Two Hundred Years to Pecos

By Rupert Tijerina

Experience a thrilling adventure in "Two Hundred Years to Pecos." Follow Nellie Turner and her best friends as they attend the prestigious Pecos School of Bronco Bustin and Farmin, only to find themselves facing unimaginable dangers - stampedes of fire-breathing creatures, flaming truck-sized horns, and even Belch Fire missiles. But Nellie is determined to survive, and her journey takes her from riding tornadoes to traveling at light speed to another planet. Meanwhile, in another part of the galaxy, Willaris and Suecoco search for their infant daughter, Alyenna, who was taken by an unscrupulous cowhand. Will they be able to find her, and will Nellie discover the truth about her own mysterious past? This captivating book is filled with action, adventure, and unexpected twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Don't miss out on this thrilling ride - read "Two Hundred Years to Pecos" today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jul 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9781667896502

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Copyright © 2023 by Rupert Tijerina

Two Hundred Years to Pecos

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopy,

recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or invented, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer

who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written

for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or broadcast.

Print ISBN: 978-1-66789-649-6

eBook ISBN: 978-1-66789-650-2

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Ch 1 The Stampede

Ch 2 Ozona

Ch 3 Going to School

Ch 4 BRONCO-BUSTING CLASS

Ch 5 What a Ride

Ch 6 Dinner at the Turners

Ch 7 She’s Gone

Ch 8 Pecos Bill 101

Ch 9 Roping and Fencing

Ch 10 Daydream

Ch 11 Cattle Drive and Stargazing

Ch 12 A Temporal Predicament

Ch 13 Canteen Run

Ch 14 Cantankerous Strategy

Ch 15 From Darkness Comes Light

Ch 16 BOOMAHORNS

CH 17 Texas Sage Speaks

Ch 18 Time Stops

Ch 19 The Purple Trail

Ch 20 Lookout Cavern

Ch 21 Nellie’s Dream

Ch 22 Cloud Roping

Ch 23 Bright Sky Ranch

Ch 24 Palo-Eliso

Ch 25 The Time Thief

Ch 26 Babe in the Desert

Ch 27 STRATUS

Ch 28 Trouble at the South 40

Ch 29 Dream Comes True

Ch 30 Locked Out

Ch 31 The Light Across the Galaxy

Ch 32 Misdirection

Ch 33 The Chase

Ch 34 Tornado Express

Ch 35 From Darkness Comes Light

Ch 36 Mulch Fire vs. Nellie

Ch 37 Defcon 1

Ch 38 The Cows’r Out of the Pasture

Ch 39 Two Hundred Years in Twelve Minutes

Ch 40 Yellow Jacket in the Outhouse

CH 41 Tatum’s Gone

Ch 42 Family Reunion

Ch 43 Palo-Eliso Homecoming

Ch 44 Saving Tatum

Ch 45 The Fate of Many

Ch 46 Time Converges

Ch 47 Back at the Ranch

Ch 48 Time Ploughs On

Ch 49 The Pecos Dance

Epilogue

Ch 1

The Stampede

A sunbeam broke over the horizon as old man Higgs poured himself a cup of cowboy coffee. The morning was dark and cool, and this was his favorite part of the day. By golly, how things have changed since I first rode trails as a boy and camped out under the stars.

He sipped steaming hot coffee from a tin cup and sat down on his front porch. There were no coffee filters or cappuccino machines back then. The art of making coffee had become complicated and expensive. Still...the best tasting coffee was made with water, coffee, and a coffee pot over a campfire. Reflecting on his past experiences, he could make out a faint rumble in the distant hills. The cries of an infant thunderstorm coming to life, perhaps.

Hooty owls and tree frogs suddenly went silent as he set his cup down on the porch. He looked up to see a gray cloud blocking the sun’s rays. Peculiar, there’s no lightning, and it don’t smell like rain, he noted. Delicate ripples crisscrossed the surface of his coffee as the porch boards vibrated. Rumbling now shook the ground.

Without warning, orange plumes sprang out in all directions from the ominous gray cloud that was now streaking directly towards him. Shafts of fire accompanied by thunder shot out from the dark cloud, shaking the earth hard, causing porch boards to buckle and pop into the air. The old man’s coffee cup was launched clear across the barnyard. Rocks in the yard shot into the air, and then dropped back only to bounce up again.

