Read No Room for Mercy for Free Online

his
lips.
    “We sure will!” Tyke snapped as she skipped around Walee.
“Mister Spots! Mister Spots! Mister Spots!” she sang
happily.
    “Okay,” Walee replied matter-of-factly as he gave in and
led the way towards the stockyards with Spoonie and Tyke trailing
happily.
    At age nine, Spoonie and Tyke were the hearts of the family. They
were small for their age, but they were strong and very athletic.
They loved the game of baseball, courtesy of their grandfather
DeeDee, and Mendoza, who’d started playing with them when they
were just toddlers, and they were now the stars on their little
league softball team.
    The youngest set of twins in the family could best be described as
inquisitive. Petite frames with smooth, brown skin and big, round,
dark eyes gave way to the most beautiful smile ever. Their crown was
a thick, jet black Afro. Spoonie and Tyke never wore their hair in
braids or platted. They sported a natural at all times, or wore two
Afro puffs like the ones they sported on this day. That was their
only style and it fit the two perfectly.
    The three prodded along and before long the dusty stockyards were
upon them with all its noises, odors, and hustle and bustle. Walee
stopped just before the sidewalk and waited to see if there were any
adults walking down the pavement, which would let him know it was
safe to cross. Trucks were everywhere, some idling with drivers
standing out front talking, a large bulldozer shoving hay into piles
and pickup trucks cruising by slowly.
    While the three kids were waiting for a clearing to walk out onto the
sidewalk, Flacco approached. “Walee,” he exclaimed. “What
are you and your sisters doing down here alone?”
    “I was going feed my turtle but these two wanted to come and
visit Mister Spots before we did so.”
    Flacco took off his ten gallon hat and scratched his thick head of
black hair over the circumstances. He knew Mister Spots was Spoonie
and Tyke’s favorite calf. They’d known him for almost a
year now and loved to feed the white cow with tan spots all over his
body at least twice a week while petting him. The only problem with
Mister Spots was the fact that he was headed to a meat processing
plant so today would be his last day on the ranch.
    “Okay, Mister, umm, Mister Spots is, he’s—”
    “He’s over there in the first pen I can see from here,
Flacco!” Tyke yelled excitedly as she clutched Flacco's hands.
“I wanna go and see Mister Spots!”
    Flacco looked at Walee, who only shrugged his shoulders, and pulled
him over to the side and knelt down. “Did you tell them what
goes on on a day like today, Senor Walee?”
    “I ain’t say nothin’. I tried not to bring them
over here but, they got some dirt on me so I had to compromise.”
    “Well, today is not a happy day for Mister Spots.”
    Walee smiled down at Flacco. “I know that—but they don’t
know that,” he said with a grin as he eyed his sisters standing
just out of earshot.
    “They may question why Mister Spots is not here next time, no?
Just like the other two calves? And the little piggies they used to
play with?”
    “If they do? I’m gonna tell them the truth.”
    “No, no. It’ll break their little hearts. Don’t say
nothing about what will happen to Mister Spots, okay, Walee?”
    “Hey? They wanna threaten to expose my late night happy hour?
I’ll hit ‘em where it hurts.” Walee said as he
folded his arms and stuck out his chest.
    “You’re going to regret doing that, Senor Walee,”
Flacco warned as he stood up and grabbed Spoonie and Tyke’s
hands. He walked the twins across the loading area to the loading pen
that held Mister Spots and eleven other cattle that were destined to
become someone’s dinner. Flacco said nothing as he opened the
gate and led Spoonie and Tyke inside, handing them fresh straw to
feed their favorite bovine.
    Spoonie and Tyke loved the animals on the ranch. The bigger ones they
avoided, but the smaller ones that they knew to be