them when they got back from the field, and even though he had eaten a late breakfast, Scott still ate heartily. Then the Tracy boys spent most of the afternoon helping their grandmother pack and process the jars of dill pickles. During that time, Scott caught up on what had happened at home while he was away.

Virgil told Scott about his friend, Dave, who had been in a car accident a week ago and really messed up his leg. "So, the doctor said that with intensive therapy, he should regain full mobility, unfortunately not in time for basketball season."

Scott shook his head. "That's too bad. He was one of our best rebounders. Maybe I can go visit him in the next couple of days."

John talked about the lunar eclipse that had occurred earlier in the month. "I was beginning to worry when it was still raining at eight o'clock, but the clouds finally moved off. I got some great pictures of it. I'm really glad Dad got me that new lens for my camera."

"Cool," Scott replied. "I'd like to take a look at them. I did get to see it when I was in Mexico, but it'll be interesting to see how the difference in geography affected how we saw it."

Gordon filled Scott in on a new family in town. Their son had joined the community center's swim team with Gordon. "But you would probably be more interested in his older sister…blond hair, blue eyes, and a set of full, round…"

"Gordon…" Grandma interrupted in a warning tone.

"Teeth…" Gordon finished, changing directions. "You should see her smile. It's like her whole face is aglow."

Scott laughed. "Nice save there, Gordo."

Gordon gave a quick glance in his grandmother's direction. "Well, I think you got my point," he said quietly.

Alan wanted to talk about the new horses that their dad had bought for the boys. "I like Trixie the best. She doesn't go real fast, and she doesn't kick."

"One of the horses kicks?" Scott asked.

Alan nodded. "Trigger. Dad says that since he's a boy, he's trying to show he's in charge."

Scott smiled. "A horse on a macho trip, how fun."

"Dad says he'll get better," Alan explained. "We just have to give him more time. You know, to get used to things."

"Well, I can't wait to meet the new additions," Scott said. Easy conversation reigned as they finished their work.

Around five o'clock Grandma went to the main kitchen to begin dinner. She was making Scott's favorite, a tossed salad to start, her famous meatloaf, cheddar mashed potatoes, broccoli au gratin, green beans with almonds, and a simple dessert of ice cream and berries.

The boys went out to handle the evening chores. John, Gordon and Alan slopped the pigs and then fed and watered the chickens and gathered the eggs. Meanwhile, Scott and Virgil milked and fed the two cows. John volunteered to take the milk and eggs to the house. The last thing that needed to be done was to bring the horses in from their stakes.

"I'll stay here and fill the water trough," Gordon volunteered.

Virgil ambled towards the barn door with an exaggerated gait of a movie cowboy. "Okay, boys, we got us a round up to do."

Scott laughed. "Right behind you John Wayne."

Virgil and Alan lead Scott to where they had staked out the horses in the morning. They were out in a back grassy area. They were quietly munching on the grass when Scott got his first look at the new horses. One was a light tan, another was a chocolate brown, and the other was more of just a plain brown. That was the one that Alan went directly to.

Alan made the introductions to Scott. "This is Trixie." Pointing to the chocolate brown one, he continued. "That one is Pixie." He finished by pointing to the tan one. "And that one is Trigger."

Scott was closer to Pixie so he walked over to her. He noticed that she had one white hoof and a white spot on her forehead. He patted her on the neck and quietly said. "Hey there, Pixie, you're a pretty horse, aren't you? You don't know me, but I'm Scott. I'm sure that we'll be friends in no time." Scott looked over and saw that Virgil had helped Alan up onto the back of Trixie. Virgil handed Alan the rolled up line and stake. Scott took that as a cue, and he pulled up Pixie's stake and rolled up the line. He grabbed a handful of mane and put his other hand on Pixie's rump and pulled himself up onto her back. Virgil grabbed Trigger's stake, but instead of climbing onto his back, he just began leading him back towards the barn.

"What are you doing, Virg?" Scott asked. "Why don't you ride like we are?"

Virgil shook his head. "Trigger doesn't like to be ridden bareback."

Scott raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't like it? What does that matter? Just show him who's boss."

"No way, man," Virgil replied. "I've learned the hard way."

Scott rolled his eyes. "Oh, please…hard way? You just didn't try hard enough. Here, give him to me. I'll show you how it's done." He slid off of Pixie's back and reached for Trigger's line.

"Scott, I don't think…" Virgil began.

Scott interrupted. "I'll be fine. Just give him to me."

Virgil smirked a bit. "All right, if you insist."

Scott moved next to Trigger and patted his neck. "Okay, boy, I hear that you've been giving the guys some trouble. Well, that's going to stop. I'm in charge, and I am going to ride you back to the barn." Scott pulled himself up onto Trigger's back. Trigger took a couple of side steps. Scott gripped Trigger's flank with his knees. "Whoa, boy, whoa." Trigger seemed to calm down. Scott grinned at his brothers. "See, just show him who's boss."

"Scott, it's still not a good idea." Alan tried to explain. "When Virgil tried to ride him, he…"

Scott interrupted. "Don't worry, Alan. I have it under control." He then used the mane to guide the horse towards the barn.

Virgil and Alan shared an amused look and followed behind Scott. When Gordon saw the horses approaching the barn, he opened the corral gate. The closer that the horses got to the corral, the faster Trigger trotted.

Scott gripped harder with his knees and pulled on the mane. "Whoa! Slow down, boy."

As they passed through the open gate, Scott heard Gordon yell. "Better jump, Scott."

Scott wondered at Gordon's statement. He had gotten the horse into the corral, and he would have to stop eventually. Once the gate was closed, there would be no place to go. It was only a matter of seconds before Scott understood. Trigger picked up speed as he headed to the far corner of the corral. Instantly, he came to a stop, and Scott, unprepared, went over the horse's shoulder…right into the manure pile.

Scott wrinkled his nose at the smell. He looked up and saw Trigger casually sauntering to the water trough. Alan and Gordon were laughing out loud. Virgil rode over to him on Pixie. "You really showed him who's boss."

Scott rolled his eyes. "Oh shut up, Virg."

Virgil shrugged but couldn't keep the laughter out of his voice. "We tried to warn you. He really doesn't like being ridden bareback."

Scott pulled himself out of the muck, shaking his arms and legs. He gave Virgil a wry look. "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind for next time."

Virgil rode away laughing.

Author's Note: We here we are back again. This is the third in our farm series. Like our other stories in this series. This is a true event, we just changed the names around to fit our beloved Tracy family. We hope you enjoyed it.