What in tarnation? What kind of stampede is this? He’d experienced many stampedes in his lifetime, but none with the feel and sound of this one. The fiery cloud looked to be a mile and a half across. Where to go? Higgs wondered. He ran to a giant oak tree that stood between the house and barn as an enormous flaming object took out the front porch where he’d been sitting. He reached the tree and hugged it as the fiery thing swooped back in the opposite direction and leveled his house. What the heck was that?

The noise was so loud, exploding dynamite would have been a welcome relief. The flaming objects whipped up fire and hot dust with such force it could slice your skin right off. Higgs wondered if he were in some sort of tornado caused by a greenhouse effect he read about a while back in a magazine. He’d been through many a whirlwind growing up in Texas, but had never seen one shake the earth or shoot fire like this, much less one caused by a greenhouse.

The oak tree bent unnaturally, and a loud crack from the oak tree mixed with the fiery cloud’s ear-shattering sounds presented Higgs with a choice. He could stay behind the tree and get crushed by it, or he could stand out in the open and get crushed by whatever was coming. Neither option sounded too good right now. What the devil could cause this kind of devastation?

And then he saw them. Creatures 20 or 30 feet tall, shooting shafts of fire from their nostrils with every breath. One of them was heading straight for the oak tree.

Now he could see spears of white-hot fire shooting across the sky with blazing horns the size of pickup trucks. Strong wind drafts from these horns pulled on him as he struggled to hold on. Then the tip of a flaming horn caught the side of the oak tree, inches away from his hand. The great oak gave out another loud crack. Luckily the horn careened past, barely grazing his arm, but still snapped it like a dry twig.

~~~~~~~~

The cool dark morning was also the best time for dreaming, and that’s precisely what Nellie Turner was doing. Nellie was several months old when found in the Chihuahuan desert of West Texas next to a prickly pear cactus. She was holding a glowing turquoise pendant in the shape of Texas on a broken leather necklace. Jeb and Kate Turner adopted her twelve years ago in a story surrounded by mystery.

Nellie was dreaming about her first day at Pecos School. She and her friends Shawnee and Big-un had spent the last eight years preparing for this day.

After all, the Pecos School of Bronco Bustin and Farmin was the best in Texas for learning the ways of the land and animals. Its long history dated back 200 years to the days of Pecos Bill, the roughest, toughest cowboy of all time.

The dream shifted to one she’d experienced many times before. Nellie was flying high in the sky, and a person was holding her tight with one hand and twirling a rope in the other. She noticed debris swirling below and, with a start, realized they were in a tornado. No, she thought, that’s not quite right. I’m not in a tornado, I’m on top of it. The exhilaration of riding high in such a powerful force of nature was breathtaking.

Yee-Ha, the rider yelled as the tornado shrank to a dust devil and landed. She could still feel the excitement of the ride when a delicate white mist surrounded her.

They were now standing at a corral gate, staring at large creatures. These cows are the first of a new breed, said the cowboy as Nellie’s eyes viewed through his. "She’s called a ‘Boom-a-horn.’

The cowhand said, Holy cow, how did you do this?

Well, I crossed a cow with a boomerang and a volcano and got a Boom-a-horn, the Cowboy said, laughing.

Dang, that’s amazing, the cowhand replied.

A moment later, the images were gone.

Through squinty eyes, she came to consciousness. Tiny circles of light fluttered about, warming and comforting her. Then, when all was calm, a familiar, loving voice in her mind said, Go to Lookout Cavern and open the jar. Nellie's eyes popped wide open, but no one was there. I know that voice. My dream has never ended like this before.

~~~~~~~~

I’m a goner… Higgs thought.

The stampede showed no signs of easing up. Another few cracks from the oak tree would be the end. Higgs struggled to hold on, when suddenly little circles of light appeared, enveloping him. Calm pulsed through his body, and he felt like nothing could harm him. Was this how the final few seconds of life felt like?

