SMARMSLUT QUEEN: Welcome everyone to the final
installment of our story!
MYSTERY VOICE: We hope you've enjoyed it!
SMARMSLUT ADEPT: Yeah, things got wild there for a
while, but it's been a fun trip!
SMARMSLUT MASTER: Yeah, it's just a good thing Ezra
never found us after all the stuff we put him through
in this story!
QUEEN: Yeah, say, anyone seen Gus?
MYSTERY VOICE: He just ran off after the last part-oh,
here he comes!
GUS THE JANITOR: is the story over yet?
ADEPT: Just wrapping up now.
GUS: Excellent. In that case-
(ripping sound)
QUEEN: Holy Ace of Spades! It's-
ALL: Ezra!!!
EZRA: Precisely. I knew I'd have to keep an eye on
all of you!
MASTER: But-but-you've been a janitor for the past
several months! I thought you didn't do menial labor!
EZRA: Let's just say thank the Good Lord for Mini
Maids. Now about the things you did to me in this
story of yours-
MYSTERY VOICE: It was their idea!
QUEEN: No it was YOUR idea!
ADEPT: I plead ignorance!
MASTER: I only wrote two paragraphs of landscape
description!
EZRA: Yes, well, we'll be discussing that at length
believe me. In the meantime, may I propose a sequel
entitled "Ezra Gets Rich and Nothing Bad Happens To
Him At All"?
ADEPT: Well THAT sounds sort of boring...
MYSTERY VOICE: We were thinking about "Ezra Visits a
Mine Field".
EZRA: Readers, the Smarmsluts and I are off to the hot
tub to discuss this.
QUEEN: Oo, hot tub?
EZRA: Enjoy the story. Thank you and good night.
*click*
********************************
Ashes of the Mind, pt 28
by the Smarm Sluts
Disclaimer: See pt 1
*********************************
For the next few days, Ezra spent most of his time
between a foggy half-consciousness and a deep slumber
as his body healed itself of its exhausting ordeal.
When he was awake, he was only dimly aware of what was
going on around him; he could barely open his eyes,
and when he did his vision was dim and fuzzy. He
could feel hands lifting his head so he could drink
water and eat a little broth. Then he felt those same
hands ease him back onto the soft feather bed and tuck
the warm blankets around him as he drifted off again
into the gentle, yielding darkness.
The sleep was long and heavy; after being deprived
of it for so long, it seemed Ezra's body could not get
enough rest. He was truly exhausted, and Nathan saw
to it that he was never awakened and only given food
and water when he awoke naturally. So Ezra was
allowed to sleep as much as he needed to, with the
result that he spent three entire days in a mostly
unconscious state. As he slept, the others relaxed a
little; the worst was over.
Maude sighed and sat down next to Josiah, giving the
six other men in the empty saloon a tired, but happy
smile. She had taken time to freshen herself up and
think about what had happened. It had been several
days since Ezra's nightmare; the bad dreams were gone
now, and Ezra was well on his way to recovery. All
her prayers had been answered. Nathan had gone down
to tell the others and Maude had told him she would
come down as well, so she did.
"So he's gonna be all right, Mrs. Standish?" JD
grinned happily, he owed Ezra so much for saving his
life not once , but twice in that dreadful place, he
was the most affected when Ezra had retreated into his
mind to escape the horrors he has endured.
"Yes, it appears so." Maude sighed. "You were right
JD, the dream was the key."
"What dream?" Buck asked , puzzled.
"When Ezra was about six, he was a passenger on the
steamboat Phoenix, going from St.Louis to New Orleans.
He was in the care of my sister Mavin and her husband
Richard. I was to meet them in New Orleans and take
him back with me for awhile." Maude paused, shaking
her head. "The riverboat caught on fire and sank, for
some reason Ezra was trapped inside it and was found
clinging to some debris the next morning. Mavin
thought he was dead. She said they looked for him,
but couldn't find him anywhere."
"That's terrible!" JD exclaimed, "but why was he
dreaming about it?"
"Apparently he was so traumatized by the event, he
forgot it ever happened. I only knew about it because
he was identified by a crew member and I was contacted
as next of kin. Mavin and Richard said he had run off
in a pout just before the fire and they didn't see him
when they looked for him." Maude shrugged and
wondered if she would ever find out what really
happened.
