January 3, 1901

Tombstone. 

I was sitting in front of the school when Aspen came over and I asked her if she was coming to school with me. She told me how her pa owned three universities and taught her things. I told her about my parents and the orphanage I went to in Boston and how awful it was. 

“Did you see him last night? Jeff?” I asked her. 

“Yes he had a date with Molly.” 

“He did?? Figures.” I looked down. 

“Boys smell funny anyway.” 

“Well forget him. ’cept I can’t… He runs that paper so well and he’s so cute and…” I sighed and looked down. “Don’t guess he asked about me… Probably don’t even miss me. Guess he just a boy that runs the paper.” 

“I’m sorry I did not talk to him much. He is one of my best buddies. He’s pretty smart but not so smart sometimes.” 

“Now I just gotta stop dreamin’ about him then I’ll be okay. I had another dream last night.” 

“Wow Nat you got it bad.” 

I nodded and said, “I dreamt he was really dead. It was awful. I hardly slept.” 

“Well, you know he ain’t.”

“I know but…” 

“Mebbe you should talk to him and tell him how you feel.” She smiled softly. 

“Nah... I couldn’t. That’d be so embarrassing. And he already likes Molly.” 

“My ma always said if ya got something to say, you need to say it you’ll just feel worse if you hold it back.”

“But…” I sighed. “What if he treats me weird after it? like at the paper? Or at school?” 

“I dunno. I ain’t sure what is right.” 

“I’d hardly be able to look at him. I’m hardly able to look at him now though so that ain’t much different. I just hope he’ll be at school .Then I’m gonna ride around with payroll again.” 

“You ride with them?” 

“Sometimes. In the back so I don’t get in the way. If somethin’ happens I go into the clinic or the other buildings to watch.” 

“Gosh… Last couple weeks, Jeff has been goin’ to school at night.” 

“Last time I went I hid in the room beside the bank while the bad guys shot at the good guys. It was a real good article! This week I wrote one ’bout New Year’s Eve.” 

“You’re a good writer.” Aspen nodded. “An asset to the Bee for sure.” 

“What do you like to do for fun? You write good too.” 

“I do?” 

“Uh huh. Don’t you got stuff in there sometimes?” 

We talked about what she did for fun and about the paper and how Miss Paisley reminded me of my ma. We went inside the school and sat down as we waited for the teacher and other students to arrive. We kept talking and it was fun to talk to her about stuff alone for a while. Soria came in and took a seat, and we talked about our parents with her. We talked about how Miss Abi was a great matron and how she was a real good cook. We talked about how old we were and I went over to feed Pretty Bird as we kept talking about our families. 

Mr. Finesmith came promptly at 8 o’clock and asked where we all were. “Mr Finesmith we’re in here!” I called out to him. 

“My students are normally lined up at the door.” Mr. Finesmith said and we all went outside to line up. “Ahh…. Much better. Much much Better.” 

“Hi Mister Finsemith! How are you, Sir?” I grinned. 

“Hi Mr Finesmile dya remember me I’m Aspen,” Aspen said. 

“Hmmm, I’m not sure Aspen. Have we met?” Mr. Finesmith asked as Little Dove ran over to the school. 

“And Mister Finesmith, this here’s Soria. And Little Dove,” I told him. 

“Alright, in we go!” Mr. Finesmith said and we headed inside as he rang the bell. He asked who would feed the bird and I told him I already did. He asked why the blanket was over the cage, and I told him that I had already fed it and closed the cage. Miss Soria said she saw me feed the bird and Aspen said she’d feed it. I looked down and kicked the thing under my feet, feeling like everything I did wasn’t good enough. I folded my arms across my chest and looked down at my notebook, without looking up. 

We went over etiquette and repeated Mr. Finesmith and Aspen and I asked about what we do when Miss Abi tells us things that aren’t true, and how we need to never say ‘no’ to Miss Abi. I asked questions but Mr. Finesmith didn’t answer so I just started to draw in my notebook as he asked about everyone’s Christmas. 

“The 5th, in the evening.. do we remember who is coming?” Mr. Finesmith asked, and when no one could remember he said, “On the night of The 5th, before the Feast of Epiphany... will come .. the Befana!” 

“Who in good graces is the Befana, Sir?” I asked. 

“You mean a banana, sir?” Soria asked. 

“I love when the children take a random word and attempt to rhyme it with some thing ridiculous.” Mr. Finesmith started to pull out his easel and showed a picture of a lady as he started to laugh. “For those of you that have not met her… May I introduce to you the beautiful Befana?”

“Is she a butterfly?” I asked, looking around. Other students appeared to be just as confused. 

“Befana visits all the children on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany to fill their socks with candy and presents if they are good or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad. In many poorer parts of Italy and in particular rural Sicily, a stick in a stocking was placed instead of coal. Being a good housekeeper, many say she will sweep the floor before she leaves. To some the sweeping meant the sweeping away of the problems of the year.  The child’s family typically leaves a small glass of wine and a plate with a few morsels of food, often regional or local, for the Befana.” 

“Um… Mr. Finesmith?” I raised a hand. 

“She is usually portrayed as an old lady riding a broomstick through the air wearing a black shawl and is covered in soot because she enters the children’s houses through the chimney. She is often smiling and carries a bag or hamper filled with candy, gifts, or both.” 

“Sounds a lot like the female version of Santa Clause,” I said to Aspen. 

