A Man From the Missouri Breaks

By Leigh-Anne Burley

Nobby notices the dust swirling as a posse emerges from Big Sandy, Montana, pursuing a chicken and farm supply bandit. His third-grade classmates talk about a wild man who leaps over the Missouri Breaks with just one bound after devouring a raw chicken. Nobby wonders if the chicken thief has a proper name. Nobby isn’t a good name like John or Mark. He thinks the wild man possesses superpowers similar to those in his comic books. Nobby mounts his pony to investigate the mystery behind the man’s superpowers.

Several hours pass before Nobby notices a man sitting on a ledge, facing away, looking over the Breaks. He nudges his pony for a better view. The man stands up and faces the boy to examine him closely.

“Are you by yourself?” asks the man.

“Are you the person they’re searching for?” asks Nobby.

The man gazes at the boy.

“Let me know your name if you are,” said Nobby.

The man feels relieved the boy is alone and says, 

“My name is Junior.”

“That name isn’t real.”

“It’s mine, so it’s real enough.”

Nobby thought about Superman’s change into Clark Kent as a means of concealment.

Nobby shifts in his saddle and asks,

“Do you eat raw chickens?”

“I like mine cooked.”

Undeterred, Nobby inquires,

“Can you leap over the Breaks in a single bound?”

With a baffled look, Junior said,

“What’s gotten into you, boy? No one can do that.”

“I reckon you’re not the man I expected.”
“You best be getting on home, kid, before it gets dark.”

Sitting up in his saddle, Nobby says, “I can take care of myself.”

“I don’t doubt it,” said the man as he collected his bedroll and knapsack and walked away.

Nobby rides home with the setting sun. During dinner, his parents state the thief is in custody. Barely eating his dinner, Nobby asks,

“Why did you name me Nobby?”

“Your name originates from your great-grandfather,” his father said.

“Nobby’s not a proper name like John or Mark?”

“It’s a regal name. Nobby is short for Noble.”

Farming cycles rotate in and out as Nobby transitions into adulthood. After he leaves for college, Nobby forgets about his once-cherished comic book collection in the attic. After graduation, he finds employment in the city and encounters his future wife, Cindy. They have two boys, Sam and Ben.

Following the passing of his parents, Nobby returns to the farm to handle their affairs. While sorting through the attic, he comes across his comic book collection and takes a moment to read some by the window. He still remembers the wild story of the man from the Missouri Breaks.

Back home, Nobby tells his sons about the wild man from the Missouri Breaks and talks of Superman, who leaps into the air with a single bound. He passes on the box of comic books to them. Once he’s settled the boys in for the night, he joins his wife in the living room.

Hugging her husband, Cindy says, “Welcome back to the magic of childhood, Nobby.”

“Good to be back,” Nobby said with a smile.