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"Curiosity killed the cat," my friend who was five years older hissed when I couldn't stop watching the gold-panning cowboys in the river.
"But I just want to know why these guys are walking around now instead of our friends," I replied.
By "friends", I meant the children of the Indian tribe that had lived here until recently. By "guys", I meant the group of shady men whom I instinctively blamed for the disappearance of them. I quickly ducked into the earthy hollow as the gaze of one of the cowboys wandered in our direction. "That was close," I whispered.
"Have you had enough then?" I received in return.
My body relaxed, and I grinned. "Why? We're safe here." As usual, we had come here through the wooded area near our town. And as usual, we had laid in wait here in this hollow at the edge of the forest. "Don't you remember that we sometimes watched the Indians for hours? And not once did they catch us doing it," I spoke proudly.
"I'm sure they've spotted us every time. But since we're just kids, they didn't think anything of it. Besides, we were two of the few they liked." He crawled towards the forest cautiously now and said, "Anyway, I'm out."
I crawled after him and spoke, disappointed, "I didn't think you were such a scaredy-cat, Thomas. And yet you're almost fourteen."
He gave me a serious look. "Maybe that's why I see danger when you don't." After that, he shook his head. "I'm telling you, it's not a good idea to stay here any longer. And it's best to forget what we saw today."
It was only when we had advanced further into the forest and dared to get back on our feet, that I asked him, "Why do you say that?"
"They're criminals, Toby. And I'm sure they're to blame that the redskins moved on."
"If that's the case, we should do something about it and not run away, right?" I asked him my next question indignantly.
"Shh, not so loud," he admonished me. "You're the son of one of the most influential men in town, but you have no idea how life really works, do you?"
"Why? Our friends can't live here anymore because these guys are taking all the gold away from them. So, let's get it back. Problem solved."
"You really have no idea." He shook his head again. Then, he added, "I'll say it one last time, 'Curiosity killed the cat.' Just leave it be, Toby."
"I'll take care of the problem on my own then." I turned around, leaving Thomas behind.
"Come on, Toby! Let's at least talk to your father about it," he shouted after me.
I walked on, stubborn, and didn't listen to him.
"As you wish. I'll go to your father alone then and tell him about your plans. You can look forward to a good trashing." That was his last attempt to convince me. But my decision was made. And so, I soon found myself back in our hiding place.
That was the first time I was so far out on my own. In addition to a thirst for adventure, this also filled me with a lot of pride. But I couldn't really celebrate that at the moment. I had to keep quiet and find out where these guys had their camp. Like back then, I laid in wait for hours. It wasn't until sunset that the cowboys packed their stuff. "Finally," I thought to myself and rubbed my legs that had become numb.
"Bring the gold to the hut far from town. The boss will take care of everything tomorrow morning," one of the men shouted.
There were two people sitting on a carriage who nodded. Three others loaded up the rest of their stuff silently. Their commander got onto a horse now, pleased. "Well then. Good job, men. And don't tell anyone a word about today." He rode away after that.
I remained silent and watched the following events, focused. The next three rode off after the carriage had finished loading. It also took off shortly thereafter, slowly moving away in the opposite direction. I already had a hunch which hut their leader had been talking about. My suspicions finally came true after following the carriage all the way.
Almost every child knew the empty hut in the forest. It was considered a real test of courage to go there and take something out of it with you. The adults stayed away from it for some reason, and ordered us only too often not to go there.
But today, contrary to all instructions, I would invade there. And what I would bring with me would be gold. I would be a true hero, and everyone would respect me. Besides, I would bring our friends back with it.
With this thought in mind, I sneaked to the hut. And I was strangely calm about it. Probably because my intentions were noble ones. But also, because it had become pitch dark, and there was no trace of the two coachmen.
The floor creaked as I entered. I flinched. Then, I felt my way forward. "Candlelight?" I asked silently as I noticed a flickering glow from the next room. "Maybe someone is still here," it crossed my mind.
I stopped for a moment and had to pay attention to my now nervous breath. Only when I had calmed down and felt safe again, I entered the room. There was really a lit candle there, which flickered peacefully. And near it, I spotted a small pouch of gold.
"Jackpot!" I thought, and reached for it immediately. But then I heard that the floor in the entrance area creaked from steps heavier than mine. "Damn, what now?!" My heart was suddenly pounding to the neck. The footsteps came threateningly closer. At the last moment, I climbed out of the window and fell into the prickly bushes near the exterior wall. A painful groan slipped away from me.
"Who's there?" a man with a husky voice croaked thereupon.
I jumped up and ran away abruptly. The man leaped out of the window now. Then, he drew his revolver and fired a shot into the dark instinctively. My body fell to the ground and made a muffled sound. "Did I catch you, you rat," he said happily. Afterwards, he shouted, "John, swing your ass over here!"
They both approached me with a lantern. "Have you lost your mind to shoot the mayor's child?!" John exclaimed, startled, when he recognised me by my profile.
"What?! I thought that was one of those redskin rascals?"
Instead of helping me in any way, an argument broke out between them. I, on the other hand, was surrounded by a peculiar calm. And I felt so tired all of a sudden. So, I closed my eyes and already started dreaming about how I would bring back the gold and our Indian friends. Before I fell into eternal sleep, I heard Thomas' voice once again, "Curiosity killed the cat."
