The Texas Treasure Tragedy, Part I

Christopher Cuddy made his home in west Texas, in the small town of Stone Brook Falls. He made his living as a realtor, selling off lots both big and small. When he was forty-five his father passed, he had lived three blocks down the road, so Christopher had to sort through his stuff, deciding what to save, and what to let go. While sifting one day he found three creates, weathered, beaten, and very old, each was the size of a large dog, great in volume were their holds. Christopher searched his father’ desk, and found an ancient, iron key. He opened the locks, still wondering what inside the crates he might possible see. He saw them many pieces of paper, piled up to the brim in neat stacks. They were all yellowed with great age, covered in handwriting, both front and back. He could not understand what he stared upon, but one stood out upon the top, It was title The Testimony of Gillian Cuddy, who was his very own great-great grand-pop! He opened up the first fragile pages, seeing many rows of meticulous cursive, he took a breath, settled into a chair and dove into the words within… *** Gilman Cuddy walked quickly to the mayor’s office, in which he worked. But he wasn’t going on town business, despite being the village clerk. He needed to find the mayor, you see, because he’d been out riding in the hills, where he’d found something incredible, down his spine it had sent chills. The mayor would know what to do next, but he wasn’t sitting in his room, Gil then frowned, knowing to look down the room at old Buck’s Saloon. He found Mayor Hampton perched at the bar, worse for the wear after six whiskies. He knew the man was a happy drunk, and with a bar-maid was getting frisky. Gil walked up and said quietly, “Mr. mayor, I have found something. I think if you come fee it for yourself, you’ll agree that it’s lice-changing. ‘Some might even call it a treasure, valuable beyond imagination. I know you’re having some fun right now, but this could change Stone Brook’s reputation.” The mayor gave him a drunken grin, saying,”Sure, I’ll go see your treasure! But you see I found one here today, and I think I will first take my pleasure!” With that he went and chased the barmaid up a rickety set of wooden stairs. Gilman sighed and shook his head, then walked himself on out of there. Unbeknownst to him a head had risen to hear, his talk of treasure up high in the hills, That head belonged to Badman Lopez, who rode with Blackjack Ethan Wills...