“And now… here’s why… 

Christian legend had it that Befana was approached by the biblical magi, also known as the Three Wise Men (or the three kings) a few days before the birth of the Infant Jesus. They asked for directions to where the Son of God was, as they had seen his star in the sky, but she did not know. She provided them with shelter for a night, as she was considered the best housekeeper in the village, with the most pleasant home. The magi invited her to join them on the journey to find the baby Jesus, but she declined, stating she was too busy with her housework.” 

“And a witchiepoo…” Little Dove said and I nodded to her. 

“Later, La Befana had a change of heart, and tried to search out the astrologers and Jesus. That night she was not able to find them, so to this day, La Befana is searching for the little baby.” 

“But the star…” I muttered. 

“She don’t know he growed all ups?” Little Dove asked. 

“She searched and searched for Baby Jesus, but never found him. Befana still searches today, after all these centuries. On the eve of the Epiphany, Befana comes to a house where there is a child and leaves a gift. Although she has been unsuccessful in her search, she still leaves gifts for good young children because the Christ Child can be found in all children. And so children… I hope you will tidy up your bedrooms in preparation for Befana!”

“Only special people could see the star and the baby Jesus... only those who truly believed Nat,” Aspen whispered to me. 

“But ma said the wise men followed the star to baby Jesus,” I whispered back to her. 

“Yes, but not everyone could see the star only true believers,” Aspen whispered back. 

“Thank you dear children… Class is dismissed,” Mr. Finesmith said then. 

“That’s it?” I blinked, looking around confused. “But Mister Finesmith… Did we do somethin’ wrong?” I looked down at my desk. 

“Are we staying?” Soria asked, looking around. 

“Dat was weird,” Little Dove blinked. 

“Guess we gotta go home.” I said and we all walked out of the school. 

“Bye bye Aspen and Nats, you gonna be arounds tomorrow?” 

“That was just weird. Yeah probably.” 

“Bye bye Little Dove. It’s good to see ya again,” aspen said. 

“Is goods ta see you too!” Little Dove said and waved as we all headed home. 

*** 

I walked down the street a while later and waved to Aspen. “Hiya! I goin’ to follow the cavalry again! I had to go home and get my horse.” 

“Oooh! I was watchin them!” 

I rode off to find the soldiers as they were heading from Goldfield to Pearce. Nothing too exciting was going on though and I went back to Aspen in Tombstone. 

“I guess no ne attacked em.” 

“That’s good.” 

“Nat where can i get a horse that I don’t have to feed? I have my willow but she has to be fed and I ain’t got a place to keep her no more.” 

“Um I found mine outta town somewhere. I don’t remember where. I gonna go to the fort and make sure everything was okay.” 

I rode over to the fort and hopped off my horse, knocking on the big door. Mr. Wedge called back and asked who was at the door and I told him it was me, so he opened the big gate. 

“Hi Mister Wedge! I was followin’ but I didn’t see nothin bad happen on payroll. Everything safe?” 

“Yes… All is well!” 

“That’s great.” 

“Yes.” 

“Don’t give me much to write ’bout but that’s good.” I giggled. “School was weird.” 

“Aww… gosh darn!” 

“Mr Finesmith taught bout La Bafana. Then he just... poofed and went outside sayin class was dismissed.” 

“That’s it?!” 

“Yeah that’s it.” 

“Did you know that Rikki can snipe me out from that building over there?” He asked, pointing behind me. 

“Wow, really? That far away?” 

“She got Zabe and Shane once… great shots.” He tried to smile. 

“Wow that ain’t good. Well um... I just wanted to come and make sure you guys was okay.” 

“Nope… ’specially if you’re the one gettin holes in ya. Well thank you.” He chuckled a bit. 

“I’ll see you later Mister Wedge!” 

“Ok Nat, be safe out there,” Mr. Wedge said and I waved as I rode off. 

*** 

I rode into town an hour later and waved to Mr. Chris in front of the saloon.

“Don’t you look pretty today,” he greeted me. 

“Thanks Mister Chris. I got this dress over Christmas.” I smiled. 

“Very fancy!” 

“I got it in green too! I been tryin to decide if I wanna put my hair up in a different style but I really like this look and no one else is doin’ it.” 

“Well, you’re a fashion plate and a trend setter.  Me and some fellas have been working on the new church.” 

“You look nice too Mister Chris. Oh yeah? How’s it goin’? Almost done?” 

“I look like I been drug behind a stage for a dozen miles!” He laughed and smiled big. “It’s getting close.” 

“I wanna write ’bout it when it’s done. You’ll tell me right?” 

“Well of course! If you get toward Benson, give it a look.” 

“So I got a few series I gonna do in the paper now. The faces of tombstone... where I interview people… A series about payroll… And a series about what we learn in school!” 

“Fashion plate, trend setter, and journalist!”

“And anything else random that comes up.” I grinned. “Think that’s enough to keep me busy Mister Chris?” 

“Maybe…” He looked seriously at me. 

I giggled and said, “Now I gotta decide where I’m gonna sit and write about school this morning..” I waved and headed off to write about school. 

*** 

Tonight, me and Jimmy wandered around and found a really big church that we explored. We found Mr. Chris and Aspen and Miss Abi back in Tombstone and talked to them for a while about how we usually spend more time out of Tombstone cause it was safer. Aspen went off to the evening class. We went to see the new church being built in Benson and I started singing Amazing Grace before Mr. Chris had to go to bed. I ran over to hug my brother and we headed home.