CHAPTER 2: THE MAN THEY BOTH LOST
They finally guided the boy out of the arena.
Not by force—
But by trust.
Ranger followed calmly behind the handlers, no longer fighting, no longer raging.
Back in the holding pen, the boy stood near the gate, refusing to leave.
“What’s your name, son?” one of the organizers asked.
“…Eli,” he said.
“Eli,” the man nodded. “That bull nearly killed two men tonight. You can’t just walk in there like that.”
Eli looked down at the bandana.
“My dad used to ride him,” he said quietly.
The men exchanged glances.
“Your dad’s name?” someone asked.
Eli swallowed hard.
“Jack Turner.”
Silence.
One of the older handlers stepped forward, eyes widening.
“Jack… ‘Red Jack’ Turner?” he asked.
Eli nodded.
The man exhaled slowly.
“Your dad wasn’t just a rider,” he said. “He was the only one Ranger ever trusted.”
Eli’s eyes filled with tears again.
“He died last year,” Eli whispered. “After that… they said Ranger went crazy.”
The handler shook his head.
“No,” he said gently. “He didn’t go crazy.”
He looked toward the pen where Ranger stood quietly, watching Eli.
“He just lost his person.”
Eli stepped closer to the fence.
“So did I,” he said.
Ranger huffed softly, stepping forward.
May you like
Closer.
Always closer to the boy.