"They lied to you, mother." A voice came from the
doorway and the seven people turned, startled to find
Ezra standing there. "Not only did they not make an
attempt to find me, but they also saw me just before
they abandoned ship and left anyway."
Nathan looked intently as Ezra shuffled somewhat
unsteadily to a chair Vin hastily vacated and held out
for him next to his mother. He was shaved, dressed
and his hair was combed in its usual neatness. He
looked mighty good to Nathan's tired eyes. He still
appeared pale, and there were still shadows of the
bruises and dark circles beneath his eyes. But those
green eyes were full of life now, and the promise that
soon Ezra would return to them in complete health.
"Welcome back to the living." Chris gave Ezra a
small, but glad half-smile.
"Thank you Mr. Larabee," Ezra settled into the
chair, nodding to the others who were grinning wide in
their delight. "although I'm not too sure about the
living part."
"What do you mean they left you to die." Vin grabbed
another chair and set it next to Ezra's. His voice
quiet and deadly.
"You remember it now?" Josiah peered at Ezra in
concern as Ezra frowned and turned away, but he
couldn't quite mask the pain from his eyes.
"It's rather amusing, really, " Ezra said after a
few moments. "A month ago I couldn't even remember
any of that whole year when I was with them, and now
it's suddenly all there."
"It was obviously a traumatic event for a kid to go
through, it's no wonder your mind erased the painful
memories." Nathan glanced at the Southerner, looking
for any hint of retraction to his private world.
Ezra was exhausted, and pale, but there was a spark
back in his eyes, a spark Nathan had about given up
hope on ever seeing again. But the man continued to
surprise him, and here he was dressed tidily as ever,
looking
almost normal.
"I remember being scared of the flames, they were
everywhere." Ezra began haltingly, but he picked up
strength and continued the tale. "I was in a corner
of the main gambling room, where I had seen them last,
and through the fire I saw them getting ready to jump
over the railings. Uncle Richard looked right at me,
looked at his crying children and wife and then herded
his kids and wife to safety, he never came back."
"He looked right at you?" Chris said in a dangerous
tone. "And left you there."
"Yes, he did, Mr. Larabee." Ezra sighed and looked
apologetically at Maude, who looked devastated. "I
guess he decided saving his family was enough for him
to do."
Josiah was stunned at the matter of fact tone in
Ezra's voice, like he was used to being treated like
that. He was also angry at anyone who could treat
children with that much of a lack of regard. And with
Ezra's attitude about it, that wasn't the first nor
the last time.
"How can you be so calm about it!" JD asked,
astonished, as he realized in all their time together,
nobody had ever really gotten to know Ezra or really
knew anything about him. In shame, JD realized they
all just didn't ever make the effort TO know.
Ezra just shrugged before answering, looking like it
never occurred to him to be outraged at that kind of
treatment. "Happened all the time, really."
Nathan looked a little sick, even as a slave he had
always had someone care about him, the other slaves on
the plantation, his friends. Here was a Southerner,
one who had chained his people like dogs. Someone who
had a worse childhood in some ways than his. It
explained a lot.
Maude took Ezra's hand in hers and squeezed it. Ezra
smiled at her, a wry grin that held no recrimination
of any kind. Maude felt that maybe, just maybe Ezra
had forgiven her for abandoning him to his relatives.
She had only wanted the best for her child. The best
schools, a better home life, than she could give. But
now she wondered if she had made any good choices for
her son.
"What happened then?" Josiah asked, wondering how
any child could survive a burning boat.
"I remember the fire getting hotter and the smoke
choked me so much I couldn't breathe." Ezra frowned,
the fire in his dreams and the scenes merged into
reality. "Then a terrible crashing sound as I guess
the boat ripped apart, and suddenly I was in the
water. After that, I still either don't remember, or
can't."
Chris studied Ezra's face as he told them about the
fire. Chris had his own reasons for hating fire and
the fact that Ezra had survived two fires that should
have killed him, fascinated the jaded gunslinger.
Wistfully, he wished Sarah and Adam had been as
fortunate as the man sitting opposite him.
