Hats-off Showdown at High Noon

Dorthy chased a bluebird and soon found herself crossing a rainbow, her ruby slippers securing purchase on her climb across the color red, which sent her sliding down the opposite side. Soon, she looked about and found that her house, Toto, and all of Kansas was simply gone.

A dusty old town stood before her, a clock tower looming over head, while still higher, the sun beat down with a heavy heat. A single lane ran through the town’s center. To either side stood a jail, a barbershop, a general store, and other small businesses, while a church sat at the far end.

Two gunmen squared off in the street while locals cowered beyond doorways and peeked through windows, the curtains drawn.

“Oh, dear,” said Dorthy. “This looks rather dreadful. Whatever could cause such a fuss?”

Of the gunmen, a white-hatted man looked her direction. “Miss, you’ll be wanting to take cover. It’s not safe out here.” He wore a star on his chest, his hand hovering over a pistol at his hip.

A cross from him, another man wore a black hat and a scowl, the grip of his own pistol close at hand. “Should we reschedule?” asked Black Hat. “It appears that your sheep are wandering off.”

“Not on your life,” said White hat, thumbing towards the clock tower. “When that clock strikes twelve, you’re through.”

‘11:55’

Black Hat reached into an interior pocket, White Hat twitching closer to his gun. When a cigar emerged from Black Hat’s jacket, a lit match followed, the two brought together and blazing the cigar to life. Black Hat shrugged. “A man can do a lot with five minutes.”

As Dorthy’s dress began sticking to her arms and legs, her ponytails clinging to her neck, it was getting altogether too hot to fool with this much longer. “Oh, you! What’s this all about? Must you be brutes?”

White Hat nodded towards his opposite. “Miss, that there is the face of pure evil. He’s got no heart. And he’d kill you as soon as look at you. So, you need to get clear and let me do my job.”

“And what job is that?”

“You see that black hat of his? That man’s an outlaw.” He pointed to the star on his chest. “And this here badge says that I am the law.”

“Well, what of you, Mr. Outlaw?”

Black Hat was mid-inhale and choked when noticing her attention. “Me?”

“Of course, you,” said Dorthy. “Why, I see no other black hats about.”

“Well, Mr. Law Man ain’t got the courage to do what needs doing. So, I mean to do what he won’t.”

“And what if we got you a white hat?”

Mr. Outlaw blinked. “Beg your pardon?”

“Now, hang on a minute,” said the lawman. “You can’t just go around changing people’s hats. It ain’t right.”

“Oh, quiet!” Dorthy said, swatting the air. She marched across the street, approached the saloon, and then plucked a white hat from a head peering out from the doorway.

“Hey,” the man complained.

“Oh, we can get you another,” she said to him, then marched over to Mr. Outlaw and proffered it.

Mr. Outlaw looked at the hat, then back to the lawman. “What do you expect me to do with that?”

“Just wear it, won’t you?”

“But I already have a hat.”

Dorthy rolled her eyes, then switched them out before the outlaw could react.

Doong! The clock struck twelve.

The two gunfighters flinched for their guns, then hesitated.

The lawman frowned. “Well, I don’t reckon I can shoot such an honest looking white-hatted fellow. Perhaps you’re not as heartless as I had been led to believe.”

“You know,” said the outlaw, “that’s a rather brave thing to say. Perhaps, I too was hasty. I didn’t expect you to seem so sensible.”

Then, both men turned to Dorthy, their eyes narrowed.

As Dorthy clutched the black hat before her, she suddenly felt out of place. She glanced at the clock tower. “Oh, dear, is that truly the time? Well, I really must be going! It’s time I fed Toto, don’t you know?”

She hugged the hat and ran back across the rainbow.

Constraints:

Word Count: 698/750

Genre: Western

Trope: Rainbow Manipulation