A cowboy in Wonderland

The landscape was ever changing as usual. The three moons hung in the sky like an omen. Dust and rocks crunched under my unicorn's hooves. There was a pile of shoes. Unusual, because it is a bit early in the year for fairies to collect shoes. Here and there was a little dried out bush. In the distance the mountain range framed the nothingness. The giant frames where gold with coils. 

To look at the serene view was quite relaxing, but I think I am just tired of riding for hours. Time stood still, but has already sped past and the sun was setting painting the sky bloody red. The blue camp fire crackled and now the starts looked down from heaven judging me for my sins. I don't want to go back, but I have to.

My stomach turns in knots as I ride closer to the place that I am dreading to see. Over the hill the town comes into view and I let out a sight - Rattlesnake Ridge. In front of this dreaded town is the graveyard. Death welcomes the living to this ghost town.

My boots hit the ground hard as I get off my tired unicorn. Taking off my cream cowboy hat and clearing my throat I just slowly sink to the grassy ground.

"Hello, old man. It's been a while." The grave radiates a cold air that clashes with this unforgiving sun. The tombstone is a mirror with my father's name on, but all I can see is my own reflection.

"I'm back. I didn't want to come back, but work is scarce. I've been thinking a lot about you.....”

 We

sit here in the silence. "I've been thinking too about what you said, 'Do the right thing even when it is the hardest thing to do.  I’m going to be an honest man like you were and work hard.”

He does not know what I have done, but somehow I bet you he would have known.

I get up from my knees and face saddle back up to face the place that I have been avoiding for years.

Riding in I see new faces and old faces, but all just stare at this outsider. I wonder if the old familiar faces recognize me or are they just glancing in disgust of knowing who I am. The last time I was here was just a boy. Just a boy I think... On the street corner a dog counts his money, but growls when he sees me looking at him.

In this Western town there is a castle and build in on the side is a saloon. The castle clashes a little with the aesthetic, but the space ship at the end of the street stands out the most.

I push open the saloon doors and walk through and the cowboy boots make a distinctive rattle and clang. The other cowboys glance up, but the Wizard at the second table did not as if he knew who would walk through the door.

"What do you want son?" The bartender's face is full on ticking clocks.

"Whisky and a job"

"Everybody in this town wants one, but not the other." He pours the whisky in the glass that has probably never been washed and only polished.

"I'm assuming everybody wants whisky?"

"You're right. Question is what you good at that will get you a job, son?"

"Well, I'm a blacksmith. Just finished working on the railways." That came out smoother that I expected.

"Alright, there is a blacksmith down on the left. He's getting old maybe you can give a hand."

I swallow the whisky with relief this is a good start. I lean forward to relieve the tension from my shoulders when it happened. 

"Let me go! Let go of me!" A girl from upstairs tried getting out his arms. She elbows the man in the face and as he falls to the ground she makes her move to escape. Her hair is loose and undone so is half of her corset. She looks like any saloon girl, but she does not want to be here.

Almost at the door she is stopped at gunpoint. "You're going nowhere, missy.

"Jack, please, please - I don't want to do this anymore.

"I'm sorry, but the boss said you are not leaving until you pay back what you owe."

He gestures the gun to upstairs and with a pouting face and dragging feet she goes back to where she almost escaped.

"Who is that upset lady?" I felt sorry for the girl she was a prisoner.

"That is Genevieve. Her father was in debt when he died. He drank away all their money and the boss took her in when she was eleven and put her to work at fifteen.

"And how old is she now?"

"I think she is seventeen now?"

"You think or vou know?"

The bar tender paused and then raised an eyebrow to think. "Yes seventeen since last winter."

"Poor thing... How much does she cost?"

"Ten." The bartender said without a blink this was clearly a common question.

"How many men does she see a day?"

"Usually six and sometimes eight."

"Okay so she was been here so far for six years. She has stayed here for four years before she started working and has been working for two years correct?" I started seeing it now and I got a bit worked up.

The bartender put down his polishing glass and thought for a moment. "Yes that seems about right."

"Did vou know her old man?"

