The Jenkin Boys!

• Aliza Purvis, Grade 6, St Jospeh's School
• Short Story
• 2016

Excellence Award in the 'Top Secret 2016' competition

No one ever sees them, but you hear them on their horses, galloping so fast that you think the ground will shatter and lighting will strike. No one speaks of them, but you think of them. They come and go on the whisper of the wind, these mysterious people ‘The Jenkin Boys.’
“The Jenkin Boys’ were a small bunch, there are 5 Jenkin boys, Billy, Tim, Henry, Craig and Jed. These boys met in the unusual way, they were all kicked out of their homes, had to learn to live life on the streets, worked on a farm, became friends and now they try and stop what happened to them.
The Jenkin Boys live close to a town called Animals Forks, but their home is actually about 30 kms from town. They like to call it ‘Colorado.’ No person has ever seen this place, if anyone goes looking for it, they get lost and never find their way back to Animals Forks. The Jenkin Boys are the only ones who know how to find it. They picked this place because it was where there friendship started and it was in a very beautiful mountainous region of the Animals Forks Territory, where they hoped no one would ever find them again.
You might have wondered where these boys got their name. Well this band of brothers received their name from the man who became there. Leader. Bill Jenkins took in wayward boys who had been kicked out of home. He would teach them to read and write, how to be stockman and handle cattle and taught them to do all jobs required to run a ranch. But on a very hot and steamy November night, their beloved leader was killed by his brother Mike. On that fateful night the boys vowed to be called The Jenkin Boys, they promised each other they would get justice for their fallen leader or they would die trying.
It had been 3 years since Bill had been murdered, the boys were in ‘The Boars Nest’ drinking when the overheard some of Mike’s ranchers talking. Mike was back in town, it was time for revenge.
They planned their revenge for weeks, and with great precision they stormed Mike’s ranch early one morning after his ranch hands had gone to do their duties for the day. ‘The Jenkin Boys’ would finally avenge Bills death. Mike was surprised to see them, the boys drew their pistols and just as they were going to fire they thought of Bill, would he really want the boys to spill the blood of his brother in his own name? No of course he wouldn’t. The boys decided Mike had suffered enough knowing he had killed his brother, the boys turned and walked out of Mike’s ranch knowing Bill would’ve been proud of them and that they would never see Mike again.