The Unforgiven

Laurena's family lived in a large fawn adobe home supported by long wooden posts. 

"Es muy grande casa," their servant Maria said with pride.

These beams projected from the top corners of the house. The walls were relatively smooth. A covered verandah at the front divided the lower and upper floors. The flat top had a parapet around it, which could be accessed through a trapdoor via a narrow internal stairway. This opened inside a tower room with another narrow stairway and its own trapdoor. The tower room had a door that opened onto the second-floor roof courtyard. These formed perfect lookouts for miles around. The area, not quite a desert, was rugged. The spacious home on a rise among trees, in a style more common further south, made it an oasis. Many miles away, the nearest civilization was the township of Clear Springs.

Laurena sat on the garden swing in the bright sunlight of a glorious day. The yard, with its fence attached to the side of the house, contained a carefully tended cottage garden. The vibrant flowering plants in their pots and beds had many shades of pink among them as the ice plants were flowering, and Meadow Pinks nodded their heads between other spring blooms. Gold, brown, and yellow Sunflowers, Marigolds, Mexican Hats, Narcissi, and Daisies threatened a takeover. At the same time, shades of purple from the Horse Wort, Flox, Skullcaps, Dayflowers, and Purple Sage, with their contrasting leaves of fuzzy white, and the pink and mauve Buffalo Pea blooms waved for recognition. Summer was on the horizon. 

She nudged the swing back and forth and breathed in the herby fragrance of the seasonal flowers, which bowed their heads in the slight breeze. Bees buzzed lazily, birds twittered in the tree branches, and a hawk cried from the sky. It seemed too good to be true.

She grimaced. Fair hair hung long and straight, her eyes appeared a nondescript grey, and her comely face displayed a sprinkle of freckles. The hem of her dress was ragged, and her shoes were worn—not her Sunday best. An astute expression defied anyone trying to deceive her - more of a woman than a child of eight years. 

She missed her father, though she had seen more of him in the few weeks before he left than she had in almost a year. He had already been away for three weeks. She remembered the fight her parents had and how her father left, never to return. This is what he said. He didn't say goodbye. Then his horse returned without him, and her mother, Charley, brought him home again, injured. He came back different. Something had happened, concussion, and Laurena believed him to be a doppelganger - a double. Now, he had gone again. Her heart ached, but this time, she knew he would return. She remembered their first conversation on his shameful return - totally disoriented and claiming he'd forgotten the fearful row before he left.

"Who are you? Gabriel Fletcher?" she asked.

"I - I'm your father, Gaby." 

"No, you're not. My Father left here this morning and told us that he would never return - ever! So, who are you?"

"I promise that if you don't tell anyone I'm not your father, I'll never leave like that again."

Laurena shrugged defiantly. "Maybe we don't care if you leave." She didn't believe him to have changed even though everything about him seemed different.

"If you help me, I'll stay and ensure you are all happy."

"I would be happy if you were not mean to Mother."

"I promise that I will not be mean to Mother." 

"Cross your heart and hope to die if you should ever tell a lie." 

"What?" 

"Say it!" she said.

"I cross my heart and hope to die if I should ever tell a lie. Is that right?""

"You didn't cross your heart!" she had said with disgust.

"I have a very sore shoulder at the moment, dear, but I mean what I said with my whole heart." 

She had been satisfied and observed him as the weeks went by. He kept his promise and made her mother, Charlene (Charley), happy. She saw such a kind side to this new and improved Father that she grew to love him. She never shed a tear when he left initially, but now that work had called him away for months, the ache she felt wouldn't go away.

Charley had not been feeling well for several weeks, and Laurena decided that her father had been right to ask her to look after Mother. She mustn't wish she had accompanied him, as her mother needed her.

Her peripheral vision saw four horses with riders far to her right near the horizon. They galloped fast but so far away that she couldn't distinguish if their riders were Indians or gringos. What was their hurry? Later, she would conclude with regret that had she known they would go around in a semicircle, approaching the house from the rear, she would have alerted Maria, George, and her mother before these strangers arrived.

Twenty minutes must have passed, and she daydreamed about Robin Hood and his merry men, whom her mother featured in her bedtime stories. Laurena heard shouts and angry voices from behind the house. In a second, she had jumped off the swing and rushed to the end of the fence, which met the back corner of the house. Stepping between the plants in the flowerbed, along the length of the rough palings, she stood on one of the horizontal support planks while craning her neck to see who had shouted. What she saw made the hairs on her neck bristle, and her heart pounded. Their helper and companion, George, firmly held his gun as a precaution until he found out whether three scruffy-looking men were friends. It developed into an altercation. They were probably from over the border as they had Spanish accents. They rushed at him, tore the weapon from his grasp, and commenced beating and kicking him. Once subdued, they threw him into the barn and closed and barred the door. 