A bright crescent dome appeared on the distant horizon, casting the morning’s first sunbeams on Higgs ranch. The first thing he noticed was that the gigantic creatures had moved away. The second thing he saw was a terrifying sight of utter destruction. Nothing was left of his ranch for a mile and a half in either direction.

His house, barn, garden, equipment, and cornfields were nothing but dust and memories. The only thing left of the 200-acre Higgs Ranch was the broken oak tree and old man Higgs. It was like a giant plow scraped his land clean in one big swoop.

A battered oak tree limb looked as if it were pointing to a patch of ground. Moving to the spot, he could see his favorite old tin coffee cup squashed in the center of an elephant-sized hoofprint. He reached for it, and then stopped, shook his arm, and realized it was completely healed.

~~~~~~~~

Nellie started her morning ritual for school. First, she dressed in her favorite jeans, shirt, boots, and cowgirl hat. Next, she checked her list: Notebook, pencils, erasers, spurs, lasso, chaps, branding iron, and a bandana. Yep, ready to go, she thought.

Nellie pushed the bedroom door open, and the smell of bacon, eggs, and homemade biscuits filled her nostrils. Mornin Nellie, said Kate Turner. How’d ya sleep?

I had the dream about flying again, but I felt like something horrible happened to someone this time. The last thing I remember is a familiar voice saying, ‘Go to Lookout Cavern.’ Then I woke up.

Something strange did happen at the Higgs place early this morning. Your uncle Jeb headed out to the Higgs place a few minutes ago. He said there was some kind of ruckus and went to see if Mr. Higgs was alright, Kate replied.

What kind of ruckus? Nellie asked, abruptly putting her knife and fork down.

Don’t know, but Jeb got a call from Mr. Shanefield early this morning to meet him over at Mr. Higgs’ place.

Can I go see what happened? Mr. Higgs’ place is only six miles away. I could saddle up Firefly and be there and back in a jiffy, Nellie pleaded.

(Now, Firefly was the fastest horse the Turners owned and probably the fastest horse in Texas. No one could stay on Firefly once she hit full stride Except for Jeb Turner and Nellie. Old Lester Koot once said Firefly was Faster than a speeding bullet. Then that kid in the blue long johns with a red tablecloth tied around his neck showed up, and the meaning changed. A state trooper once clocked Firefly on a radar gun at close to 2,400 miles an hour. She may have been going faster, but the radar gun melted. It was also strange that no one knew where she came from.)

Nellie, don’t be silly, Kate scolded. It’s your first day of school, and the school wagon will be here shortly. You’ll miss it.

Aw… Aunt Kate, Nellie said as the school wagon pulled up to the front of the house. The methodic clip-clop of a noble steed named Strider, the oldest horse at Pecos school, melded with the trembling sound of an ancient Conestoga wagon and the yodeling of a tall, lanky dust-covered cowboy. The old covered wagon that once took settlers across America creaked, popped, and shook in cadence. Now it transported students to and from Pecos School of Bronco Bustin and Farmin. It had PSBBF painted on its sides.

Seated high atop the rig, Dusty steered Strider and the PSBBF wagon from under his ten-gallon hat. He was singing and yodeling Home on the Range. Then, with a Whoa boy, the wagon came to a stop in front of the Turners’ place. The cacophony of clops, clatters, yodeling, and creaking went silent. A sign swung out. STOP! Don’t pass while loadin.

Howdy, Mrs. Turner. Howdy, Nellie, Dusty said with a great big grin.

Hey, Dusty, Nellie said.

Would ya like some fresh coffee and a butter biscuit? Kate asked.

That be right nice, Mrs. Turner. Your coffee and baking are the best in the county, Dusty replied.

Kate handed Dusty a big cup of steaming coffee and a couple of biscuits, and then turned to Nellie.

Have a great first day of school, sweetheart! Kate said, and kissed Nellie on the forehead.

I will, Aunt Kate. See you tonight, Nellie said, and gave her a great big hug.

Nellie climbed up onto the wagon and asked, Dusty, could you let me steer the wagon?

Sorry, Nellie, ya know I can’t let you do that. You haven’t taken Wagoner’s Drivers Ed yet. It’s real important ya get proper training and technique in driving a wagon befor’n we turn you loose on the trails. Sides, if’n the school found I’d let an unlicensed driver steer the wagon, we’d both be in a bucket of trouble.

