By Jacob Seinemeier
When it comes time for a cowboy to eat his horse, he knows it.
It was somethin’ Felix contemplated often in some of his lower moments, but every time he’d got close to lighting that fire, the fates swooped in to save the day. Like a few bucks thrown in by a farmer for riding his fenceline lookin’ for holes; or a gopher what got run under the wheels of a stagecoach.
His sixth day crossing the desert, Felix knew that Charlie’s time had finally come.
There wasn’t a damn thing alive in there that a man could fill his belly with, ‘cept sand and more sand. Way he figured, he had another ten days before he came even close to reachin’ the far edge, and at this point ole’ Charlie was more trouble than she was worth — trudgin’ along at a snail's pace. There was little enough water left in the skins that he didn’t need a horse to carry it, and he’d skedaddled outa town so fast to avoid the Marshals, he hadn’t time to refill his supply of hardtack and jerky. ‘Sides, the dried-up patch of scrub brush where he’d pitched camp was the first solid fuel he’d seen for days. No better place to put up a barbecue, in Felix’s opinion.
It was late, and the cowpoke was tired. Early the next morning was gonna have to do for Charlie’s goin’ away feast.
“So long, ya old nag,” he yawned, patting the swaybacked mare on its scrawny neck. “You done me and Daddy good over the years, Charlene. Reckon y’all got one more good turn left in ya.”
The horse’s tail lifted and it broke wind loudly.
Felix tied the horse and lay down on the sand. It was cold, but he didn’t want to waste wood on a fire. He’d need every scrap tomorrow to dry out what he didn’t eat. He closed his sand-encrusted eyes and pulled his hat over his face.
He didn’t feel the blow to the head, when it came. It put him out all the same.
When he came to, flies were feastin’ on the crusted blood on his temple, and he was trussed up good and proper. He could smell something cooking. Roast pork maybe.
“Hell,” came a female voice from behind him. “I figgered you was day-id.”
Felix was nekkid, clothes in a torn pile next to him. He blinked, realisin’ he was hot. Like, really hot. Like — burning alive. Felix began to squirm, dislodging a clump of sagebrush that had burned almost down to the coals. His arms and legs were trussed up behind him.
A dusty hoof entered his field of vision and rolled him back into the fire.
“You ain’t exactly a field of clover,” the voice said, all conversational-like, and gave a whinnying laugh. “Still- a girl takes what she can get in this worl’.”
Felix tried to scream, but the bit and bridle jammed between his teeth made that damn near im-possible.
About the Author
Jacob Seinemeier (he/him) is an English teacher and speculative fiction writer from Perth, Western Australia.
In 2025 he came back to the keyboard after a twenty-year gap — the reasons for which seem pretty stupid when he looks back and really thinks about them.
He has had his work featured on the Escape Pod podcast, in anthologies by Dragon Soul Press and Critical Blast Publishing, and the upcoming final issue of Andromeda Spaceways magazine.
James Walton was a librarian, a farm labourer, and mostly a public sector union official.
Alistair Lloyd is a Melbourne based writer and narrator who has been consuming good quality science fiction and fantasy most of his life.
Barry Yedvobnick is a recently retired Biology Professor. He performed molecular biology and genetic research, and taught, at Emory University in Atlanta for 34 years. He is new to fiction writing, and enjoys taking real science a step or two beyond its known boundaries in his
Geraldine Borella writes fiction for children, young adults and adults. Her work has been published by Deadset Press, IFWG Publishing, Wombat Books/Rhiza Edge, AHWA/Midnight Echo, Antipodean SF, Shacklebound Books, Black Ink Fiction, Paramour Ink Fiction, House of Loki and Raven & Drake
Ed lives with his wife plus a magical assortment of native animals in tropical North Queensland.
Merri Andrew writes poetry and short fiction, some of which has appeared in Cordite, Be:longing, Baby Teeth and Islet, among other places.
Tara Campbell is an award-winning writer, teacher, Kimbilio Fellow, fiction co-editor at Barrelhouse, and graduate of American University's MFA in Creative Writing.
Brian Biswas lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Tim Borella is an Australian author, mainly of short speculative fiction published in anthologies, online and in podcasts.
Sarah Jane Justice is an Adelaide-based fiction writer, poet, musician and spoken word artist.
Mark is an astrophysicist and space scientist who worked on the Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn. Following this he worked in computer consultancy, engineering, and high energy research (with a stint at the JET Fusion Torus).
My time at Nambucca Valley Community Radio began back in 2016 after moving into the area from Sydney.