by A.E. Weisgerber

Once upon a time near Fort Fred Steele in Wyoming—on a pretty spread west of Medicine Bow—lived Chai, Wyatt and their gitchi-goo baby. Although Wyatt expected to move up the ranks as a mechanic at Bakken-Shale, desert princes and kings of faraway lands thought not. Wyatt started thinking the Gulf had all the money. The North Platte River glittered golden, Chai said, “We can barter, we have gardens, we have books,” but Wyatt, ticket in hand, bade copper dirt goodbye.

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All of the following are characteristics of fairy tales EXCEPT

A. Pretend and make-believe

B. Things in threes

C. True Facts

D. Once upon a time

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Wyatt trailed 1600 miles of debit transactions to Crescent City. A Russian foreman offered him work, fixing rigs offshore. Wyatt flew back and forth with the tool pushers, drillers, and derrickhands, ferried alongside diamond bits, hookers, and ice, taxiing on…