The Ocean’s City

The town was small and shaped like a rectangle, with a few streets off Main Street. Every building was made of wood. There were no stone structures hinting the townsfolk had settled for long here. The roads were surprisingly busy with horses pulling wooden wagons full of supplies, men on horses bowing their heads in greeting as we passed them, children chasing each other unbothered by the bustle of the day, and women about their daily chores. Everyone was busy, as if avoiding idle hands. Still, although their tasks seemed less than appealing, there was happiness.

They didn’t even seem to mind the heat of the sun and the layer of desert warmth that radiated from the sandy floor. It was a typical day for them, and no one looked our way. No one greeted us like we lived our whole lives there, and it gave me some sense of comfort.

Suddenly, a holler caught my attention. Across from the building with the sign written bank was a sign that said saloon. The doors swung as one man, clearly upset, threw another to the floor. He took a kick to the stomach. The angry man got pulled back by a much larger man with a short, light brown stash. “That’s enough, son. He’ll have your money by next sundown, wont’cha Willie?”

The man on the floor coughed for air and wiped his long handlebar mustache of any spit. He waved his hand, otherwise ignoring them.

“He better or I’ll…” the man fumed as his eyes met mine. He seemed to forget what he was saying, then stormed away.

“Well… well… well,” Hutson clucked as the man reached his feet.

“What the hell you want?” He snarled unfriendly.

Dalton cut the man off before his sour tongue could get him into more trouble. “We got business with you, Willie.”

Willie’s face dropped as he noticed Dalton on the other horse. “I thought you died…”

“I bet you did… no doubt drinking yourself in my sold assets.”

“Now… now we can… we can talk about this.”

Dalton nodded. “You bet your ass we are going to talk about this… go inside and tell the bartender to get us a round.

“y-yes, sir.”

There were posts to tie our horses up at almost every shop. It was a strange sight to not have a single car parked somewhere.

Dalton held his arms out to help me down the horse, and I slid into his arms, where he held me close, whispering in my ear, causing me to shiver. “Stay by me.”

I nodded as my eyes locked on Hutson. He was already by the entry, waiting for us to catch up.

His face had a stern expression. His eyes gave me a warning, telling me how serious this was.

The wooden building gave reprieve from the heat outside. Willie was ranting away to the man behind the counter, who said Willie would have the money soon.

Willie’s words slurred as he spoke about a lucky break and waved at us to enter, gesturing for us to find a seat.

It was strange the way Dalton purposely chose the table in the corner. He and Hutson angled their chairs so their backs were to the wall and they could see the whole establishment.

Willie came by ungraciously, placing mugs of beer down. Some of the mug’s contents splashed on the table, causing me to flinch away. He smelled rancid. Dalton’s arm protectively wrapped around me, sensing the confusion in my eyes, full of misguided trust. Dalton’s eyes narrowed on me as he winked. Then, like a sudden character switch, he leaned forward, hands slapping the table, and spoke in a barely controlled voice.

“How about talking about those things you were to care for me?”

“Now… now, sir, like I had said before, I thought you had passed.”

“What did you do with them?”

“I-I sold them.”

“And why did you do that, Willie?” Huston whispered in a deadly tone, cracking a knuckle every second Willie didn’t respond. A layer of sweat collected on his frightful forehead. Then, there was a screeching of chairs in a matter of seconds. Before Willie could make it even a step closer to the door, Dalton had Willie’s head slammed on our table, the sound reverberating through the salon, waking a man by the bar, passed out from a morning bender.

Willie pleaded, but Dalton twisted his arm and leaned in a bit more than he spoke. “Who’d you sell it to, dammit?”

“I sold it to an older gentleman, a stranger in the town. He sought me out and gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse. But he-he-he didn’t take it all.”

“The brass bracelet with turquoise. Did he take it?” Dalton’s lips twitched with agitation.

I-I do… the hell turquoise is!”

“The damn blue-green stone!” Dalton shouted, and the salon shook like an earthquake was about to erupt.

“I-I think so, but…”

“Dammit, Willie! You had one job. Dalton’s other hand went to Willie’s throat, constricting the air. It was Hutson’s turn to integrate. “You know of a lady who goes by the name Daniella.”

“or Dannie,” I piped up, finding my voice after watching the scene play around me, feeling my nerves tense.

Both Huston and Dalton’s eyes shot back at me. Willie choked for air, and when Dalton let go, a string of hysterical laughter spilled from Willie as he gasped.

“Who’s the lady friend?” Willie asked in between strings of laughter and spurts of coughing.

Hutson was on the man like a rabid dog. He lifted the man by his shirt and heaved profusely. Spit flew through his clenched teeth. Hutson and Dalton spoke at the same time. Hutson asked, “What do you know?” And Dalton remained calm as he stated, “We are the ones who ask the questions around here.”

Willie gave them a mischievous smile, hinting he knew something. Hutson was about to throw him against the wall again when the saloon walls shook. Everyone grew silent. There was a roar of ninnies and hooves pounding on the floor. It sounded like a stampede was about to destroy the town.