The Ballad Of a Bird~ Jack Marston Story

☙ ✯ ❧ Chapter One ☙ ✯ ❧

{listen while you read?~ I recommend Just like Leaving by Bella White}
~ ☙ ✯ ❧ ~ ☙ ✯ ❧ ~ ☙ ✯ ❧ ~ ☙ ✯ ❧ ~ ☙ ✯ ❧ ~

"Jack?" the rider called out, looking at the front door as they got off their mount. "It's Birdie B Morgan!" The girl called out once again

Her boots clicked on the worn wood boards as she went up the short steps and neared the front door. With a wearily feeling, she put one hand on the handle, and the other unholstered her weapon

She gently pushed the door open as it wasn't clicked into place or lock

"Jack?!" she called out again and got nothing back. She opened the door to the right of her, finding it empty only a single bed stood and an open chest. She continued finding the house empty, all the Marston's valuable items gone. With a sigh, she holstered her revolver as she sat down on the bed in the first room she had entered

"I'm too late," she mumbled into the darkness as the sun was now gone. She threw herself back on the bed. She was on the verge of tears, but she was too frustrated in herself to let them fall "couldn't come when John died! No! Couldn't swallow your pride, and now you'll never see him again."

The girl sat up with a grunt as she heard her horse huff outside then she listened to a howl. She got up, taking her revolvers out of both hands finding home in the guns grips

She exited the building she watched and helped John, Charles, and Uncle build when she stayed with John after Abigail and Jack left him

She looked around, and in the moonlight, she saw a coyote standing upon the hill behind the barn. She sent a bullet into the sky, but the creature didn't run. It was almost beckoning her

She neared her horse and holstered a revolver, and got a lantern out, striking a match on the bottom of her boot and lighting it before making her way up the hill

As she neared, she saw three crosses come into view, and the coyote had run off, but she still went closer and read two of the names and Remembered all the memories Abigail and Uncle brought to her mind with a sad smile as she remembered sitting in her father's lap as he drove the wagon from horseshoe overlook to Valentine with Uncle next to them as and the ladies from the camp all sang in the wagon a song that Birdies daddy told her not to remember, and he tried to cover her ears, but he nearly crashed the wagon, so he resulted in yelling at the members for badly influencing his daughter and she remembers the days Abigail would sit with the young girl under a shade tree and helped her learn herbs and how to mend torn clothing

As she neared the last cross, her heart hurt for the man she concerned a father, and she tore herself over not visiting soon as she sunk to the ground in front of the cross, her lantern next to her, she raised her knee so she could cross her arms and rest her head on it

"Hi John, sorry I'm late," she spoke to the air
"Four years too late," she mumbled to herself and wanted to kick her own ass

She stayed on the hill till the moon was high in the dark sky before she spoke

"You probably don't know that I remember this, but I do as if it happened yesterday. Micah had started to worm himself into Dutches ear. The rat had left me at an orphanage and told my daddy that I had left on my own will wanting a better life than one with him. I remember being so sad and scared by myself in that place, but then I saw old boy outside. I knew you were near, and my daddy wasn't far behind, and when y'all busted the door open and got me, I was the happiest little girl on earth. I remember I was falling asleep in daddy's embrace on the ride back to camp and what y'all were saying, and I never got to thank you for slapping some sense into my father as he believed Micah and was gonna leave me there." She spoke and played with the dead grass around her