C4 antho - Chamber Four

~206~ The Chamber Four Fiction Anthology
pulled a bottle of whiskey from his sleeping bag and offered
it to Billy. Billy shook his head “no,” but looking at the people
sleeping around him and back at the house to see if lights
were on, he eased out of his creaking chair and signaled
Miguel to follow him.
Billy led Miguel and Miguel’s wide-eyed little brother a
half mile to the Versatile at the lower edge of the 320. They
crawled under the tractor, built a tiny pit fire, and sat in a
circle around it.
“How do you shear so fast?” Billy asked.
“Faster I shear, faster I finish,” Miguel said passing the
whiskey. Miguel’s brother reached for the bottle but was
passed over. “No.”
“He’s quiet. What’s his name?” Billy asked.
“He has no name.”
“I got a name. It is Carlos,” the boy said.
“It is not Carlos,” Miguel said.
“It is Claudio.”
“Stop lying. It is not Claudio either.”
“It is Pedro.”
“Why did you have to ask his name?”
“I know my name,” the boy said, getting agitated. “My
name is Jesus. It is Justo. It is Ramiro. It is―”
“Si. I am sorry. It is Justo,” Miguel said.
“Ramiro.”
“I know. Ramiro.”
“It is Ramiro.”
“I heard you,” Miguel said.
“It is.”
Billy interrupted, “I’m Billy.”