He had thought Ezra stuck up, selfish and uncaring,
but after hearing of his childhood like this, Chris
was forced to reevaluate the situation. The man had
been hurt by people who should have cared for him. No
wonder he acted the way he did. There was more to
this than met the eye, and Chris was glad he had the
opportunity to see it.
He looked over at Vin who seemed to sense his
thoughts, and Chris shared a look of understanding
with the former bounty hunter. Both men had been
shaken to the core when they had found Ezra in that
back room, the smoke had nearly killed him and he was
mentally in a bad way. They were appalled at his
condition, he looked gaunt and blood covered every
part of him, his face and clothes black from smoke. He
didn't appear to know any of them, and until JD
stepped up to him, was trying to get away from them.
When he had finally collapsed, Vin had scooped him up
in his arms and they had to run out of the dying
structure. Vin looked at the bandage on Ezra's left
hand and arm, showing through his shirt. Ezra had
been burned from elbow to knuckles across the back of
his left arm and hand. Nathan has said it wasn't
severe and would heal with no loss of movement. The
rest of his injuries were minor too, cuts, bruises,
and the like. But the smoke had almost got him, and
only after a few days of coughing, Nathan told them it
was easing and he would survive.
"You look tired, Ezra." Nathan noticed the gambler
starting to fade a little. "Maybe you should go lie
down?"
Ezra started to say he was fine, but with a stern
look from his mother and a firm pressure from her
hand, he acquieced, rising a little more slowly from
his chair. Maude stayed with him, helping him back to
his room, and his friends noticed the new closeness
which seemed to be between them. But it was not their
place to pry; if either Maude or Ezra wanted to talk
about it, they would.
The others sat in silence, pondering the things they
had learned about Ezra, revelations of his youth that
none of them really wanted to find out. But there was
elation there too. Ezra was back. And now they were
seven again.
Ezra spent the following days continuing to recover;
soon he was strong enough to leave his room for longer
periods of time. The time he spent asleep lessened,
and his waking hours were more energetic, his spirit
livelier. The bruises and remaining wounds healed and
disappeared. Life returned to normal, and everyone
involved breathed a sigh of relief.
News from Judge Travis only added to the elated mood.
The surviving guards from the asylum had all been
convicted and locked away, many of them jailed on the
word of their fellow guards who had exchanged their
testimony for leniency. The remains of the asylum had
been abandoned, left to rot under the desert sun, and
it was said that local farmers and ranchers were
already pilfering the ruins for stones and scrap iron.
Soon, they were assured, there would be nothing left
of the place.
The mail brought some interesting news as well. Ezra
was pleased to receive a letter from Madeline's mother
in Denver, in which it was disclosed that the young
woman was now happily living with her family again,
under the care of a real doctor now. An invitation to
visit was extended, when Ezra was feeling better, and
Ezra confided to JD that a trip to Denver sounded like
the perfect way to relax after all that had happened.
Buck also received a welcome letter, from Maggie, the
working girl, who wrote in simple words to tell him
that she had saved enough to come to Four Corners. The
smile stayed on his face for several hours.
It was the appointed day and time. Ezra looked
towards the stage with a slight feeling of unease.
Today his Mother would be leaving. He always knew she
would be moving on, but for some reason, he found
himself wishing she could stay. The past weeks had
been quite meaningful for both of them, and he didn't
want it to end.
They had talked a lot in the last days, but Ezra
knew, as did Maude, that they could never be in the
same place together for too long. It was just the way
they were. But Maude had refused to leave until she
was sure Ezra was going to be all right.
And Ezra was recovered now, enough to clean up at the
tables and even beat his mother a few hands. The
others had also been close, it seemed he was never
alone anymore. Ezra couldn't decide if that was good
or bad. He thought he liked it.
"I'm ready son." Maude's soft voice intruded on his
ruminations.
"All right, shall we?" Ezra smiled and offered his
arm.
Maude had said her goodbyes to the others earlier,
wanting this time to be alone with her son. She
didn't want to leave him, but it was time for her to
move on. Ezra was finally well, and she knew it
wouldn't be long before they started to quarrel and
she wanted to avoid that.
Ezra escorted her to where the stage was waiting,
Maude's ample luggage had already been loaded and they
were waiting on her to depart.
