Joe O’Henry walked over the hill and looked over the expanse of the valley below him. It was surrounded on three sides by towering mountains, still covered with snow at their peaks. The valley was dotted with cabins here and there, with wisps of smoking rising above them.  It was a welcome sight, it seemed as if the world had opened up to him and that he had a fresh start. “ And they said I would never live to see this day.” He said as he stood. Joe had long been looking to this day. His life could only get better from here. He watched over the land and murmured  “Boston was too much for me, too much, all I need now is some peace and quiet.” He then began his long descent into the country. The valley seemed to draw him into it, he felt at home and knew that that was where he belonged. O’Henry only had a small bag with few things in it, but that didn’t matter to him. All he cared about was that he was finally in a place where he could be at complete peace. Joe quickly set up his shelter and began to sleep.
Suddenly he was back in Boston. Police were chasing after him “O’Henry!!, Stop right now!!” His instincts turned on, he sprinted and ran as fast as he could. Rounding a corner he saw Bill Kennedy, one of his closest friends. “Bill!” he screamed out, “Bill!! Help me out!’’. Right in front of his eyes Bill transformed into a huge bear and charged him. Just as he was about to reach Joe he awoke. Joe was in a cold sweat, his adrenaline rushing. “No, I’ve put that life behind me, I can’t go back, I need a new life.” He said as he went back to sleep.
He awoke the next morning and saw the beauty of the nature around him. The sun shone in through the trees in rays and illuminated the clearing in the field. Joe needed help, he had no idea what to do now, he felt like a fish out of water. He chose to seek help from one of the cabins he saw as he headed down the valley. He set off, grabbing his gun and carrying his small pack. His father always told him the words “Always be prepared, you never know what will happen or when.” He set off, heading for  the cabin in the distance. It was a long walk, but one he needed, he wanted to have time to clear his mind and organize his thoughts. Walking along, he would see a few animals here and there.
“ Maybe one day I’ll get to shoot one, but I don’t if a predator may come, I need to ask the person at the cabin first.”
He continued onward. He thought much of his old friends and family back in Boston. Especially his old friend Bill, the one he dreamt about last night. “Where did he go? I never had a chance to say goodbye to him.” Bill and him had always been friends since they were kids. They did everything together and even joined the Mob together. Both were from poor families and wanted a way to help support their parents. As they experienced the Mob life they both got themselves into more and more crime. Until one day, Bill disappeared. He went without a trace, Joe always thought that the crime had finally caught up to him and that he had been taken by a rival gang then killed. “If only I could see him one more time.” He said. He went on, closer and closer to the cabin, until it was within sight.

He neared the cabin. It was a simple cabin in the middle of the woods, just enough to fit one person. It seemed to be fairly new, the wood was not as dark as the other cabins had been, it seemed to only be a few years old. He hadn’t seen anyone in weeks and pondered on how someone would react to a newcomer. He approached the door and knocked. The door opened, a gun barrel stuck out! Joe jumped back, he already had his fair share of trouble and cautiously walked away. Just as he was out of sight of the cabin he heard a shot. It whizzed past him and he knew that it was from the cabin. Immediately he began to run as fast as he could, “Maybe I should’ve stayed in Boston instead.” He continued running, and stopped at a small cave he saw. “There’s one place I’ll never go again.”
Suddenly, he heard a large growl from the inside of the cave. Joe had no idea what it could be, he backed away and was curious to see what was inside. He stayed and watched the cave. Then a bear slowly crawled out, it had brown fur and a horrible grimace on its face. He yelled out ‘Help!!”. He took out his gun and aimed it at the bear, it was about 20 feet away. Joe could do nothing but think of the bear he dreamt about. “Will it end the same here as it did then?” Then, the bear charged. Joe shot at the bear, the bear slowed slightly, but Joe was now out of ammo. He started to run again, but now toward to the cabin. “Please help me!” He cried out, he hoped that the person inside could help him. The bear was gaining on him and Joe continued to sprint toward the cabin. The door opened, the man inside yelled.
“Get on the ground now!” Joe dove onto the ground and heard two shots ring out. With a large groan the bear fell to the ground. “Why look who it is, with your crimson hair, and your lanky body I knew it could only be one person.” Joe looked up, it was Billy.
“Bill?? How could it be! It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen you. How are you here. I though you had been dead for years.”
“Exactly my plan, I needed somewhere to go, I had too much of the crime life and was too far into it to back out. I told no one I was leaving, including you, I didn’t want to risk anyone knowing where I had gone and them finding me again. I heard someone speaking at the door. I knew it was an Irishman, that was why I stuck the gun out ,but you, I never expected you to be here. I always thought you were going to get yourself killed with that hard head of yours.”
“It’s too much back there, it all got to me, I left Boston for a new life. But I need some help, I need to learn how to live again, in a much different place. For old times sake, would you help me?”
Bill agreed to help him. He taught him living the life of an outdoorsman, hunting, fishing, and trapping were the first things Joe learned. As they spent more time together it seemed as if they were brothers once again. They spent laughs talking about the old days back in Boston and were very glad to have someone they knew as they created new lives for themselves. But Joe needed somewhere to live, they found a spot in the vicinity of Bill’s cabin. They began to cut down trees and clear down land. Finally, after months of toil, the final plank was nailed in. It looked just like Bill’s cabin, they purposely done that, to honor their friendship. The cabin was small but well built, made of solid wood and iron nails, and had a small chimney. They knew it would last for decades. As Joe looked at his cabin he said “May our friendship last longer than this cabin, and may future generations be able to look at this cabin and appreciate it as much as we did.”
It was Christmas day, the O’Henry family was hosting the Kennedy family. It had always been this way. One family took turns every other Christmas inviting each other to each other homes. This Christmas was a special one, it was the 100th year anniversary of the building of the cabin. The very one that the patriarchs of the O’Henry and Kennedy family built. The two families gathered around the table. Standing at the head of the table was Jack O’Henry, the current patriarch of the O’Henry family. He looked like a mirror image of Joe, retaining the crimson hair and lanky limbs of his great great grandfather. “As we stand here today, in honor of the friendship our ancestors had, we honor them today. Let us raise our glasses to the famous cabin, it had stood the test of time and will stand for many more years show the strength and resilience of the O’Henry and Kennedy families. How both of them turned their lives around, from a life of crime in Boston to a life of peaceful living, here the valleys of Colorado. The cabin today tells us this, never, ever, give up. You can always change things for the better.” The families cheered and looked out the back window to look at the old cabin. Still standing, the wood had worn and snow covered it but it was still standing. They had kept it up, and now used it as a storage shed. But the families would never forget the meaning of the cabin and the story behind it. “To 100 more years!” Yelled the two families. They sat down, and enjoyed another Christmas meal together.