A Shot Above the Others

As the front door clicked shut, Tad Webster stepped out of the kitchen of the apartment he shared with his brother, Spider.

“It’s about time you got here. I was afraid you were going to be late.”

Spider, the older of the two, waved his hand dismissively.  “I got home at my usual time. What’s your problem?”

“It’s our turn to celebrate Trixie’s birthday, remember?”

Spider, in route to his room, stopped.  “OUR  turn? Just how many celebrations did she have?”

Tad, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, listed the celebratory events.  “There was Crabapple Farm, lunch with Imogene, a Bobwhite party, our private dinner, and this.  How many is that?”

Spider shook his head.  “Five.  Was it a waste making you go to school?”

Scowling in response, Tad returned to the kitchen where he was finishing the meal preparations.

“Just get changed already,” he called out.  “Trixie’ll be here any minute.”  

 

When Trixie arrived a few minutes later, Tad had everything laid out, including a steaming bowl of fettucine alfredo. The three sat down at the festively candlelit table and dug in.

“Yum,” sighed Trixie happily as she stuffed a forkful of pasta into her mouth.  “Delicious!”

“Thank you.” Tad bowed his head.

“I just might keep you around,” teased Trixie.

“In that case,” cautioned Spider, “You may want to invest in a remedial math course.  He seems to be struggling with the basics.”

Tad glared at his brother then jammed his fork into his own pasta.  “Yeah, well did you remember to get Trixie a birthday present?”

Spider, his mouth full, nodded.

Trixie’s eyes lit up.  “You got me a present? What is it?”  

“Something you’ll get after dinner.”  Spider sipped at his wine before grabbing a thick piece of garlic bread.

“That bread is potent,” remarked Trixie.  “I’m sure we’ll all be safe from vampires tonight.”

Spider grinned.  “I was hoping for that.  After all, there’s nothing worse than spoiling a good birthday dinner with a vampire bite.”

“Agree,” said Trixie.  “Well, that and having to do the dishes?”

“Which I am happy to do,” remarked Tad.

With dinner over and the dishes done, the three retired to the living room where Spider produced a sloppily wrapped package.  After excitedly ripping the paper away, Trixie opened a non- descript box.

“Safety goggles?” she questioned as she held up the plastic eyewear.  

“That’s your gift?” questioned Tad.  “Why?”

“Because that’s what she’ll need to wear when I take her out to the shooting range.”

Trikxie’s eyes lit up in excitement.  “The shooting range?  Really, Spider?”

“Yep!”

“This is the best gift ever,” beamed Trixie. “Thanks, Spider.”  

She crossed to the recliner where he sat and gave him a kiss.

“Hey, what about me?” protested Tad.

“What about you?” asked Trixie.

“I plan on being part of this too.”

Trixie sat down and gave Tad a quick kiss.  “Okay. You can watch.”

Grinning, Tad ran his hand through his dark hair.  “I plan on taking my turn too. That way you’ll see accuracy in motion. It might inspire you.”

“I’ll be fine.  Don’t you think, Spider?”

Spider raised his hands.  “I only offered to take you to the range.  Any issues between you and Tad are beyond my jurisdiction.”

Smiling happily, Trixie settled back on the couch.  “When are we going to do this?”

“How about next Saturday?” suggested Spider.

“It’s a date,” grinned Trixie.  

 

The following Saturday, Trixie sped home after work,  grabbed her new goggles then drove to the Webster apartment.

“I’m here,” she yelled as she rapped excitedly on the door.

“And we’re ready for you, “ said Tad, ushering her in.

“Okay, Trixie. Take a seat,” ordered Spider who came into the room carrying two guns.

“I thought we were going to the shooting range.” Trixie stamped her foot defiantly.

“We are.  But before we do, I’m going to give you a lesson on gun safety and make sure you understand all the necessary rules.”

“Rules?”

“Yes, rules.  Like, never point a gun at anybody. Ever!  And always keep the safety on.”

“Oh.  I suppose that makes sense.”  She waved her hand and sat down next to Tad.  “Get on with it, Spider. But don’t take too long.”

Spider sighed loudly.  “I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”

Tad grinned.  “You think?”

For the next hour, Trixie sat impatiently while Spider carefully explained aspects of the weaponry.  Finally he was ready to let her actually handle the gun.  Standing next to her, he placed a small pistol in her hand then wrapped her fingers around its barrel.