They didn't hear Laurena gasp. She didn't stay to see what they would do next. She tore across the yard in the opposite direction, hurriedly went through the gate and, with as much speed as she could muster, climbed the steps and ran across the verandah to the front door. Quietly, she entered. Before she wondered where her mother could be, she saw Charley descending the stairs. She had also heard the noise. Alarmed and with a finger to her lips, she cautioned her daughter.

The men had entered the kitchen, and Maria's shrill voice spoke loudly.

"Senor Gaby's family are out for the day."

Charley and Laurena looked at each other. Maria had lied for a reason. She wanted them to hide. Laurena remembered when Father asked her to look after her mother. She felt very responsible. They heard Maria scream as she was slapped by one of the men. Charley's eyes opened wide, and she breathed fast. The voices argued and threatened. Apparently, George had told them the family was away. Yet they found Maria. Had the men been spying? Did they know that Gaby was away with the herd? Charley stood motionless.

"Mother," hissed Laurena, "you need to go onto the roof above the tower room. I promised Father I would look after you. Someone has to save Maria. Maybe they won't hurt a little girl. Go on, you have to go now!"

One of the men in the kitchen ordered the others to be quiet. He had heard Laurena. "Did you hear that?" he said.

Charley hesitated; she looked strained and afraid, her eyes huge. Laurena donned on her most mature expression and insisted that her mother not try her chances with these unreasonable visitors. She returned upstairs and made her way along the passage to the other flight of stairs leading to the tower room.

Laurena walked carefully towards the kitchen, listening to the threats. Maria broke into a tirade of pleas. They wanted Senor Gaby's family and would not rest until they came. If the family had gone away, they would wait until their return. They knew Senor Gaby was far away. This was their evil plan. Laurena had a bad feeling about it, but she knew she must help brave Maria and turn attention away from her mother. What on earth did these strangers want with a household of three women? 

She entered the kitchen and saw one of the men holding Maria from behind. Another stood menacingly before her. Laurena marched over to the one threatening and kicked him soundly in the side of the leg with all her might.

"Diablo! Shame on you for hurting Maria, who is the same blood as you." screeched Laurena.

The man beside the other two Comancheros firmly dragged her back by the shoulders. 

"What have we here, diablissimo?" he asked mockingly.

Laurena turned suddenly and kicked him also, hard on his right shin. He let out a yelp and retaliated by lifting Laurena up by an arm and a leg as she struggled. He lost his grasp after she thrashed and kicked him hard in the groin with her free leg. He dropped her, and she landed crumpled on the floor. Not for long. The next moment, she was up on her feet and standing between Maria and the man who stood over her. She punched him in the stomach with her fist, but it made no impression. He caught both of her hands tightly and looked down at her in amazement.

"Who are you, Senorita? We were told there was no one else here?" He was the oldest of the three.

"Madre de Dios, she's just a child!" cried Maria protectively. "What would you want with a child?"

"And would you be a child of Senor Gaby?" 

"Yes, he is my father. And you just wait. He will punish you well." Her eyes glowered menacingly as she tried to pull her hands out of the man's grasp. The three men looked knowingly at each other and back at Laurena.

"Oh, but we know your father will not return for many months. That's why we came."

Laurena thought that if they had planned to come here, there must be a specific reason? She kept on with the defiant glare, pursed her lips and squirmed as a cord was taken out of the pocket of the third man who bound her wrists tightly while the older man held them in a vice-like grip.

Maria struggled, but she was held back firmly by her captor. 

"Sangre de Christo, she's just a baby! You leave her alone," said Maria.

Laurena kicked her feet, but she was laid on the ground, held firmly, and her ankles held together and tied as well. 

"You let me go!" she screamed. "My father will kill you all!"

This made the men laugh. "And how will he do that? By the time he returns, we will be far away," said the older man.

Maria started to cry. "Tie me. Do to me what you want, only leave the child alone."

