Tombstone.
This morning I went into town and ran over to hug Poppy and Sabi. When I asked Sabi what was going on, she said, “Tha Lollipop Gang is ridin again!!”
“Oh cool!”
“Yeah and we is looken for witches and ghosties and goblings,” Poppy said.
“Who is the Boss of the Lollipop Gang, Miss Sabi?” Miss Nim asked.
“Ooooh all that stuff’s scary. I don’t believe it.”
“Dats a good question, who is tha boss Poppy?” Sabi asked and looked at Poppy.
“I think I finded a witch,” Poppy nodded.
“Oh did ya? Who? How can ya tell?”
“Well day has lots o candles and a skellyton head and they gots lots of little pots with smelly stuff cooken in em,” Poppy asked.
“Oh wow. Where?” I asked.
“Like litty boys,” Mr. Free said.
“I heard that was orphans they had in those cooking pots?” Miss Nim asked.
“In the Pimpertons office,” Poppy whispered.
“Der ain’t no more orfins Miss Nim. We is all free,” Sabi said.
“Your what?” Miss Nim asked.
“We is all free. Miss Ireland is gone, so we gots no more matron,” Sabi said.
“Free the orfings, free the orfings!” Poppy exclaimed.
“Yeaaaah!” Sabi called.
“Pinkertons? Nah, mommy not a witch,” I shook my head.
“Well I think Mayor Wise and Marshal Kris can watch over you until another Matron might be found,” Miss Nim said.
“Why don’t you do it, Nim?” Mr. Free asked.
“But she’s gots all the stuff I thinks that what happens to all the missing outlaws,” Poppy said. “She’s maken them frogs.”
“I dunno I guess they just disappear. But mommy says lots of em turn up years later,” I told her.
“Poppy, who is da boss of tha Lollipops? It must be you,” Sabi asked.
“Same reason I do not lawyer anymore Free, they consider me an outlaw, I have no rights anywhere but Ghenna,” Miss Nim said.
“Or months later. Miss Nim ain’t you been arrested and stuff?” I asked.
“I have been arrested Natalie, but never convicted of any crimes,” Miss Nim said.
“Well since thay free move them,” Mr. Free said.
“Oh,” I nodded.
“There ain’t no boss we is a self run organazton,” Poppy said.
“Ohhhhhh What’s dat mean?” Sabi asked.
“But, I could be the Boss of the Lollipops,” Miss Nim grinned.
“How you get money?” Mr. Free asked.
“We ain’t gots no boss,” Poppy shook her head.
“Why they need money?” I asked.
“Yeah we don’t buy nothing,” Poppy said.
“Eat, live, have fun,” Mr. Free answered.
“Eat cake, live have fun,” Miss Nim nodded.
“Well we gots tha judgie in our pockets alreadys,” Sabi said. “I ain’t sure what that means though.
“People gives us cookies and ya don’t need money to have fun,” Poppy said.
“We do?” I asked.
“I think that means she gets all our lint…” Sabi said.
“But if you girls are looking for a witch, your right, Pimperton lady is where you should look,” Miss Nim said and I reached in my pocket and looked in it for the judge. “I don’t see no judge. Miss Nim!!!! Ma ain’t no witch!!! Tell her Sabi.”
“Naw, Auntie Trin isn’t a witchie. She sings likes an angel! Miss Irelund was the only witchie,” Sabi said.
“What’s she gots a skellyton head for?” Poppy asked.
“See???? Skellyton head? Where?”
“See, might listen to Poppy,” Miss Nim said.
“On the desk with the candles,” Poppy said.
I folded my arms and glared at Miss Nim. “She don’t have no skellyton. I show you.”
“No just the head.”
I ran off and pushed the door to mommy’s office open, but called out, “Poppy it not here!”
“Where is you? Not there!” Poppy shouted.
“Mommy’s office!” I shouted back.
“In Black Diamond!” Poppy said.
“There’s one there?” I asked her.
“I show ya.”
“Somebody messing around with mommy’s office??” I asked and followed her off to Black Diamond.
Black Diamond.