"Yeah, Buckle Billy - quite the drinker had a whole bottle of whisky a day. Drank since the child was born and her mother died. His sister looked after the girl and did a real good job, but died when she was six"

"Sounds about right for a heavy drinker. And how much does a bottle of whisky cost?"

"A bottle is sold at two bits."

I was quiet for a moment and then shot into my conclusion.

"Let me ask vou one last question... how mush a meal cost here?"

"One dollar for a meal, son"

Not bad... not very bad

"Okay so a bottle of whisky costs twenty five cents and then that means Buckle Billy drank about ninety Dollars work of whisky a year, but lets' round it up to ninety five just in case. So for eleven years he has been drinking meaning he owed about a thousand maybe more - which is quite a lot.

But miss Genevieve costs ten dollars a session and if she does six men a day minimum that means she brings in sixty dollars a day, which means she brings in a whopping twenty one thousand and nine hundred dollars a year and she has been working actively for more than two years she has made forty three thousand dollars so far in the last two years," I took another gulp of whisky to gain some more momentum.

"Now, there is a big difference between forty three thousand dollars and a thousand. Either way there is a big difference in the amount. So also if a meal costs a dollar and she eats three meals a day it means she cost three dollars a day which is a thousand dollars a year and so far that means six years here means she cost a little more than six thousand dollars. So also one again forty thee thousand dollar minus what her father owed also minus what she cost so far she has long since paid off her debt...

Now I was finally furious.

The bar tender looked shocked. Some of the watches on this face stopped ticking.

"Are you like - like a - banker of something?"

"No even better I am a bank robber. Where is your boss?" | pointed my pistol at him, but he did not look too bothered looking behind me and at that moment I drew my other pistol to point at the man who stopped Genevieve at the door.

"Your boss if you please."

The boss looked like a hissing cat through his squinting eyes. The eyes of the dragon looked like a snake. 

"You requested me?" the scales on his face frown.

"So you're the man who kept that woman who was long since worked off her debt?"

"Yes, yes but I took her in and gave her a home besides she still needs to stay here for four more years. She has only done two so far."

"Oh so that is how your math works?"

"Why do vou care what I do with her?"

"What you are doing isn't right."

"Is that all? I'll let you have a cut of the deal if you let this go." The dragons eves turn from a yellow to a red.

"No, I won't. What did you even do with the money?"

"Well it's all gone now, but the cow will make more milk." I could feel my heartbeat quicken. I can't wait to put that tailored suit in the dust.

"Well then its settled lets have duel."

Now the whole town was looking at this bickering in the street. Our crowd included Genevieve standing on the porch of the saloon with the castle towering above it all. The ten steps have being taken and at the strike of the melting bell we spun around and it was over in a flash.

Blood was spilling form the wound. The bleeding didn't stop and he fell to the ground with eyes wide in disbelief.

I holstered my gun. Something hit me and hard too. The pain was unbelievable. I've been shot? I turn around and take out my gun. My shooter surprises me and I stumble a little. Genevieve holds the pistol with both hands shaking with a wild look in her eyes.

"Why?"

"All the money that bastard made out of me is gone! I will not go back to a life of prostitution!

You're Shaw Marshall and you have a million dollar bounty on your head.

gulped and then the lush green ground embraced me. Hands sprouting up from the ground started pulling me into the dirt with them. I tried to do the right thing to atone for my wrong doings. I tried to free this girl from her paid debt, but my debt has to be paid. The hands now only stroke me and the Sheriff looks at me shaking his head making his crown of jewels jingle like a chandelier. "Yup this is the bank robber. You will get your payment miss Genevieve. You can take him now." At the command of the crowned sheriff the hands start pulling me into the ground where all dead bodies belong.

My debt must be paid in full.

The ground feels nice and cool. I can see through the mirror of my tombstone that my grave is next to my fathers. Our view of eternity is at least nice. The three moons that look down on the framed mountain range below. The afternoon sun makes the frames gleam at their angles. A jackalope nearby munches on the graveyard flowers. Its bunny nose twitches and as it turns its head the antlers can be seen.

Escaping fate in inevitable. Running away from reality is impossible. What comes around goes around as karma works. One cannot atone for sins they must be forgiven or punished. There are consequences to our actions..