FAITH
FAITH (after an idea by Nesciri)
Yellow Crane had amused herself over the past week.
She had watched and silently laughed at the hardships she was causing Running
Buck's friends. She watched as they grew a little more apprehensive every time
they stepped outside. She had grown accustomed to observing the behavior of
her customers and so it was easy to read the looks of fear that were growing
daily.
She had especially enjoyed watching that bald-headed friend of Running Buck's
fall off the horse. She had seen the two of them together speaking in Indian
sign. She knew that they were especially close and that's when she decided to
have a little extra fun with him. She closed her eyes to imagine a much more
pleasant ending to her trick. She imagined Ike's head being smashed like a winter
gourd when the hoof of the horse made contact with it. She saw Running Buck
picking up the broken body of his friend and crying hot sorrowful tears. Then,
he might know a little of the pain she had experienced when her own son was
taken from her.
But maybe it was better that the mute boy lived. Yes, she could have some more
fun with him and the others before she killed them. She had been toying with
them but now it was time to turn much more deadly. She would begin the game
that she was sure to win. And she knew who she was going after next.
Kid excused himself from the table. He picked up
his plate and placed it in the sink and received a grateful smile from Rachel.
It was time to begin his chores.
He walked slowly to the barn and noticed that it
was beginning to get dark a little earlier now that the seasons were changing.
When he got to the barn, he stepped inside and realized he would have to light
a lantern. He felt around for a match and struck it against the wall. Cupping
it in his hand, he made his way over to the lantern that hung by the door. Soon,
flickering lantern light filled the barn.
Kid gasped at what he saw. Someone had painted strange symbols all over the
walls in bright red paint. He quickly looked around and couldn't see any other
damage. The horses were calm and everything else was in place. Well, they would
be cleaning this up tomorrow. Kid sighed. These tricks were beginning to get
to him. He'd let the others finish eating before he told them they would have
more work to do tomorrow. He filled the water troughs and feed sacks. He mucked
out the stalls and was ready to fill them with fresh hay. He put the rake back
and picked up a pitchfork. When he turned to the pile of hay, he noticed something
odd in the hay.
Kid leaned over and picked up the object he saw
nestled in the straw. It looked as if careful hands had lovingly placed it there.
He was puzzled by what he held and turned it slowly over in his hand. It was
a bundle of sticks tied together with a long piece of leather. Entwined in the
leather were eagle feathers that had been dipped in something red. Kid ran his
finger over the feathers and realized they were stiff with dried blood. A chill
swept through his body and he fought to keep from wrapping his arms protectively
around his body. He slowly took a step backwards and then another. Kid wasn't
sure but he felt as though unseen eyes were watching his reaction to the little
bundle. He finally turned around and looked through the barn door at the bunkhouse.
All was quiet and he was relieved no one was there.
Carrying the small bundle, Kid left the barn and
started to walk back to the house. His pace quickened after two steps and before
he knew it, he was running toward the door. He ran up the four steps to the
porch and flung the door open. He let out a breath of relief when he saw his
friends gathered around the table still finishing up supper. No ghosts or demons
had followed him from the barn and he had made it back to the bunkhouse safe
and in one piece. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching
him.
"I found this in the barn. Do you think it's
another trick?" Kid laid the bundle down on the table so everyone could
see it. The other riders leaned closer to look and Teaspoon turned up the light.
Kid noticed that no one made a move to touch the strange bundle lying on the
table and he began to feel a little queasy.
"That sure is a strange thing, Kid." Cody
was about to poke at it with his fork but seemed to change his mind when he
stopped short and sat back down in his seat.
"It looks like something a kid made,"
Jimmy said. "Maybe it's nothing. What do you think Teaspoon?"
"Well, I tell you boys, this isn't the strangest
thing I've seen. When I was in New Orleans, I knew a woman that made voodoo
dolls."
"Voodoo? What's that?" Cody asked. He
was always in the mood for a good story and this sounded like it was going to
be a good one. If it turned out to be really good, he was going to write it
down and maybe use it someday for his memoirs.
"Sounds like something made up," Jimmy
looked at Teaspoon with narrowed eyes. He was never sure when to believe the
older man.
"No, no, no Hickok. If you want to put a curse
on someone, you make a voodoo doll that looks like the person. Then you stick
pins in it and cause the person great misery."
"That can't work." Hickok was sure it
was a game now and he didn't like it. Whoever was causing them trouble now was
starting to really get on his nerves. He thought he might like to have a few
minutes alone with this person and straighten them out.
"Maybe not, but I sure have seen some strange
things in my time that can't be explained." The young people around the
table grimaced. This was the way that Teaspoon usually started on of his long
tales. He leaned back in his chair and hooked his thumbs under his suspenders.
He half-closed his eyes and searched his mind for a particularly eerie tale,
but was suddenly interrupted.
"I believe it." Now all eyes turned to stare at the Kid.
