January 18, 1901

Tombstone. 

I went over to the sheriff’s office this afternoon and Mr. Wedge, Miss Angel, and Ma and Pa were all there talking. They greeted me and Ma hugged me tight. 

“Pa you’re not makin’ fun of ma again are ya?” I asked him. 

“Always, kiddo. Always,” Ma said. 

“Nooooo....not me, would I do a thing like that?” Pa asked innocently. 

“Comin to church with us today kiddo?” Ma asked. 

“Uh huh! Mr Wedgie you should come to church too!” I said then. 

“Wedge mentioned puking earlier, and I thought maybe he had been eating your ma’s cooking again.” Pa smiled. 

“His name is Wedge, Nat.” Ma chuckled. 

“I haven’t been to church in ages,” Mr. Wedge said. 

“But maaaa... That’s what Miss Ang calls him,” I insisted. 

“Vell I got a speech impediment Nat. I speak vith an accent because mine first language iz not english.” Miss Angel chuckled. 

“Well… if a female calls me that… I have to look at it as an ’endearment’… if a male calls me that… It’s more of a dig,” Wedge explained. 

“See? He likes it!” I grinned. 

“Iz because he’s old, Nat,” Miss Angel joked. 

“But still… a loveable goofball.” Mr. Wedge chuckled. 

“Hey Daddy? What’s a frog buzzard?” I asked Pa. 

“A what?” Pa and Ma asked at the same time. 

“A frog buzzard. Mr Chris said they was over at the mines in Pearce. But when I went there all I saw was some body there with Mr Dave and Mrs Meg. And Mr Dave thought I was callin him a frog buzzard.” 

“I don’t know dear. Never heard of such an animal,” Pa said. 

“It’s an animal?” 

“Well… it was Chris sayin it,” Mr. Wedge pointed out. 

Suddenly out of nowhere I felt something hit me and I fell down, crying. “Oww!” 

“Natalie! What the?!” Pa blinked. 

“Nat, are you okay??” Ma asked as she knelt down beside me. 

“What the heck?” Mr. Wedge asked. 

“You alvright little vone?” Miss Angel looked at me. 

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” Pa asked.

“What are you doing down there?” Mr. Wedge asked. 

“It... owwwwww!” I cried and held my head. 

“It’s okay sweetie, Momma’s got you.” Ma looked at Pa with worry, pulling me close as Pa knelt down to look at her head. He held up a pebble on the ground and looked around. I cried and trembled against Ma, feeling the sting where the rock hit me. 

“It came from the sky!!!” I cried. 

“What did?” Mr. Wedge looked around, confused. 

“Honey, rocks don’t just fall from the sky unless you’re in Ghenna,” Ma said, looking from Pa to me. 

“Someone threw this at her.” Pa held out the pebble for everyone to see. Miss Downy muttered something about birds pooping stones and Pa looked over at her. “You say something?” 

“Come on sweetheart, let’s get you to the clinic.” Ma helped me up. “I think I can get some asprin from in there and you’ll feel better.” 

“Ah saw wut happened MISS TRIN... a large bird shat a pebble on her.... must be some kinda OMEN don’t you think?” Miss Downy asked. 

Ma blinked hearing Miss Downy and looked over at Pa, then back at Miss Downy. “No one else is around and I don’t know bout any birds that poop pebbles.” Ma helped ma up and walked me towards the clinic as Miss Angel asked if she could come with and ma nodded to her, so we walked down the clinic together. 

“Are you okay sweetie?” Ma held my hand as we sat in the clinic. Pa joined us as well and sat down beside the bed. 

“I know dang good and well she threw that stone.” Pa muttered. 

“She’s a mean lady.” I whimpered. 

“What kind of a woman throws stones at kids?” Ma asked. 

“Ain’t no voman that vould, Miz Trin. No lady neither,” Miss Angel said. 

“She mean.” I hid against Ma. 

“Buzzard took off out of town.” Mr. Wedge walked back into the clinic, shaking his head. 

“She threw a rock at my kid!” Ma looked over at him. 

“If I would have saw that… I think it might have been the first time punched a woman,” Mr. Wedge said and shook his head.

“Now Vedge, be fair. Downy ain’t no voman,” Miss Angel said. 

“Fine… I would have anyway.” Mr. Wedge chuckled. 

“Thanks, Wedge. I appreciate.” Ma nodded to him.

“You all should be safe in here am going to head back to mine office. If you need me shout,” Miss Angel said. “Don’t think Downy vill show up again soon. But you see her, call us.” 

“Ma I need.. I hurt…” I said then as Mr. Wedge and Miss Angel walked out to their office. 

“You got a bump munchkin, but thank goodness no blood.” Pa hugged me gently and rubbed my shoulders.

“We missin’ church.” I leaned against my pa. 

“It’s ok sweetie, right now you’re what’s important.” Pa hugged me gently. 

“Gonna look for the asprin.” Ma said and went to the cabinet and took out the pills, taking them over to me. She got a cup and filled it with water, taking it back to the bed. “Here sweetie, drink this and swallow one of these.” 

I took the pill and the cup and swallowed the pill, then drank the water, swallowing it down between tears. 

Pa took a piece of paper out of his vest pocket and handed it to me. “Guess what that is munchkin.” 