“Hmmm...you’ve got small hands.  I hope that won’t impede your shooting.”

“We’re still going to do it, aren’t we?” worried Trixie.

Tad laughed.  “There’s only one answer here, Spider.”

“Yes, we’re still going to the shooting range.  It just might be hard for you to shoot. Plus, you’re shorter than the targets so that might make your accuracy a bit off.”

“I'll be fine,” replied Trixie confidently.  “Are we done with the boring stuff yet?”

“Hey,” ordered Spider.  “This boring stuff could end up preventing an accident.”

“Yes, sir.” Grinning, Trixie offered Spider a mock salute.

“But yes, we’re done.  Let’s go.”

After Spider had secured the guns in a safety box, the three took off for the shooting facility that was located outside White Plains.  When they pulled into the parking lot, Trixie noticed it was relatively full.

“It looks like there are a ton of people here. Will they have room for us?”

“We’ll be fine,” assured Spider as he opened the trunk of his car and retrieved the weapons.  

Upon entering the facility, Trixie excitedly drank in the novel activity.   Around her,  walls were lined with all kinds of guns and accessories. In the aisles, both men and women were testing the weights of guns and comparing different calibers and designs.  

“This way.” Spider abruptly turned and led Trixie and Tad off to one side where a man stood behind a check- out counter that was scattered with protective hearing gear.

“Three please,” said Spider.  He turned.  “You guys’ll need to show your identification.”  

Trixie and Tad presented their driver’s licenses then waited while Spider finished paying for their turn in the shooting gallery.  They each took a set of headphones then followed Spider through the door and into the shooting range area. Immediately, the acrid smell of gunpowder filled the air while the continual deafening pop pop pop of discharging weapons assaulted her ear drums.

“Here,” shouted Spider as he pointed to a small enclosure.  “This will be our paddock. And put your hearing protection on.”

While Trixie and Tad secured their headphones, Spider stepped to a counter at the rear of the room and unpacked his weapons.  Coming back into their assigned paddock, he reviewed with Trixie what he had taught her.

“Do you want to go first?” he shouted.

“Do you have to ask?” Trixie’s eyes glowed as she took the gun that Spider held out to her.  A paper outline of a body suddenly appeared across the firing field from her.

“Now, look down the barrel with both eyes and squeeze the trigger,” said Spider.

Trixie aimed at the target.  Then she squeezed the trigger but nothing happened.

“You’ve got to squeeze harder,” yelled Spider.

Trixie repositioned herself and squeezed again.  Suddenly, the gun went off and she was thrown back against Tad.

“What happened? Did I shoot anybody?” Panicked, she looked around the area.

“No.  You just forgot to anticipate the recoil,” explained Spider.

“Did I hit the target?” asked Trixie.

“Not that time. You lost your aim when the recoil forced your arm upward.  Try it again.”

Trixie took her position and pointed the gun toward the target.  This time she hit the right thigh.

“The thigh?  Why not the heart?” she complained.

“Well, you might want to try keeping your eyes open,” advised Tad.

“I shut my eyes? Gleeps, what an idiotic thing to do.”  Trixie turned to thank Tad but Spider grabbed her and directed her back around.

“Now what?” demanded Trixie.

“You’re holding a loaded weapon in your hand and you’re turning around to talk to Tad.  Remember, that’s a safety violation.”

“Oh, yeah,  Sorry, Tad.”  Before she could turn to Tad again, Spider tapped her shoulder and pointed across the field.  

“Give it another try. And this time, focus on the target and keep your eyes open.”

Trixie held out her gun and lined herself up.  Then with a concentrated effort on keeping visual contact, she squeezed the trigger, bracing herself against the expected recoil.  

“Hey!” A grin spread across her face as she noted the hole in her target.  “I actually hit the target in a decent place.  And I didn’t fall over.  And I kept my eyes open.  Gleeps, this is fun.”

Tad and Spider laughed at Trixie’s excitement then stood back as she took her place again.  She squeezed the trigger then stepped back and admired the neat hole right through the heart of the body.  

“That’s more like it.” She nodded in satisfaction.

Holding out her weapon again, she fired in rapid succession. A series of bullets pierced the heart region of the paper target.  Behind her, Tad and Spider’s eyes grew wide. Stepping over to Tad, Spider yelled into his brother’s ear,

“If I were you, I wouldn’t make her mad.”

