The moon was a single, watching eye in the night-dark sky, softly draped in tendrils of smoke. Below the fire was all consuming, having engulfed the house in licking, snarling, biting flames. In not long the building would simply collapse in on itself like a poorly balanced house of cards, leaving behind nothing more than a ruin smelling of ashes and death.
He hadn’t stopped to look back, not even when he had heard the laughing, hard voices and the sound of nervous horses. Driven by mindless terror he simply ran, not feeling the forest ground underneath his naked feet, the twigs snapping against his arms and face. Nothing existed except the fact that he had to run. If he ran fast enough and long enough, then what had happened in the house he used to live in, wouldn’t be real anymore. It would just be a nightmare, and then he would stay still for just a moment and close his eyes. When he opened them again, the sun would be out and his mama would be standing next to him, smiling like she always did. And then daddy would be back too and they could go home again, he riding high on his father’s shoulders.
Harsh sobs tore at the small boy’s throat, making it painful to breathe. Daddy was coming soon and then everything was going to be alright. Daddy would fix everything; he would catch the bad men… The thought came too close to what had actually happened and was quickly repressed. He just had to find daddy.
The trees opened up into a small clearing, creating a well for the moonlight to tumble into. Almost stumbling the six year old came to a stop, looking wildly around.
There was a wagon in the clearing. He had never seen one like it. A woman dressed in a bright green dress and matching hat with her blonde hair worn in elaborate curls underneath, stood at the wagon’s side. She smiled at him.
Too scared and too exhausted to even wonder what she was doing in the forest in the middle of the night, the boy warily stood still, eyes drawn to the sliding movement behind the wagon.
There was someone in the shadows. Someone holding a familiar locket, the silver dulled by dark spots, yet still reflecting the moon. Strands of long hair were still attached to the chain when they had caught in the necklace as the locket had been ripped away from…
Mesmerized by the sight of the dangling locket, the boy’s eyes slowly crept up to the hand clutching the necklace. The arm connected to the hand was clad in dark red satin. The fabric inched over a square shoulder and dipped into a generous cut neckline. Dark hair worn loose in contrast to the blonde woman’s carefully coiffed hair style, snaked around the edges of the dress. At last the green eyes of the boy were looking directly at her face.
“No…” he whimpered, body too numb with shock to move. “No…” The one in the shadows smiled, eyes burning like living flames in the darkness veiling her face.
A detached, rational part of his mind mercifully took over, sorting out the painful memories and shutting them away in the deepest recesses of his mind. As the lock was sealed tightly shut the little boy was swaying on his feet.
The locket was blinking at him. Cotton-like darkness lined his vision, he was sure he could touch it if he tried. But suddenly everything seemed so far away, he couldn’t even remember what he was doing outside in the night and in the dark. The last thing he heard before darkness took him was the voice of the blonde woman very close to him.
“I’m going to be your new mother now, child…”
A year later…
The sight of children playing usually brought a smile to Buck Wilmington’s face. Today it did nothing more than ignite the pain that was still too raw inside of him. Looking away he turned, determined to go about his business and then head home again.
Suddenly a small form slammed into his legs and Buck’s world skidded to a stop.
“I’m sorry, Mister…” The tone of voice did absolutely not go with the known face and bright green eyes. Dumbfounded all Buck could do was stare at the child in front of him. The boy was dressed in a brown suit, much too serious for anyone his age. Behind them the group of playing children had moved on, but Buck knew that this little boy hadn’t been a part of that group.
The boy edged away from him, for a second staring intently, almost searching at the tall brunet. Then he took off down the street, with Buck turning to look after him with a stunned look on his face. He never noticed Nathan Jackson coming up next to him.
“You ok, Buck?” the healer frowned. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost…”
“I think I just may have,” Buck slowly stated, eyebrows knitting together in a frown of his own. Suddenly surged with decision, he turned to face Nathan.
“Nate, go send word to Chris that you and me are going to stay here in town a while longer.” Not waiting for Nathan’s answer Buck strode off down the sidewalk, following the boy’s route. Leaving his friend to stare after him.
“What do you expect me to tell him? Buck, what the heck is going on? Buck!?”
Shaking his head, Nathan sighed. Then he started walking towards the telegrapher’s office.