“Uh..” I looked at him and tilted my head. 

“You ever heard of a diamond?” 

“Like those Apache tears hangin’ in the cave in Benson?” 

“Yeah sorta...this one come from way off while I was on my trip. There was this place people could go hunt for them, and I found one for you.” Pa smiled.  

“Wow, for me!?” I eyed it and, for just a second, I forgot about the headache. 

“Yeah. Just for my little munchkin. It’s a rare one too, it’s yellow.” 

“I need a minute outside.” Ma said, looking over at Pa. 

“Momma?” I looked over at her with worry. 

“Trin?!” Pa looked over at her. 

“I just…” Ma said like she was holding back tears and she walked outside. 

“Munchkin, you be alright here for a sec? I gonna go check on yore ma.” Pa told me. 

“Uh huh. I’ll just keep hold of this here diamond and not lose it.” I nodded to him. He rubbed my back and kissed my cheek, and then walked outside. I clutched it and started to study the diamond. I started to feel a bit better and got off the bed. I walked out of the clinic, not wanting to stay there any longer. 

“You okay kiddo?” Ma asked. 

“You feelin better munchkin?” Pa asked. 

“I just didn’t wanna be in there no more.” I looked between them, seeing their worry. 

“I understand that feeling hon.” Ma nodded. 

“What dya say we all go to Bisbee and have some ice cream. On me?” Pa suggested. 

“That’s a great idea, dear. Let’s get out of here.” Ma smiled at Pa. 

“Ma?” I took Pa’s hand and walked with him, looking around nervously and making sure no other rocks fell from the sky. Ma sighed and shook her head, continuing to walk down the street. 

Bisbee. 

I went up to ma and hugged her tightly right away and said, “I love you ma, even if some people don’t.”

Ma leaned down and hugged me tightly, wiping away her tears. “I love you too, babygirl.” 

“So what will my lovely ladies have?” Pa asked. 

“A vacation?” Ma asked and looked over at Pa hopefully, and I couldn’t help but giggle. 

Pa laughed and hugged us both tight. “I love you both. But I meant ice cream.” 

We both ordered chocolate and then when we had our ice cream I told them, “Oh I didn’t tell you guys bout school last night!!! You’ll never guess who taught us!” 

“Oh dear. Who is that munchkin?” Pa shook his head with laughter. 

“I’m afraid to ask.” Ma cringed as we sat down at the table outside. 

“He talked bout morals and stuff!” I insisted. 

Pa sat down with our ice cream and asked if it was vanilla we wanted, but we both said we wanted chocolate at the same time and he set the ice cream down. “So you gonna guess who taught us?” I looked between them. 

“Okay kiddo, who taught you?” Ma asked. 

“Well he talked ’bout how if the bank door was open and Miss Bree weren’t in there then we hadta tell an adult. And how he COULD rob it or he could just tell a grownup about it. But how the moral thing to do was to tell a grownup.” 

“Hmm… It weren’t Mr Cas was it?” Ma guessed. 

“Nope!” 

“Mr… Wedge?” 

“Surely it wasn’t Lot,” Pa said. 

“Nope but you’re close daddy!” I giggled and shook my head. 

“Oh good gosh.” Ma shook her head and ate her ice cream. 

“And ma, he said I hadta tell you hi!” I told them. 

“Um….” Pa looked at Ma with worry. 

“Was it... hi like a good hi or hi like a ‘I’m gonna cause trouble for you’ hi?” Ma asked. 

“Um well... sounded good. I remember we met him when we was in front of the theater long time ago. He was a friend of yours from before Tombstone!” 

“Um…  Oh no, tell me it wasn’t…” Ma started. 

“Not TJ is it?” Pa guessed. 

“It was Mac!!!” I finally said. 

“MAC!!” Pa exclaimed. 

“Mac was teachin’ bout open bank doors???” Ma asked with surprise. 

“Yeah but ma he said the right thing to do weren’t to just go in there and rob it. He said it was to tell someone with a badge ’bout it. Cause someone might be in there with a gun.” I said. 

“Dear, what has our school come to?” Pa asked. 

“Doves and outlaws are teaching our children now…” I shook my head. 

“It was a real good lesson.” 

“Well I guess that’s better than Outlaw Doves teaching them.” Pa smiled. “You going to eat your cherry munchkin?” 

“Uh huh! Savin’ the best for last!” I grinned at him. 

“That’s my girl.” Ma grinned and then Pa leaned over to kiss her and left a chocolate smudge mark on her cheek. 

“Ma! He made your face dirty!” 

Pa leaned over to kiss my cheek and left the same smudge mark. “Now you both match.” 

“Heeeeey!” I giggled. “If I gotta have a bath it’s your fault!” 

“Oh my! A chocolate kiss from a beautiful woman. I don’t think I will ever wash my cheek ever again.” Pa winked at Ma. 

“I gonna find Jimmy and see what he’s doin’.” I stood. 

“Alright kiddo, you two have fun and stay around the house okay?” Ma told me.

“Yes ma.” 

Pa handed me a bowl of ice cream and said, “Take him this ok. He shouldn’t be left out.” 

“Thanks Pa!” I kissed his cheek and ran towards home up the hill.