Ethan's story - The beginning
I lived alone with my mother, who was a gentle, soft hearted, kind beautiful woman who loved me, her only son, with all her heart. She denied me nothing. What ever I wanted, I got, where ever I wanted to go, I went. I had total freedom to do as I pleased, with no boundaries or rules to get in my way. I guess in her own way she thought I would be better for it, but she was wrong. I became a very spoiled, mean, nasty, cold hearted boy with no respect for anyone or anything, especially her, but no matter what, she just couldn't bring herself to discipline me.
Things hit their worst the year I turned twelve though. By then I was completely out of control. I took things that did not belong to me, I disrespected my elders, I went where I wasn't supposed to, I refused to go to school, I cursed and fought with other kids, screamed and shouted at my mother. I was a real hell raiser. I was so bad that my mother, a single parent, had to move us to a new town, but I didn't care. I was getting board with the same old people anyway. I looked at the move as a new opportunity to wreak havoc.
We ended up moving to a small town called Elderon, which was almost on the other side of the state from our old town. I didn't question her about it though, moving so far I mean. I figured it was because I was known everywhere else, you know like Billy the Kid or someone famous like that, and that was the only town left to move to. BUT.....as you can probably guess, I was dead wrong. My mother had a very good reason for moving us to Elderon, and I soon found out what that reason was.
We had only been in town for a few weeks and I had already managed to become the leader of what use to be a good group of boys. After I came along they found themselves getting into things that they wouldn't normally have gotten into.
This one particular day we were sitting outside Perkins Mercantile stirring up so much trouble that someone went and got the Marshall. I saw him coming from across the street as he walked towards us, and though I never set eyes on him before, I knew he was the law. "Here comes the Marshall." I announced casually.
Billy snapped his head up and started yelling when he saw that I was right. "Uh-Ohhh, quick, lets get out of here." He hollered and ran behind the mercantile quickly.
But I wasn't going anywhere. Who the heck was this Marshall that I had to run off like a coward. I was going to stay right where I was.
"Evening son." He said to me.
I nodded.
"I hear there's been some trouble over here......you wouldn't know anything about that would you?"
"Maybe, maybe not....depends on what trouble your talking about."
He looked at me strangely, then a large grin appeared on his face. "Your new around her aren't you boy?"
"Yep, what of it?"
"What's your name?"
"Who wants to know?"
"I'm Marshall Warren Davis."
I almost choked when I heard that he had the same last name as I did, but I pushed that way down, thinking that it was just coincidence. "My name is Ethan."
"Ethan what?"
"Just Ethan." I said arrogantly
"Well Just Ethan.......Mr. Perkins says a bunch of boys are causing a ruckus outside his store, and though I don't see anyone here but you, I have the feeling that you were probably a part of it."
An evil grin crossed my face. "Now why would you think a thing like that?" I asked coldly.
"Never mind all that, just pick up and move on." He said in a tone that I didn't much care for.
"It's a free country mister, I have the right to be any where I choose."
"Not if the law tells you different.......now go on and get out of here."
I sat there for a minute, debating what I should do when his voice broke through my thoughts.
"I said get!" He snapped.
I was smiling as I stood up slowly, which seemed to please him. "Well All right then." He said and walked away.
A little while later, me, Billy and the rest of the boys, got into something else and before long here come the Marshall again, and his eyes fell right on me.
"Ahh, Just Ethan, we meet again."
I just looked at him coldly.
"All right, what's going on here?" He asked the bunch of us.
"Nothing, we was just fooling around Marshall." Billy said.
"Well quit for the good lords sake........I'm tired and in a bad mood as it is and I don't feel like chasing after a bunch of youngens today!"
"Yes, sir.....we didn't mean any harm."
"I know you didn't, but enough is enough....Now if I have to come out here again, you boys are going to be standing to eat your supper tonight. You hear."
"Yes sir." Billy said and hung his head.
Well that did it. After the Marshall's little threat no one wanted to do anything any more. Which made me very angry. I called them all a bunch of yellow cowards.
"Like you ain't afraid of him." Billy said.
"I ain't afraid of nothin." I told him. "I'll show you that I ain't."
"I have to do something major to prove my bravery to my new buddies." I thought as I looked around the town. "Something they wouldn't have the never do in their wildest dreams." Then my eyes stopped on the saloon.
"Ahh, I got it." I said outloud.
"Got what?"
