The Green Bottle

by J. Rosemary Moss

Genre: Fan-Fiction (Bonanza)
Rating: General Content

~

I groaned as I rested against the post. It was a brutally hot day and it seemed like we had endless miles of fence to repair.

Adam took a long drink from his canteen and then slung it over the post behind me. “I’m going to go see what’s keeping Hoss,” he announced. “Don’t drink my water.”

I was tempted to stick my tongue out at him. He must have guessed that I’d already gone through my own water. Still, I was too old to be making faces behind my older brother’s back. So I decided to distract myself instead by staring at his canteen.

Actually, it wasn’t a canteen. It was one of those heavy, green-glass bottles, stopped up with a cork and wrapped around with rope so that you could sling it over your shoulder. Adam hadn’t drunk much from it yet—I could see that it was nearly two-thirds full.

What was the harm of one sip? Did older brother think I was going to drain it on him?

I picked up the bottle, uncorked it and took one deep swallow. But the next thing I knew I was choking on the stuff. I dropped the bottle, spit the evil stuff out and hoped that I wouldn’t vomit.

What in the heck had Adam put in there?

While I was still busy choking and spitting, I heard a cocky baritone talking to my back. “I told you not to drink my water,” Adam said.

I managed to turn around and glare at him. “What was that?” I demanded.

“Water mixed with vinegar,” he answered as he folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the post. God, I hate that lean of his.

I stared at him as I thought about wiping that smirk off his face. Good thing I love older brother so much—otherwise we’d always be at it.

“Why would anyone put vinegar in their water?” I managed.

He gave me some long scientific explanation about how the vinegar helps protect you from the heat. I stopped listening halfway through.

By then he was actually looking me over with some sympathy. “Here,” he said as he picked up the bottle, dusted it off and handed it back to me. “Try it again. It’s an acquired taste, but it really is good for you.”

I grimaced, but I wasn’t about to buckle under to the stuff. I accepted the bottle and forced myself to drink some of it down—slowly this time.

“What do you think?” he asked as I lowered the bottle.

“I’m not going to throw up,” I informed him, “but it’s still pretty vile.”

He laughed as he took the bottle back and slung it over the post again. “You’ll learn to love it,” he promised.

I rolled my eyes. Whatever you say, older brother.

~The End~