SUCCESS
He hurried up the rise knowing that having left the road would shorten the distance of travel. It was his at last he thought and no one could take it away. No one knew how he had cheated and swindled to get this and now it was his, only his. The birds making noise were irritating to him; need to get someone to shoot those birds he thought. Second thought he would take pleasure from killing them. On he trudged moving with more force to get up the rise. The trees would bring him money he thought, to bad he would have to pay for the logging. Perhaps he could jake someone into doing it for free. Then he could just sit and count the money. He thought of the house and how it would become his new base of operation. People would have to make the trip to ask for his favors, and he would be able to enjoy their discomfort as they came to the house. Being able to observe them long before they arrived. Then saying no just so he could watch as they traveled the road going away. He would be a king on the hill and all would need to look up. From up here he would pull the strings and watch as those wanting his favor twitched. He had sold the property to those outsiders and had watched them build this fine new home. Knowing that when the time came, he would use everything at his disposal to drive them out. It had taken five years and many times he thought that they would never leave, but now it was his. He pushed himself harder to reach the top saving nothing; he could rest at the house. He came to the new barb wire fence, and separated the wires so he could step thru. "Danm" he muttered as his coat became snagged. "Danm" this was a new coat he had forced the local store owner to give him as tribute so he could stay in business. As he struggled the coat became more entangled, so he slipped it off. Try as he might the coat would not come lose from the barb wire. "Fuck it" he muttered, I’ll make the store owner replace it. Right now he needed to get to the house, and the liquor cabinet. He knew that the previous own had stocked it only with the finest liquor. He could use a stiff drink right now. On he strolled pushing harder to reach the top. Out the side of his eye he saw something, so he stopped to look. It was that small white cross he had watched the wife place over the dead horses grave. He had watched thru his binoculars as she cried, when they buried the horse. That had been the first attempt to force them out. He had felt powerful as he watched knowing it was at his biding that the horse was shot. He would remove the cross later, but right now he forced himself to hurry on to the house. The pasture came into view as he reached the top, and his stride came faster pushing to the green grass of the pasture. Looking across he could see the house rising two stories high and having more rooms than any in the county. This was his kingdom now and he would rule from here. To bad the barn had been burned, but that was part of doing business. Maybe he could force those boys, he had burn the barn to rebuild it, or go to jail. Well the dead cows had been cleaned up, not a sign of the killing. Some how he’d get some beef in here and be able to watch them with his morning coffee. Quickly he moved forward across the green grass, moving with urgency to reach the house. Suddenly he felt to warm, so he removed his sweater. That didn’t help his breathing became harder and it felt as if no oxygen was coming in. He had to stop, catch his breath, and wait a minute. Everything would be fine if he just rested a minute. Why he wondered, why the sky was spinning, it was as if he had drunk to much whiskey. Got to catch his breath, he thought, not enough air. There it was the house, the house he saw as he fell, knowing there was no one to help the king.