"You lied to us," one of the men said as if this alleviated the need to listen. One of the other men dragged Maria roughly, protesting every step, across to the far end of the kitchen to the pantry. The door was ajar, and Maria was thrown inside, and the door swiftly closed and bolted. She struggled to her feet, pounding on the door and screaming at the men. Another of the men asked about Laurena's mother, but the older man said that Laurena would be enough of a prize. Laurena commenced screaming to be let go, so one of the men took his bandana and tied it over her mouth to muffle her. Maria hit the pantry door and shouted to be let out. The men turned to leave the house. One of them grabbed the loaf of bread off the table. Laurena had been heaved over the shoulder of the younger man, and he held fast to her legs. She couldn't kick him with her feet tied up. Still, with both hands together, she squirmed and tried ineffectually to hit his back as he strode effortlessly with her over his shoulder.

The last one to leave called out loudly to Maria, "You tell Senor Gaby that no one that kills the sons of Fernando Gomez will remain unpunished."

***

Maria didn't know what it was about but did hear that Gaby had been blamed for killing the sons of a man called Fernando Gomez. He was definitely from Mexico with a name like that. And now they had taken Laurena, hopefully not to kill her. Thank heavens they had not searched the house for Charley. Hopefully, she would come out soon. She shuddered when she thought of how she could have ever escaped if they had both been taken. What of George? Had they killed him? Maria sobbed with fear and trepidation for both Laurena and George, their retired farm hand.

***

After securely bolting the trapdoor, Charley hid by crouching low against the inner parapet wall. After a while, she heard voices and gingerly looked over the wall to the courtyard below. She could see the three men leaving. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized that her daughter, Laurena, was the wriggling bundle over one of the men's shoulders. Why her? The men went around the side of the barn and down the embankment, shrouded with trees, at the back of the property. They must have come from here. Their arrival had been a surprise. Charley could see George climbing out of one of the upstairs windows of his room above the barn. There was a rope leading from the window to the ground, and he lowered himself by this means. He must have been locked in the barn. Thankfully, he had not been killed. It was too late, of course, to save Laurena, but it was a comforting sight. What of Maria? Charley waited until she saw four horses, three with riders and a fourth packhorse, galloping away southwestwards. She committed the direction to memory. They were no doubt heading for the border. She commenced her return to the kitchen, this time with less stealth than when she had gone into hiding.

As she neared the kitchen, she called out to Maria. "Maria, are you alright?"

Maria started banging on the pantry door, "Senora, I am in the pantry. I am alright, but they have taken Laurena."

Charley hastened to let Maria out of the pantry. She felt faint, not just from shock but also from nausea. Maria was full of concern.

"Senora, sit down. I'm so glad they didn't try to find you. It was you and Laurena they were after. Before they left, one of them said, 'No one that kills the sons of Fernando Gomez will remain unpunished.' What did he mean? Do you know anything about it?"

Charley slumped down onto one of the stools near the table. "Yes, I think I do," she began, "Some of the men shot cattle rustlers before leaving for the trail. Jerry was wounded but was all right to leave with them. The other rustlers escaped, and our men buried the two dead men. Mexicans. I think this was their way of retaliating. It was Kane who killed the two men, but his family obviously wanted to get even with Gaby and came after us. I am so sorry I let Laurena go to you, but she wanted to help. There was another reason that I hid. I would never have willingly put Laurena in danger. It's because I'm in a family way. It's early yet, but I am sure that is why I've been feeling so ill. I knew it was safer to hide than confront those men." Charley buried her face in her hands and wept helplessly. "My poor baby, Laurena. There is nothing we can do."

George entered the kitchen and looked relieved to see them both. Apart from apparent signs of scrapes and bruises from his beating, he seemed to be alright. They told him what they knew about why Laurena had been taken, and he shook his head in despair. I will secure this place, leave you here with a gun in case they return, and go into town to tell the Sheriff. Maybe he will organize a posse to chase after the men. However, not much will be possible once they are over the border. We may have to wait until Gaby and the men return, and they will decide what to do."

"But that is months away," sobbed Charley.

"Missus, they obviously want her alive. If revenge killing was what they wanted, we would all be dead. They know that Gaby is away and want him to come back and know who and why this happened to him and his family, to imagine his daughter being raped, tortured or whatever. Just as well, you stayed hidden because they would have taken you."

"But she is only a little girl and will be so frightened."

Maria put her arms around her mistress, "Senora Charley, she wasn't frightened. I was frightened. Laurena fought and kicked and said that her father would kill them all. They have no idea who they are taking on and may regret doing so. I'd like to see them keep a hold on such a little termagant as Laurena. If she can possibly get away, she will."

The End