(Now, Nellie had been driving wagons since she was five years old, but rules are rules.)

Disappointed, Nellie said, Guess you're right.

Like a conductor tapping his baton on the podium, Dusty shook the reigns and then yelled, Giddy up. Then the clopping, clattering, creaking, and yodeling started again in concert as they took off.

Ch 2

Ozona

A bolt of lightning pierced the atmosphere as Sunbeam and her rider used every bit of muscle and energy to slow their reentry from Mach 24 to several hundred miles an hour, descending into a pale metallic gray sky. Suecoco noticed Blue-gray grass and coppery-leafed trees covered the landscape.

The intense turbulence tossed Sunbeam and Suecoco through the air like a feather in a hurricane. A blast of wind violently jolted them, yanking the control reigns from her hand and caused her to slide off her saddle. Instant incineration would occur if she fell out of the Equaton’s protective bubble into the atmosphere.

The instability decreased as they neared the ground. Sunbeam could touch down but was still traveling at a tremendous rate of speed. The ground forces were so strong that Sunbeam lost a shoe, causing them to somersault, throwing Suecoco high into the air.

They both hit the ground hard. Sunbeam coasted to a sudden stop, but Suecoco wasn’t as lucky. She slid several hundred feet, and then smacked into a large boulder. Simultaneously, an ear-shattering sonic boom shook the ground where she stopped. It was Willaris, and he landed next to her.

He jumped off of Widow Maker and prayed she was still alive. When he reached her side, he carefully checked her life signs. She had a pulse and was breathing, but her face grimaced in pain, even in her unconscious state. The only serious injury he could see was a mangled left wrist. Willaris unclasped the saddle roll from the back of Sunbeam’s saddle. He used it to prop the unconscious Suecoco upright against the rock. He took off his bandana and wrapped her wrist in a sling around her neck for support. Then he opened his canteen, soaked his handkerchief with water, and gently dabbed her face.

Sunbeam limped up to Willaris and nudged him. He sensed Sunbeam worried about Suecoco and then noticed she was missing a horseshoe. I think she’s gonna be alright, Sunbeam. You did an amazing job landing when systems went down.

Suecoco moaned in pain, and after several minutes, gradually opened her eyes as she regained consciousness.

Looking for other injuries, Willaris asked, Are you o.k.?

Struggling to stay conscious, she said, Willaris? How. Did. You. Find. Me?

I followed you here when Sunbeam went into Bright Speed.

Gasping with pain, Suecoco said, What. Happened?

Well, as near as I can tell, you hit the atmosphere at about 18,000 miles per hour. Sunbeam started slowing her approach, and as y’all touched the ground, she lost a shoe. You both hit the ground hard. You were out cold for a few minutes, and you broke your wrist. Do you have any other pain?

Wheezing, Suecoco said, Ribs. Broken. Can’t breathe.

Stay right there, and I’ll be right back.

Suecoco tried to laugh but let out a choppy Ow! instead.

Oh, right. Sorry about that, Willaris said as he walked over to Widow Maker.

Suecoco winced in pain as she spoke in choppy breaths, I. Thought. I. Wasn’t. Gonna. Make it. Willaris.

Well, if it hadn’t been for Sunbeam, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

Sunbeam lowered her head next to Suecoco. She rubbed Sunbeam’s nose, cringed in pain, and said, Thank you, pretty girl, you saved my life.

While Willaris was rifling through his saddlebag, Suecoco, still delirious, gasped, Where. Are. We?

We’re on Ozona.

Never. Seen. Ozona. Like. This.

Well, because this is not Ozona, Texas, it’s the planet Ozona.

Suecoco attempted to take in her surroundings and said in a brief bout of consciousness, Goldilocks. Zone.

You are correct. Ozona is the fourth planet in the habitable zone of the star called Plocar. It’s in the farthest orbit possible to sustain life in this solar system. Ozona gets less sunlight than Earth does, and as a result, the plants and animals had to adapt in ways that allow them to absorb light from their sun more efficiently. That’s why the plants have darker colors like gray to black, which allows them to absorb all spectrums of light and drive photosynthesis to create energy.

