PHOTO PROMPT © Alicia Jamtaas
Land’s Promise
Josiah and Marg are preparing for the journey out West. Folks are saying land out there is free for the taking. Just married, they want a homestead to raise a family.
Josiah drives the wagon to *Knockemstiff’s General Store.
He listens as Mr. McCallum specifies the vitals.
“…You’ll need at least two barrels, one for water and one for whisky…”
“Whisky?”
Josiah is a godly man and Reverend Brimstone warns whisky is what fuels the furnaces of Hell.
“Young man, poured on a wound, it don’t get infected. And my boy, for what you’ll do and see, you’ll need it.”
[100 words]
*Knockemstiff is a nod to a real town in Ohio, USA. It’s also the name of a book written by Donald Ray Pollock about that very town.
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields is the encouraging host of Friday Fictioneers.
Tao Talk 
A practical advice
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Sadje, thank you.
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Most welcome
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Mr. McCallum is a wise man. Nicely done.
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Thanks, Iain :)
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Josiah’s lucky to have someone like Mr. McCallum who’s likely seen plenty in his day.
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I agree!
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Possibly not enough whiskey in the world to console him for what he’ll see, and what he’ll do. But it’s a start. Good one.
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Sandra, you’re so right. Thanks!
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Just the first of many shocks, I’m guessing
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For sure, Neil. Thanks.
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Dear Lisa,
My guess is that Mr. McCallum’s been around the block a time or two. Love the voice and story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, thanks so much. I’m sure you’re right.
Shalom,
Lisa
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That whisky was also a good way to dull the pain when necessary. Nobody HAD to drink it :)
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Linda I had put in there numb teething baby gums, but I also had in there they had 4 kids. 100 words never enough :)
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I know. I had to do word surgery today, too :)
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Very interesting take on the photo Lisa :-) a great little tale!
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Thank you, Carol Anne!
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It was a hard life. (K)
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i suppose whisky can do more than treat a wound. he’ll learn that soon enough. :)
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:) Indeed. Thanks for reading and your comment, Plaridel.
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Smart man. Well done.
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Thanks, Athling.
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I love the name Reverend Brimstone! It made me laugh. I was also thinking the whiskey would be a good bribe for the Indians, but the idea of that practice makes me angry. So many great ideas in this story.
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Alicia thank you for reading and your wonderful comment :)
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You’re welcome
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Love the names! Now I’ll have to investigate Knockemstiff!
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Are you talking the town or the book? It was his first book and he’s written two since, but it’s been a few years since he wrote another book. They did make a movie based on one of his books, “The Devil All the Time.”
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This story could go so many directions! -Angela
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Thanks, Angela.
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There is much that lies ahead of them. It took some realy courage to go west back in them days!
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Dale, not sure if I asked you before whether or not you’ve seen 1883?
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Hahaha! I just told Na’ama that her story made me think of it. I loved it.
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:)
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😊
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Sage advice, they left well prepared. Nice one, Lisa.
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Thanks much, Keith. I wonder how far a barrel of whisky will carry them…
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Great choice of character’s names, I was laughing. I like how you showed the determination of the folks at the time, who wanted to start a new life on a homestead.
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James, pleased to make you laugh. What other name could the reverend have? ;) Thank you for reading and your comment.
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I feel sorry for these two. Just married, just starting out with all their wonderful hopes and dreams, and the storekeeper has just given them a glimpse of the reality that lies ahead. Love the names. I wonder how the town came to be called that?
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“Driving through town at the end of June, Mr. Pollock, who now lives in nearby Chillicothe, said there were lot of theories about how his hometown got its name, including a story about two women getting into a fight over a man in front of the church and the preacher overhearing one say she was going to knock the other stiff. More likely, he said, was that the name came from moonshine brewed there in the ’20s and ’30s. ” — excerpt from NYT article. link to article: https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/12/books/donald-ray-pollock-still-the-voice-of-knockemstiff-ohio.html
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Haha. I’m so glad I asked. Thanks, Lisa.
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:)
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Josiah and Marg don’t seem like people who should be moving to a place called Knockemstiff. Maybe a good whiskey will Knockemstiff, and they’ll persevere.
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They are leaving from K to go out west, and that is as much of a gamble as staying.
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Well, that’s a name for a town if there ever was one! And then there’s, of course Hell, MI, and Belchertown, MA … and … No wonder peeps needed some spirits to keep them spirits! ;)
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Good point, Na’ama!
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Well-written and enjoyable story!
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Thank you :)
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So many uses!
And it’s tasty too! :)
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Heck yes :)
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Love the advice, he knows.
A scary thought going somewhere where there is no amenities or help for injuries.
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They were brave souls for sure.
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