Iain Kelly

Dust blew over the barren landscape. Tumbleweed rolled through the desert and piled up on the side of the buildings.

The buildings made up the main street, the only street, of Cody, Wyoming.

Outside the saloon, Jensen swept the wooden decking. As soon as the brush removed a layer of sand, the wind blew a fresh covering across the street.

Opposite, the doors to the hotel gusted open and closed until the proprietor, Johnson, still dressed in his sleeping clothes, angrily appeared and locked them.

Kitty watched him disappear back inside. The girls would get a long sleep this morning. The station wagon was due in this afternoon and the Carrington cattle drive would arrive around noon. It would be a busy night in the rooms upstairs.

Railroad agents had passed through a fortnight ago, surveying the land. Rumour was the tracks would be coming before the end of the year. The Iron Horse would arrive soon after.

After that Cody, Wyoming would become the latest boom town way out west.

And Kitty Malone was ready to make the most of the opening frontier when it arrived.

Written as part of Sunday Photo Fiction. Write a story of around 200 words based on the photo prompt given (above). Hosted by Susan Spaulding. For more details visit HERE.

To read more of the stories based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.