'Died' on Pinas Creek and Other Stories by Jack West

This is a book of various genres in addition to two poems. There are several flash fiction pieces, several relationship features, Western stories, a story from an episodic series I'm writing, and a Western novel in progress. I know, I know... I've been told that Westerns are not very popular. I couldn't care less. I grew up with them back in the '40s and '50s. I feel 'em in my bones.I wrote these stories for myself. There have been several who told me I could not do it, that I was too old. If you are an older person who believes his/her life is over, you're wasting precious time. -This train of thought is continued after these story samples-Cullen Grafton Part 1 "...The shallow pit is dark and reeks of animal. I am alone in the dank darkness. It is cool, but I am sweating. Panic has me by the throat. I cannot crawl out of this terribly suffocating pit feetfirst. With great difficulty I turn around, my clothing catching on the jagged surface of the boulders pressing down on me..."Six Penny Part 2 "...I looked at my distorted reflection in the stream. I am alive and well off. I had prospered from the death of others... Did I owe a debt for my gain? Who did I owe? I grimaced and shook my head... Droplets of water dripped from my eyelashes and face back into the stream headed elsewhere, now tainted with my blood..."The Sparrow Unit "For each person there is a moment in time, a line drawn in the sand, beyond which his mortal life will not continue. James Penny... thought he was ready for his final moment-had he deceived himself? Was anyone ever entirely ready to give it up-to die?"An Epiphany "She adjusts her sleeping position and one smooth, tanned leg slides from beneath the sheet. It is magnificent, delightfully tapered, and so lovely, I cannot resist. I trail a light, loving touch from her knee up to where her thigh disappears beneath the sheet. She opens her sleepy eyes and smiles..."-Continued from above- Everyone has a special talent, a gift, something that will keep the blood moving. If you haven't found it and have stopped looking, you are not fulfilling a major purpose of this life. Turn off the boob tube and other distractions. Do something, even if it does not feel correct to you, well, boo-hoo! Try something else. Maybe it has been a whisper lurking deep in your brain and gut, something you have always wanted to try: painting, pottery, sculpture, wood carving, playing the piano, maybe photography-writing? You can stop looking for your gift when you're dead.All of this applies to you. Youngsters also. Your youth is fantastic 'cause you have tons of energy on your side, a bright, alert mind, and time, all of which we oldsters are damn short on.Once you find your gift-your talent-it will make a difference in your life and on this old planet. Don't be distracted or put off by time- and life-wasters. You know what I mean, sniff sniff. You are not a fool. Enjoy the stories. I enjoyed writing them! And thank you for reading this. Take heart! A fantastic future awaits you!