Poppy led the way to the office in Black Diamond and looked in the office and then back out at her. “See, it’s there. With all that witch stuff.”
“That’s mommy’s stuff for fingerprintin’ she told me,” I told her.
“See a skellyton head. And candles and lots of stuff to make outlaws into frogs.”
“That don’t sound right. I think mommy just uses it as a way to study stuff. And she needs candles for wax and stuff for prints. I think. I dunno.”
“Ohh…”
“She not scary though. She don’t like hurtin’ people.”
“Well I didn’t say she was a bad witch.”
“I dunno. She don’t like all that magic and stuff.”
“Oh well maken outlaws into frogs is a better story thatn putten them in jail.”
“I dunno. She real scared of frogs too. Don’t think she’d turn people into em. Maybe you should talk to Miss Nim. Maybe she the real witch.”
“We better go find Sabi she might get into trouble with out us to take care of her,” she giggled.
“She manages to get out of things even when she does bad stuff.”
“There she is,” I said, seeing Sabi come over to us.
“What you think Sabi? Miss Nim could be the real witch.”
“Did ya find tha witchie poo?” Sabi asked.
“Nu uh. Mommy usess that stuff for work.”
“Nat says Miss Trin studys the skellyton head.” Poppy said.
“Ohhhh. Dat makes sense.” Sabi said. “Auntie Aeryne has one in tha sheriffs office too.”
“Uh huh. See? It’s a law person thing. And in the clinics too.”
“Miss Stormy isnt in tha laws no more I guess,” Sabi frowned.
“No?” I asked.
“Nopes.”
“Huh.”
“She didn’t like haven to shot Mr. Garth,” Poppy said.
“Fer a couple days auntie wasnt sheriff and there was no law people at all in Black Diamond. Mr Tye lefted too.”
“Wow,” I said.
“Mr. Eryk would help,” Poppy suggested.
“So there no law here?” I asked.
“Yeaaah auntie is gonna hires Mr Eryk,” Sabi told us. “Oh yeah der is. Auntie Aeryne is sheriff agains.”
“Or is Aunti Aeryne back again? Oh good!!” I grinned excitedly.
“He’ll be a good law person,” Poppy said.
“She and Miss Suzy got it all figgered out,” Sabi nodded.
“Ah that’s good,” I giggled.
“He wouldn’t let me bach old Ben in the head with a rock,” Poppy said and we giggled.
“Now yer gonna wanna bash Mr Rock in tha head wif a rock,” Sabi giggled. “I dun likes him.”
“Is he a rock head?” Poppy asked.
“He is a bad man,” Sabi said.
“What does he do?” Poppy asked.
“He tolded Swift Fox that he was gonna scalp him!” Sabi exclaimed and we giggled. “Auntie Aeryne frets about him a lot and he aint even a Black Diamond depty.”
“Huh she shouldn’t has to worry bout him,” I said.
“Have ya all meeted Miss Xeva? She’s really pretty,” Poppy said.
“If he stay in Tombstone she stay here it no problem,” I told her. “Nu uh who’s Miss Xeva?”
“I don’t think I have Poppy, who is she?” Sabi asked.
“She’s this lady I see sometimes,” Poppy said. “She’s real nice and fancy and pretty.”
“What she do?”
“And she showed me this teanny tiny gun she hides. She plays games,” Poppy said. “Five card draw is her faverite.”
“Oh. Outlaw game? Oh card games,” I said.
“And she makes lots of money,” Poppy said.
“You guys wanna see a real scary place?"
"Yeah!" Poppy noded.
“It a ghost town. That what mommy says,” I said.
“Der is a ghost town again?” Sabi asked.
“Oh I miss the old one,” Poppy said.
“Me too,” Sabi said.
“Law and stuff won’t even go there so if somethin’ happens there they won’t care,” I told them. “Wanna see it?”
“Yeaaaah!!! Sabi and Poppy exclaimed.
We wandered around and got lost as we looked for the ghost town and then Poppy headed off and Sabi and I talked about our families as she showed me her big house where she lived.
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