RANGO // OӘͶAЯ - Another Outlaw Story [Engl.]

15. Funeral and Hanging-Over of Office

The next day, it was a day like all others. Only with the difference, that the most people weren't in town, but on the cemetery.
Mr. Black had spent the time through the night to dig the grave for Amos's coffin. Now the coffin lay in the hole, surrounded by the city people. Mayor John stood, or sat in his wheelchair next to it, a bible on his lap, and spoke the text which he had written last night.
Bill stood close behind him, followed by Stump, his both boys, Kinski and Chorizo. Jake had preferred to keep distance and had placed himself on the edge of the crowd and watched the scene over the heads.
"And the Lord or Salomon spoke in Ecclesiastes chapter 3, verse 20: Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Or the dirt returns to earth, like I use to say... Despite Amos gave some souls a faster reason to go back to dirt..."
If someone had asked Mayor John, he would have admitted that he wasn't a very good speaker for funerals, but there was still no pastor in town. But maybe it was also a reason, that Amos wasn't very popular with everyone. Few people had liked Amos. He had had no family, no wife, no friends, nothing. Just his job and his gun. For this reason, there were not many people who wept tears.
"May the lord escort him to heaven. And I hope, it's not so hot like here."
"Will he go to hell?", Stanley whispered at his father.
Stump gave him a warning look. "It's not good to speak badly of a dead man."
"We present his body to God back to earth, or to dust, or dirt, and let's pray for his soul. Amen."
He closed the old bible and the others spoke like in choral the releasing word "Amen."

After that, all people wended their way to the town hall, where some women had gotten ready a buffet for the funeral ceremony. All city members were present. Even Jake stayed among them only in a corner of the room hall. Also because of the room abutted on his sleeping room.
Glumness lay in the room. Reinforced by the owls' sad instrument play. Some people stood together in little groups, exchanged some words about old times. Stump sat silently in a corner on a chair and picked at his food on his plate.
Kinski and Chorizo exchanged glances and went to him. Stump didn't see them. Kinski cleaned his throat and Stump raised his head.
"Hi. Um... How is Meggy?" Kinski asked carefully.
Stump sighed. "Unchanged. I will visit her after this."
Chorizo scratched his head. "Shall we accompany you?"
Stump looked at them with tired eyes. He hadn't slept the whole night.
Finally, he shook his head. "Not yet. Not today yet. But do me the favor and make something with the boys."
He looked over at his sons who were nibbling cookies from Angelique.
Kinski nodded. "Of course we will."
Jake was still sitting in the corner and sipped from his drink from time to time. His eyes looked watchfully. His movements were slow. Sometimes some city dwellers brushed him with their glances. If eyes met his he avoided them. Then he continued his watching.
At this moment Bill went over to Angelique. The female fox and secretary didn't perceive him until the Gila monster touched her on her shoulder hesitantly.
She turned around to him and sighed. Bill was putting his fingertips together when he was talking something.
He reached into his pocket and gave her a purple artificial flower.
The female fox accepted the "gift" maybe to make him smile, but then Angelique gave him a sign to follow her into the corridor.
With narrowing eyes, the rattlesnake watched how the two confidants of the mayor left the room.
Jake wasn't a person for spying people, but he couldn't resist and crawled closer to the door frame and listened.
"Bill, I told you that I still have a boyfriend," he heard Angelique's sad voice.
"Are you really sure?" Bill asked. "You never meet him after so a long time."
"We are still writing letters, you know. He is still living in Las Vegas. I will move with him together, and we will marry."
"But is there no hint that he maybe had met meanwhile...?"
Angelique raised her eyebrows in a warning way.
"Never mind," Bill interrupted himself. "Forgive me."
The vixen smiled softly and touched Bill's arm.
"Listen, you are a good guy, Bill. But please accept my will and let us be just friends. Do it for me."
Bill sighed deeply, but he nodded.
"I'm sure you will find the right partner for your life. You only have to search and the one will appear very soon."
Bill lowered his face dejectedly. "If so, I will need a miracle."
With that he passed her and walked up the stairs of the city hall.
Angelique gazed him after a while, then she walked back into the ceremony room.
Jake was crawling back into his corner and looked like nothing had happened. Deep in thoughts, he stared at his glass.
"Mr. Jake?"
He winced. He hadn't realized how Mayor John had rolled in his direction.
"I have to apologize for this sad start in our town," Mayor John said. "And maybe it would be disrespectful to Amos, but if he should be still among us somehow in this room, I think he should hear the news first."
The turtle chuckled a little.
Kinski narrowed his eyes a little.
"What is it?" Chorizo asked who noticed his skeptical glance first.
"Look at them." Kinski pointed with his head at the corner of the room. The mouse followed his sign and saw how Mayor John was talking with the rattlesnake.
Chorizo shrugged his shoulders. "So what?"
"Something is going on."
With that the rabbit turned away to take one drink more.
The desert mouse scratched his head, until Mayor John changed the place and rolled to the top of the room. He took a glass and tapped with a spoon on it.
All faces wandered at their mayor. After Mayor John was sure he had the full attention, he put the glass away.
"Ladies and gentlemen, dwellers of Dirt," he began. "Today, we lost one of our townsfolk to everyone's sadness."
Someone coughed quietly somewhere.
"But we have won another one, who found his way to our town. And for this reason, it's a pleasure for me and give a warm welcome to our new sheriff."
He waved his hand and his movement stopped in the rattlesnake's direction.
Some people huddled together.
"A rattlesnake? A sheriff? Amos will turn in his grave if he hears that a snake succeed him in office."
The two rabbit boys could just say an exciting "Cool".
"My fellow townsmen," John started again. "I understand your confusion, but in view of the fact that harder times are going to come, unusual measures are required. It was my will and asking for your safety, and I'm sure Mr. Jake will do a good job, won't you?"
Jake still sat in the corner and seemed to think about good words.
Finally, he constrained himself speaking.
"Thank you very much indeed. I admit you are maybe a little afraid, but I assure you because of my intervention I disallow that it will ever happen again to you. I promise I will try to govern the order in this town. And if you have a cause of complaint or anxiety, let me know. If you aren't satisfied, you have the right to dismiss me. I apologize for the uneasiness. But you can be sure I will never harm one of you..."
"Thank you for your words," Mayor John interrupted. "Now, Mr. Jake, let me show you your employment."
With that Mayor John rolled with his wheelchair through the door, followed by the rattlesnake and with many eyes behind his back.