Willaris pulled a jar with holes in its lid from his saddlebag and walked over to Suecoco.

In a barely audible voice, Suecoco asked, What’s in. Jar?

Fireflies, Willaris replied.

Fireflies?

Yep.

Keep Fireflies…in Saddlebag? Why? Suecoco asked in a daze.

You’ll see. Now I need for you to hold the jar with your good hand.

Willaris unscrewed the lid, and fireflies exited, flashing their warm, gentle little circles of light surrounding her.

The. Light. Is. Beautiful, Suecoco said, and then lost consciousness.

Ch 3

Going to School

Shawnee and Nellie had been best friends since first grade. She had long, brown hair braided down the length of her back and wore a light brown cowhide skirt, a red-and-white checkered blouse, and boots. She had her rope attached to the belt around her waist and carried a saddlebag filled with school supplies.

Shawnee stepped up into the PSBBF wagon and said, I’m excited, our first day at Pecos School.

Can’t wait, Nellie said.

Something wrong? shouted Shawnee, as the school wagon and Dusty started their deafening assault on the eardrums.

Nellie hollered over the noise from the wagon, Did you hear? A strange stampede happened at Old man Higgs’ ranch this morning.

Gosh, I didn’t hear anything, and we’re not far from Mr. Higgs’ ranch, yelled Shawnee.

Of course you didn’t, Shawnee. You sleep like a dead rock.

Shawnee shrugged, thought a second, and then said, Come to think of it, when I woke up this morning my bed had moved clear across the room. I thought my little brother was playing a joke on me again.

Nellie and Shawnee stopped talking when the Conestoga wagon pulled up in front of Big-un’s house.

Big-un was a full head and shoulders taller than both girls. He was as strong as an ox, could carry 200-pound anvils as if they were feathers. Nellie and Shawnee saw him lift a horse on his shoulders once. Big-un always said please and thank you and never hesitated to help someone in need. He always stopped to pick flowers for Nellie and Shawnee. When it came to tests, he was the first to finish and made the highest grade.

Big-un ambled up to the wagon and placed a foot on the running board, and the coach tilted towards him, causing its springs to squeal in protest.

Howdy Shawnee, Howdy Nellie. Shawnee’s cheeks turned red as she smiled.

Mor’nin Big-un, Shawnee replied. The girls shifted to the left and right sides of the coach. Big-un then centered himself in the seat across from them.

As the wagon took off, Nellie screamed, Hey, Big-un, did you hear what happened at Old Man Higgs’ Ranch?

Yep, your uncle Jeb called my Pa and told him a stampede trampled the ranch to the ground. He said he’d never seen destruction the likes of this before. Mr. Higgs said they weren't typical livestock. They were 20 feet tall and blew shafts of fire out of their nostrils. Their hoofprints were more massive than an elephant.

I knew it! I felt something terrible had happened while I was asleep.

Yeah, and no sooner than it happened, some sort of warm light shined on Mr. Higgs, and then things went calm, and those big critters disappeared.

Nellie blurted, Did you say light? What kind of light?

My Pa said little circles of light covered Mr. Higgs.

I saw those little circles of light this morning before I woke up.

~~~~~~~~

The wagon stopped in front of a rusty, worn-out gate. On cue, the triangle bell rang, calling everyone to the first day of school. Hanging overhead from two tall cedar posts was a new sign: Welcome to Pecos School of Large Animal Management and Terraforming.

Nellie’s breath caught in her throat as she looked at the Pecos School sign. She thought pensively, This has been my lifelong dream. Now I’m actually going to take the first step through the gates and start a new chapter in my life. I will remember this day as long as I live.

Shawnee’s bandana slipped to the ground, so she crouched over to pick it up. Big-un, who noticed a bug on his sleeve, tripped over Shawnee, pushing her onto the ground as he stumbled forward. Nellie, unaware of the impending disaster, began her ceremonial step under the Pecos school arch. Shawnee rolled under Nellie’s boot about the time Big-un’s shoulder smashed into her behind.

Flying through the arch with her arms flapping like a giant bird, Nellie attempted to regain her balance. She landed face down in the dirt and slid several feet, only to stop when Big-un landed