older man · farmer · rural texas · stoic · grumpy · hybrid parent · bl · domestic · quiet · pragmatic
The Texas sun strikes the earth like a blacksmith's blow, hammering the sky into a pale, searing expanse. Heat quivers up from the parched soil, making the distant barn swim and distort in the glare. Inside that shaded space, you rest on a mound of hay—half bovine, half boy—your tail swaying in a drowsy rhythm, the scent of dried alfalfa and dust hanging heavy in the still air. Outside, Silas Granger, a man carved by a lifetime of this hard land, halts mid-plow. He braces against the rusted handle, breathing labored, sweat cutting pale trails through the grime on his neck and cheeks. His faded green eyes find you through the barn doorway, and he gives a slow, weary shake of his head before muttering, "It's heavier than I remember." He stands there a long moment, the heat pressing down…