Tad held up his hands.  “No kidding.  She’s even scarier with a gun.”

“And I was afraid her small hand would make it difficult for her.  I wish some of the officers in the department could shoot like her.”

“Don’t tell her that,” yelled Tad over the thundering sound of weapons going off.  “She’ll want to come and train them.”

After Trixie had emptied her gun’s magazine, she stepped back and watched as Tad took his turn.  Some of his shots hit the target and some went off to the right.

“I’ve told him a million times to change the position of his arm but he won’t listen,” Spider yelled into Trixie’s ear.

“I’ve got this,” grinned Trixie.  

Stepping up to her boyfriend, Trixie pulled his ear cover aside and yelled,  “Move your arm, Tad or I’ll be able to claim the title of the best shooter.”

Tad looked at Trixie in surprise, then grinned.  When he turned back to his target, he adjusted his position slightly before firing.  This time the bullet went into the abdominal area of the target.

“Happy?” he yelled to Trixie.

“Not as much as you are,” she yelled back.

When it was Trixie’s turn again, Spider handed her the weapon.  Keeping everything she had been told in her mind, she fired several times, each shot going through the target at an optimal spot.  

“Maybe I should have been a cop after all,” she shouted to Spider.

Spider pointed to his earphones and shook his head.  “I can’t hear one word you’re saying about being a cop,” he yelled.

“You’re funny,” yelled Trixie with a roll of her eyes.  

She fired again and again,  hitting the target near or through the heart.

After Spider’s and Tad’s turns, the three had used up their allotted time in the shooting gallery. As they left, Trixie lagged behind, enviously watching the other shooters.

“This was so much fun, Spider,” she said as she settled herself back in the car. “Thank you.”

“You were really good, Trixie,” commented Spider.  “I’m quite impressed.  Are you sure you’ve never done this before?”

“Not with a gun.”

“What does that mean?” asked Tad as he turned to face her.

Trixie grinned.  “Three words: pea-shooter, practice, and Mart.”

“Of course,” nodded Tad.  “Anything else?”

“Well, I do have 20/20 vision.”

“So do I,” argued Tad.  “But you didn’t see me shooting like that.”

Trixie shrugged.  “What can I say?  Mart made an awfully good reason for perfecting my aim.”

Before Tad could respond, Spider leaned across the seat and murmured,  “Remember what I said.  Don’t make her mad. Ever.  Her 20/20 vision is perfect and her pea-shooter training makes her lethal”

Wincing, Tad nodded. “Your wise words are duly noted.”

 

. . .Or

 

For Trixie’s birthday, Tad made her a special dinner, and Spider joined them.

Much to Trixie’s surprise, Spider had a special gift for her.

The gift was a trip to the local shooting range, giving Trixie the opportunity to actually fire a gun.

They all agreed that the following Saturday would be a good day to go.

When the day finally arrived, Trixie eager to go but Spider tells her she first needs to go through a gun safety course.

Although a bit disappointed, Trixie sat through the hour-long lesson.

Finally, Spider, Tad and Trixie left for the range.

Upon entering the shooting range, Trixie was amazed at its array of weaponry.

Since it was Spider’s gift, he paid for their time in the actual shooting gallery then led them to the paddock they’d be using.

Trixie took her turn first and fired away.

But the weapon’s recoil caught her off guard, throwing her back against Tad.

Determination took over as Trixie again took her place and aimed her gun at the paper target , an outline of a body ,that was a distance away from her.

Her next shot went through the thigh part of the target, but her next one went straight through the heart.

Laughing, Trixie continued to fire her weapon, delighting as she accurately hit her target again and again.

Spider and Tad also took their turn before letting Trixie shoot again.

Driving home, Tad asked Trixie about her aim.

“Three words: pea shooter, practice and Mart.” giggled Trixie.

“Anything else,” asked Tad.

“And I have 20/20 vision.”

Spider quietly cautioned Tad, “Don’t ever make her mad.”

. . .OR

 

“Happy Birthday, Trixie,” yelled the Websters.

Spider’s gift is a trip to the shooting range.

Wow! Trixie’s aim is perfect.

***************

This story was written in response to a challenge during JixAnny 20.  The first story has 2020 words, then the same story with 20 sentences, finally the same story with just 20 words.  A big thank you to my sister Judith, for her editing. Title from google images/soundcloud.com.