"I'm going to go into the Saloon and get us a bottle of whiskey." I announced.
Billy smiled. "What? How are you gonna do that?"
"Just watch and learn my friend. " I said and started to cross the street.
"You're a dang liar." Billy shouted after me. "There ain't no way you can do a thing like that."
"Y'all just be ready to run when I come out." I shouted over my shoulder.
I walked up to the swinging door and pushed the one side open. It was quite dark inside, and it took a minute for my eyes to adjust. When they did I realized that there were five people in there and they were all starring at me. One man behind the bar, two whores sitting in the corner talking to some man, and most importantly an Indian looking man standing at the bar with a shot glass and full bottle of what I knew to be whiskey sitting in front of him.
"Can I help you boy?" The bartender asked, taking the cigar out of the corner of his mouth to speak.
"No, just looking around," I said .
"Well look somewhere else. This ain't no place for a boy." He said.
"From the looks of this place I'd say it ain't no place for a dog. "
He looked at me funny then he put the cigar back in his mouth and told me to get out.
"No." I said flatly.
He looked at me funny again. "Boy, I told you to get the hell out of here." The Bartender said.
"You can't tell me what to do." I said plopping myself down in a chair that sat at one of the tables.
"You heard what I said. Now you best listen to me boy."
"Go to hell." I said bluntly.
He looked at me like I had five heads. "You're an ornery little cuss aren't you?"
"Yeah, so. What of it. What's it to you?"
He laughed suddenly. "Look boy. I've had just about enough of you. Now you can either get on out of here right now and I'll forget everything, or you can sit there and tick me off till I yank your britches down and tan you tale but good. Now you take your pick."
"Don't threaten me you ugly horses ass. I do what I want!" I yelled suddenly which caused the Indian man standing there to laugh.
"Boy, Now I told you to get on home. Your Momma's calling you." He said which caused the man to laugh harder.
"What the heck are you laughen at you stinken Indian?" I asked coldly.
"Hey!" The bartender shouted. "You get out of here right now before I call the Marshall."
"Go on and call him. He don't scare me, and neither do you or your savage buddy!"
To my shock his savage buddy turned around and looked at me. "What did you call me?" He said sounding no more like a savage than I did.
I was scared out of my mind, but I forced myself to say it anyway. I was Ethan Davis. I wasn't afraid of anything. "I called you a stinken yellow bellied savage Indian!"
He jumped into action suddenly. "That's it boy. No one calls me that and gets away with it." He announced as he came at me. "Now you're gonna to take your medicine."
"What do you think you're doing?'' I yelled as I got to my feet. I thought he was going to kill me dead.
He reached across the table and grabbed my arm in this incredibly tight grip, and a second later the table between us went shooting across the room and I was yanked right off of my feet, and carried over to a chair where he sat down and pulled me over his lap roughly.
"Get your _d_a_m_n_ hands off me!" I demanded as I kicked and fought, but it was in vein. I was about to get my tale tanned by an Indian.
"I don't know who you are or where you came from, but you need to learn some manners!" He yelled as he adjusted himself.
I had never been spanked by anyone except my grandfather, and he only did it once or twice before my mother put an end to it, and I must say I hated the idea that I was going to get it now from this perfect stranger. A Dang Indian.
WHAP......The first blow came down hard and about took my breath away.
"There.....how does that feel you little snake!" The Indian shouted.
"OWLLLHOWWLL." I yelled out.
"I may be an Indian, but I am not a stinken savage." He yelled as he brought his hand down.
"Ouch..........Stop it!!!" I screamed and wailed as tears of rage ran down my cheeks. "You are a stinken savage, and you ought to be hung for this...OUCH!.....quit it!.... OUCH!" I screamed as he cracked his hand down again and again.
"I bet you're glad you decided to come in here, aren't you boy?" The bartender asked with a laugh.
WHAP........WHAP........WHAP........WHAP........WHAP
"OUCH.....OOOOOOLLLLLL....UHHHHHHH!!!"
The Indian man beat my tale about raw, then finally, after a few more swats I was shoved off his lap.
I hit the floor tale first, which sent a surge of pain threw my whole body. I jumped and shifted to my side quicker than lightning, and tried to rub the flames out. "You're gonna pay for this." I cried.
"Looks like you're the one who paid." I heard a voice say.
I spun my head around and there stood the Marshall, hands perched up on his hips. "Just Ethan........ we meet again."
To be continued................