The Binder: Short Stories: Lone Stranger

The Lone Stranger vs. The Terrible Tork

Part One: Written by Bethany Kanfer

At the amusement park, the Lone Stranger was enjoying his day off. He boarded his favourite roller coaster, the Silver Bullet, alone. No one knew him, so they wouldn't sit with him. The roller coaster started off. 'Hi-ho, Silver Bullet, away!' The Silver Bullet reached the highest part, right before the biggest drop. Suddenly, the power was cut off. It was his archenemy, the Terrible Tork.

'I hope you've had a nice ride, Lone Stranger,' Tork cackled, 'because it's going to be your last.'

'You're right, for once, Tork,' the Lone Stranger replied. 'I'm out of ride tokens, so I can't go on any more rides.' He stood up in the coaster, attached a rope to the seat's bar, and slid down it to the ground. The two faced each other, circling. The Lone Stranger pulled a stun gun out of his pocket.

'You pulled a stun gun out of your pocket? Be serious now, Lone Stranger.' Tork pulled out the Super-Kablooie Pain-Before-Death Ray Gun 5,623 '. 'I have a Super-Kablooie Pain-Before-Death Ray Gun Five-Thousand-Six-Hundred-Twenty-Three-and-Three-Quarters.'

'Oh, no! Not the Super-Kablooie Pain-Before-Death Ray Gun Five-Thousand-Six-Hundred-Twenty-Three-and-Three-Quarters! Didn't your mother ever tell you not to be violent?'

'No,' Terrible Tork said as he fired the Super-Kablooie Pain-Before-Death Ray Gun Five-Thousand-Six-Hundred-Twenty-Three-and-Three-Quarters directly at the Lone Stranger. Is the the end of our hero? Or will he save himself yet again?

Part Two: Written by Shirley Phung

As the Super-Kablooie Pain-Before-Death Ray Gun Five-Thousand-Six-Hundred-Twenty-Three-and-Three-Quarters fired, it appeared that the Lone Stranger was lying flat on the ground. Everyone had a look of shock on their face.

'Whoa, what a ride?' the Lone Stranger replied.

'I thought you were dead!' the Terrible Tork screeched.

'I had a change of plans. I decided I didn't want to die.'

The Terrible Tork angrily marched toward the Lone Stranger. The Terrible Tork started to run. Faster and faster he went. Just as he was about to crash into the Lone Stranger, the Lone Stranger leaped in the air, causing the Terrible Tork to crash right into the pole. Full of rage, he got on his feet. Once again, he took out the Super-Kablooie Pain-Before-Death Ray Gun Five-Thousand-Six-Hundred-Twenty-Three-and-Three-Quarters. He fired it once again hoping to kill the Lone Stranger. With great reflexes he had missed the shot. The heat began to rise. A stir of silence went through the amusement park.

'I will kill you one way or another,' the Terrible Tork remarked.

'Try your best.'

The fight turned into a rumble. More people joined to watch what was going to happen next. The Terrible Tork fired one last blast from the Super-Kablooie Pain-Before-Death Ray Gun Five-Thousand-Six-Hundred-Twenty-Three-and-Three-Quarters. This shot actually hit the Lone Stranger's shoulder. The crowd gasped as the Terrible Tork went off.

'I'll be back to finish you off later,' the Terrible Tork warned.

The Lone Stranger just laid flat on the grounds of the amusement park with his eyes closed. Was he badly hurt? No one dared ask, or even touched him.

Part Three: Written by Ryan Drzewianowski

'Now I must stock up on Super-Kablooie Pain-Before-Death Ray Gun Five-Thousand-Six-Hundred-Twenty-Three-and-Three-Quarters!' shouted the Terrible Tork as he ran into the bathroom and lifted up the toilet seat to find two more guns. 'Now I can't miss!' he thought as he ran to the spot where he thought the Lone Stranger was.

'Now where is that tree hugger?' Tork asked when he arrived at the spot.

'Up here, you meateater!' yelled the Lone Stranger from atop the Silver Bullet. All of a sudden, the Lone Stranger leaped off the roller coaster platform holding onto one end of a piece of rope. 'AAAAAAAAH!' he yelled like Tarzan as he landed feet first into the Terrible Tork.

Sirens wailed in the background as Police Officer Danieo drove up. 'This is the man you are looking for! Book 'im, Danieo!' the Lone Stranger said, handing the Terrible Tork over to Officer Danieo. 'My job here is done!' the Lone Stranger said as he got on the Silver Bullet for one last ride on the roller coaster as the sun set.