CHEROKEE STAR
Part Five (Continued from Post on 11/21/10)

The Sheriff just shook his head in wonder. What on earth happened in those nightmares to create this monster sitting here in front of me?
“And what about after that?”

“I ran out of money eventually. So I decided to get me some more. I met up with a cowboy about that time who seemed nice enough at first, I mean, not at all like the men I’d known. Told me he’d just robbed a stagecoach and how easy it was, even though there were a few moments when he’d wished he had a partner. And then he asked if I’d like to join him in robbing another one. So I thought why not? And we did, shot everyone on board.”

“Oh, Cherokee, why? They wouldn’t have hurt you. Okay, take the money if that’s what you need. But don’t kill people, too. They were just minding their own business, not hurting you a bit. I’m sure they wouldn’t have fought you for the money, so why not just let them go?”

“You’d never understand. Don’t know if you are just stupid or what. Actually, I don’t even understand why I need to kill, just that it’s there. You know, that’s just what it is, a ‘need.’ To kill until the nightmares stop.”

“Well, they’re going to stop, that I can guarantee you. The moment your neck snaps at the end of the rope, they will stop. But a far greater one will begin.”

“You mean in Hell?”

“Yep, in Hell. I can see that you were paying some attention at least in those tent revivals you mentioned attending while you were growing up. That’s precisely where you are going, because you certainly cannot get into Heaven with that attitude.”

“Ah, that Heaven stuff sounds too ‘nice’ for my tastes, anyway. Bet I can gun down anyone I come across in Hell. I’m faster and meaner than any of them!”

“Yes, I’d say you are, Cherokee Star. You certainly don’t stand for any of the values your people have always lived.”

“What do you mean by my people?”

“The Cherokees. Now you are the one being stupid. You said your mother’s mother taught you the lullabies. She must have taught you something more than that, about respecting other people and being honorable. The Cherokees don’t take a breath without that thought being foremost in their minds. I’ve known Cherokees all my life. And they do not live their lives like you have chosen to do. That’s why they are called one of the civilized tribes, because they have chosen a different path.”

“Well, you forget, I’m also my father’s little girl,” she said, her words frosty with sarcasm. “And he taught me well. My mother may have been a Cherokee but she sure never acted like the ones you’re talking about.”

Suddenly Cherokee stood up and turned her back to the Sheriff. He could taste the tension in the room but wasn’t sure if he should remain quiet or demand that she sit back down. He didn’t trust her when he couldn’t see those eyes. They might be made of ice but at least he had studied them enough this day to feel certain he would know if she was about to grab him by the throat and squeeze the life out of him before Stanley could get the door unlocked and get her off him. He shuddered at the thought, not out of fear but out of sadness at the waste.

To Be Continued . . .