We Loved Once and True | Arthur Morgan's Untold Adventures, Part 18

Susan called out to me one morning when I was having my morning coffee. Her voice had that sharp edge it always carried when something was bothering her. She said someone had seen Mary Gillis in town. I hadn’t thought about Mary in a long time, but her name still struck a chord.
Later, back at my tent, I found a letter. The handwriting was messy but familiar. It was from Mary. She said she’d written it more times than she could count. She was in Valentine, down on her luck, and wanted to see me. She said she was staying at Chadwick Farm.

I rode up there not knowing what to expect. A woman answered the door, holding a revolver. She disappeared inside when I asked for Mary. Then Mary stepped out. She looked different but the same, worn by time, maybe, but still her.
She said her husband had died of pneumonia. Then came the reason I was there. She asked me for help because her brother Jamie had joined some religious group called the Chelonians. She told me that their father was worried. She further added that I might be the only one Jamie would listen to.
I remembered how her family never thought much of me. Back then, I was never good enough for her.
I wanted to turn away, to leave it all behind. But when she looked at me, I couldn’t. I told her I’d find Jamie. She told me that he was seen somewhere near Carmody Dell.
I rode through Cumberland Forest looking for him. Eventually, I found him on a ridge with five others, all dressed in robes. Their leader preached nonsense about a path to salvation. Jamie looked like he believed it.

I asked to speak to him. The others hesitated but eventually let me through. When Jamie saw me, he panicked. He jumped on his horse and rode off. I chased him into the woods.
He shouted at me to leave him alone. Said the Chelonians were his friends...That he didn’t need saving...I tried to reason with him, told him Mary was worried. He fired shots into the air, trying to scare me off.
We tore through a farmer’s land. Jamie barely cleared the tracks ahead of a passing train. I had to wait. When I caught up, he stood there, gun in hand, shaking. He said he didn’t want to live anymore.
I didn’t hesitate. I shot the gun out of his hand. Then I stepped in and took it. He fell apart after that. Broke down crying. I told him we’d go see his sister.
On the way back, he was quiet. I handed his pistol back to him. He asked about Mary. Asked if she and I were sweet on each other again. I told him it was all in the past.
He talked about his father. How the old man never believed in him. How he felt like he wasn’t good at anything. I told him not to listen to that man.
The sun was setting when we reached Valentine. He made a joke about running off again. I told him not to push it.
Mary was waiting at the station, sitting with her bags. When she saw Jamie, she ran to him. They hugged like they hadn’t seen each other in years.

Mary thanked me. She said it with that old look in her eyes. I handed her the suitcase and stepped outside. I watched the train pull away, the two of them sitting side by side. I didn’t know what to make of it.
(to be continued...)
Disclaimer
Arthur Morgan and the world of Red Dead Redemption 2 might be fictional creations by Rockstar Games, but my love for this game? 100% real. This is a new kind of adventure I wanted to bring to Steemit. I’m narrating the story of RDR2 from the perspective of its protagonist, Arthur Morgan, offering a fresh and immersive take on his journey. Rather than directly copying the game’s dialogues, I’m weaving Arthur’s emotions and experiences into a creative and fictional retelling. You can also experience this story in a cinematic way. I play the game, record my gameplay, edit the footage in the best possible way, and upload it to my YouTube channel. This way, after reading each story episode, you can watch it unfold like a movie.
Special Mentions
@dove11, @weisser-rabe, @sur-riti, @senehasa, @paholags, @event-horizon, @suboohi, @aneukpineung78, @kouba01, @joslud

I liked what I read; the setting and style connect me to the Western. From what I understand, you're turning the adventures you experience in the game into literature. It's a creative approach that could work, and apparently it has worked for you given that there are already 17 previous chapters.
If you want to have a direct impact on Steemit, you could consider publishing the videos and the story from "Steem Video Studio" https://s7ventech.com/steem/video-studio/ or from @alejos7ven's https://speem.watch/
The next step, in my opinion, is to publish it. Let's see what @weisser-rabe thinks about this.
I say: but of course! Waqar writes in a familiar, easy-to-read style. The stories are lively and comprehensible. I would venture to guess that the producers of the games would be interested in such publications.
Thank you but you know what these days, I mainly focus on just describing the game events as a story. I could go into more detail for each scene by adding sensory descriptions of the environment and other elements typical of fiction writing. However, doing so would push each story episode to over 2,500 words.
And what do I gain from that in return? just a few cents or one or two dollars maybe.
Considering the time and effort it takes, especially since I have to play the game, record it, edit the gameplay video, and upload it to Youtube, I have decided to keep each episode within a 1,000-word limit. I will leave it up to the audience (if I have any) to decide whether they want to watch the video alongside the written story for a fuller experience.
As long as I'm enjoying it and feeling motivated, I'll keep doing it. But whenever it starts to feel like a burden, I'll stop. It's as simple as that...
Thanks for the appreciation; it means a lot. I'll check the links you shared.
You have it in you. And maybe someday there will be a book (or maybe some books). Story writing is not easy for me. Thanks for tagiing.
You can give it a try!
https://steemit.com/fictions24wk4/@waqarahmadshah/wordsmiths-fiction-week-4-the-family-secret-or-steemit-challenge-season-24
Hi, Greetings, Good to see you Here:)
Thank you so much for sharing your post at #steem4pakistan community. We are extremely happy to see your post. Your post information has been given below.
¡Holaaa amigo!🤗
Extrañaba las aventuras de Arthur vale jajajaja. El amor es un sentimiento muy especial y, que haya tocado su corazón, le da un plus especial a la historia que hemos estado conociendo de él.
Te envío un fuerte abrazo💚
I missed the last two. before reading this, I will read them and come back to this. Thank you for sharing this lovely adventure.