Gordy, who had spent his noon nap in a dry water trough, watched how Mayor John and the rattlesnake walked down the street.
He hiccupped and muttered: "Black clouds are coming as safe as the Bank of England."
While the two different looking reptiles were walking the street, Jake had to ask a question.
"Why have you done it?" he asked.
"Done what?"
"Why this kind of announcement on a funeral ceremony?"
"Well, well, to say the truth, I couldn't resist imagining what Amos would say if he had known, that a sheriff would be a snake. He hated snakes. And I have to admit in a way of discrimination. It wouldn't be bad to score him off for that. Here we are."
He stopped on the sidewalk and stood in front of a little building with a sign: Sheriff.
John took out some keys and put one of it into the keyhole. With some gyrations the door was open.
"Come in."
The mayor rolled in, but Jake hesitated.
The turtle turned around with his wheelchair in the room. "Is anything wrong?"
"No." With that the rattlesnake walked with his head forward through the door frame. At least it had a good size for him to fit through it.
He flicked his tongue. The room smelled old. In the first room stood several wooden chairs, a wooden table and on the walls some guns and wanted posters of criminals.
Around the corner lay the jail cells.
Mayor John watched how the rattlesnake became unsure in view of that.
Jake winced when he felt his glance.
"It's a little familiar to me," Jake explained. "But in another way."
Mayor John raised his hand. "You don't have to talk about it. It has no meaning at the moment. I'm more worried about my town. I was Mayor of Dirt before his formation."
With these words he rolled to a little desk in a corner, cleared some bottles and papers away, opened a drawer and put Amos's sheriff's star inside.
"Why this?" Jake asked.
"I think he didn't want that someone forget him for his services."
He closed the drawer again, brought out another sheriff's star from his pocket and put it on the table.
"Now it's your realm, Mr. Jake. Give these people a reason for hope. People need something to believe."
Jake pushed forwards his tail and picked the star up.
A hope for a town?
His glance wandered far away.
Could he really be a hope?
"Whatever had happened," Mayor John said. "You can start a new beginning here."

With slow footsteps Stump walked up the stairs of the doctor house. Doc still wore his black suit from the obsequy when he received him at the door. In his hand a cactus juice bottle.
Together they went to a room where many beds stood inside. One of it had occupied.
Stump bared his head and stepped up to her.
She lay like sleeping in a normal way. The white bed clothes made her fur paler. Her hair was still a little parched from fire.
"Meggy?"
But as expected, she didn't move.
"Do you think she can hear me?"
Doc shrugged his shoulders. "Never seen. Do it. Maybe yes."
With that, he left him.
Stump pulled a chair closer to her bed and sat down.
For a while there was silence. Then he moved his lips.
"Darling, sweetheart,... well... donno whether you can hear me, but if so... see... eh... hear... listen... I..."
Stump tried to ignore her closed eyes and tried to imagine she would look at him.
"Eh, our boys are missing you and I'm sending their love for you. And, maybe, you will not believe, but we got a new sheriff."
He grabbed her hand. She was still warm. Watery-eyed, he rubbed her fingers.

Meanwhile, Gordy was still gargling his cactus juice. He let drift his glance about the empty street. But suddenly...
He spat out the rest of fluid in his mouth. Seven shadows walked abreast and walked down the dusty, sandy street with clanking spurs. They passed the first houses of Dirt.
Gordy rolled out of the empty water trough, stumbled several times over his own feet and hid himself behind a wooden barrel. With fear, he peeked over it.
"Calamity."