"Mother?" Ezra looked off in the distance.
"Yes, son?" Maude turned towards him. He suddenly
looked so sad.
"You know, I've never said this to you in public
before." He turned towards her, a slight grin on his
face. "Take care, I love you."
He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her
forehead. Embarrassed at the display of affection,
Maude merely nodded, smiled and touched his cheek as
he pulled away.
"I don't want to leave without knowing you'll be all
right." She whispered.
Ezra pointedly looked over his shoulder at the other
six men and smiled. "I'll be just fine , Mother."
Maude nodded again, and stepped into the stage. "I
know..." She whispered. "I have something for you."
She reached into her handbag and removed a shining
gold object; Ezra's watch, brightly polished. She
pressed it into his hands with a smile.
"I thought you might be wantin' it back," she said
softly.
Ezra's mouth twitched with emotion; he'd felt sure
he'd never see the watch again.
"Why, Mother, this is quite remarkable," he
whispered, opening the cover and peering inside at the
coded letters incised there. "It appears you've added
a new inscription."
Maude appeared uncomfortable, as if she'd been caught
at something. "Yes, well, that's why I couldn't give
it to you right away. Just a little somethin' to
remember me by, darlin'. You can decipher it later."
Ezra smiled as he carefully tucked the watch away and
threaded the watch chain through his buttonhole; that
meant it was likely some sentimental gushing of just
the type he'd warned JD about, so long ago.
But now he found that idea remarkably comforting.
The lost boy on the riverboat was starting to feel
truly home at last.
"Well, I'd best get on board," Maude said with a
small laugh, and she gave Ezra a quick kiss. He
returned it, wondering at the ache in his heart, and
held her hand tightly as she boarded the stage. The
door was shut, the 'all right" given, and the stage
pulled away.
Ezra stood and watched as it rolled into the
distance, and for a second the empty feeling of long
ago returned. Then he turned his head a little,
remembering the six men who stood behind him. No, he
thought as the feeling disappeared, those days of long
ago were over. He didn't have to be lost and alone
any more, as new and difficult as the idea was.
Perhaps now he would have the strength to allow such
'sentiments' as friendship into his life. It would
certainly be an interesting experiment.
JD watched as Ezra and his mother said their
goodbye's and the stage left. For a few seconds, Ezra
just stood there watching the departing stage, a
thoughtful look on his face. Grinning as he
remembered something Ezra said, JD sauntered over to
him.
"So 'sentimental blather' is worthless huh?" JD
joked, eyes alight with mischief.
Ezra merely raised an eyebrow, but couldn't quite
contain the answering humor in his eyes. "It seems,
Mr. Dunne, that maybe a good blending of the two
disciplines might be the best solution. What do you
say we discuss this conundrum over a drink and a game
of chance?"
"Does this mean more ponderin'?" Vin spoke up,
joining the two.
"I believe so . Mr. Tanner." Ezra smiled wickedly,
turning towards the saloon.
"Then I reckon I'm in." Vin sauntered away, heading
for the saloon doors, Chris following, declaring he
had some 'pondering' of his own to do.
"You need a referee?" Josiah asked, coming up next
to JD.
"Or a judge?" Nathan grinned, shooting a wicked
smile at Ezra. "In case SOMEBODY cheats?"
"Cheats?" Ezra feigned extreme outrage. "Would I do
something like that to my dear friends?"
Josiah and JD shared a look with Nathan, and just
before Nathan spoke up Ezra quickly raised one elegant
hand.
"Don't answer that!" Ezra said with a grin, and
disappeared into the saloon.
Nathan smiled, and turned to Josiah and JD. They
were smiling as well, and their eyes all held the same
grateful expression: Ezra was, indeed, truly back.
The other three laughed and joined the others inside,
feeling like finally things were going right again.
They all hoped it would last.
The End
****************
We hope you've enjoyed our story. We've certainly
enjoyed bringing it to you! Thank you for reading,
feedback and suggestions are always welcome!
Sincerely- (in alphabetical order)
Amy Stahling
Carla (Marcaich) (the Mystery Voice!)
Kelly (Adamskm)
and
Sue (DelanySis1)
The Smarm Sluts