Nevada’s head was spinning as he left the jail. He stopped and noisily puked in an alley. He wished it was dark so that no one could see him, but the sun was just over the zenith and had just started climbing back down. He sat on a stoop. He had thought that John was going to tell him that finding the treasure was going to be a lot easier than he said. He was also hoping what John had said was going to be a lot clearer. Anyway, he needed to fill his belly and get something to help his spinning head. It subsided a bit. He got himself up and stumbled down the road.

“Hey, you were in the jail, talking to Crazy John, weren’t you?” a disheveled young man with long hair chirped at him from in front of a saloon. “Yessir” replied Nevada. “You are searching for THE treasure, ain’t chya?” “Whats it to you, stranger?” “Well, can you lend me a few bucks, for me uh, poor mother, Mister Treasure Seeker?” the young man held out his hand and came closer to Nevada. His clothes were dirty and ripped. His eyes had huge circles under them and his hair was dirty and matted. He was obviously the town drunk and a beggar.  “Come on man, hook me up!” Nevada looked at him. “Sorry, brother, I aint got no money for that stuff.” But the beggar was not done giving the sales pitch. “Oh come on man, you are a treasure-seeker, you GOTS to give! The treasure man would not be happy if you said ‘No’ and…I like drinking!” “No! I ain’t giving you no money to drink! If your mother really is sick, take her to the doctor and work something out with him!” The beggar got down in front of Nevada. “Come on man! When…when I was a kid, I looked for the treasure, I…I… now I’m down on my luck so forget the treasure and just help me out man, be a servant man!”

“No, mister. According to ole Crazy John, you can have the treasure too, even now.  But I want it and I aint stopping for nobody to get it.” “Oh man, you are NOT a REAL treasure-seeker! You ain’t! If you were serious you would make ME your mission! Make ME your mission and help me get high! Its because of treasure-seekers like YOU that I hate the treasure and the treasure man.”

Nevada looked at him one more time, shook his head and kept putting one foot in front of another in the direction of out of town and towards his destiny.

Just on the edge of town, a cloud of women dressed in red bonnets and white dresses and carrying tamborines stopped him. “He was with John in the prison earlier!” one austere woman spouted. A tall, large woman with a particularly severe countenance consumed Nevada’s view. “And wheeeeere do you think YOU are going?” “I am on my way out of town, now if you’ll excuse me, Ma’am.””You cannot leave this town, not when there is a man like Thomas Finnegan running it!” Nevada laughed. “I ‘m sorry Ma’am, I don’t know no Mr. Finnegan, but I got other business in another place.” His legs started to move but a hand on his arm stopped him. “You are a treasure-seeker, are you not? the bull-woman asked with her hand on his arm. “Well, then you have to stay here and fight the good fight for equality and for the poor!” Nevada squirmed out of her meaty grip. “I’m sorry I don’t know nothing anything about your problems in this here town, but…I gots to be going to my destiny. I am sure your problems are real but that thar treasure is for ME!” “Your destiny is fighting for equality, that will give you and everyone a treasure beyond belief! That is what we have committed our lives to and you need to too!”, said one of the ladies. “There is no treasure beyond marital rights and voting rights and political equality, the one you are chasing is just in your HEAD!” added the leader. All the women nodded in agreement.

No, He wanted to help, he did. But Nevada believed that there was something out there and that that treasure would help him put equality and politics and helping the poor alcoholics  into their place.

His grip on his map tightened. In the shadows, Lou was upset. He had tried to distract Nevada from his mission but the lure of the treasure was too much for Nevada.

Just a few more steps and he would be out of the town. Then there was another call. “Hey stranger, I got something for you!” He looked and there was a beautiful woman seductively posed on the porch of a cathouse, the last building in town. Now Nevada had to stop. “Come on over, I got your treasure right here!” Nevada wanted some, he could not deny it. But the treasure, surely it was worth more than that, right? His thoughts went to those who had told them about the treasure. They had said that getting the treasure was worth much much more than a little roll in the hay. ‘No’, he told himself.  I..I got to have a little trust in what they said, even maybe a little faith in what they said. “Sorry, Ma’am I’m on my way out. I got to gets me own treasure.”. He looked up and he had already moved 30 feet away. ‘How…how did I get here?’ Anyway, he kept moving.

——————————————————————————-W.