DISCLAIMER: If you recognize it, I don't own it.


"Mr. Hedley! Are you up yet?"

Hedley woke up with a start, falling out of his desk chair and banging his head on the office floor. "Who's there?" he demanded as he stumbled to his feet and rubbed his eyes.

"It's only me, sir." The Albino Pirate was standing in the doorway with Polly on his shoulder and a grin plastered on his face.

"...What time is it, boy?"

"Seven thirty. The captain says one ought to get up as soon as sunrise starts, but I suppose it's alright for you to sleep in a bit because yesterday was so troubling and you've got such a long day ahead of you and you've been ever so kind to me since I arrived so I want to help out around here "

"Just tell me what you want."

"Sir, I have a plan for stopping those bandits."

The sheriff rolled his eyes. "Sure you do."

"I wouldn't lie about a matter that grave, sir," Albino Pirate answered. "It wouldn't be proper."

Hedley looked him over. There had to be some signal that the boy was lying.

"Is there something wrong?" Albino Pirate asked, his smile fading slightly. "I haven't come too early, have I?"

"Just need to wake up..."

They both flinched as the front door slammed open. In marched Jennifer, holding an envelope and looking very proud of herself. "Do you see this, Mr. Hedley?" she said, brandishing it in the sheriff's face. "It's a letter to Father."

"So?"

"It's going to tell him everything that's been going on here and how his work is being destroyed! When he gets it, he'll arrange for someone competent to replace you."

Albino Pirate frowned. "That isn't very nice, Miss Jenny."

"No one cares what you think."

Hedley coughed loudly while giving the girl a dark look. "Don't you have your uncle to talk at for this sort of thing?"

"He's still gone. I will, though, and I'll show it at the meeting!"

"Y'all do that, Princess." The sheriff's expression softened as he returned his attention to Albino Pirate. "That goes for you too, boy. Alright?"

"Yes, sir," Albino Pirate said, smiling again. "Thank you!" With a tip of his hat, he hurried out the door.

Jennifer raised an eyebrow as she watched him go. "You're not honestly going to let him talk, are you?"

"You got a problem with that?"

Drawing back, Jennifer brandished the letter one last time as she flounced out the door. Hedley locked it behind her before picking his chair back up, sitting down and making a mental note to add "have Miss Winters put in her place" to his to-do list.


"Order! Order!" Hedley shouted, pounding his fist on the chapel pulpit. "Quit yappin'!"

The dull roar of the gathered townspeople subsided into a scattering of low whispers. Good enough.

"Now I know most of you would rather not be here," he began. "But there ain't no reward in just givin' up."

"There isn't one in staying, either!" a man responded, standing up and turning to address the others. "Pretty soon they won't be satisfied with tearing down the buildings! They'll start shooting us in the head and trampling us into the ground! Need I mention what they'll do with the women?"

Several ladies screamed and fainted, the fearmonger was challenged and within a few seconds, the room was consumed by its former pandemonium and then some.

Hedley pounded the pulpit even harder. "Order! Order! Shut yer faces!" He then pointed to his eyepatch. "Don't make me take this off!"

Everyone gasped, the women who had been resuscitated screamed and fainted again, and terrified silence swept over the group.

"...Thank you. Now listen you're here so we can talk about plans. Anybody got one?"

A sea of hands rose up from the pews.

"Anybody got one that don't involve runnin' off?"

All hands went down except two in the back row, one of them unnaturally pale.

"Y'all know that boy who's stayin' with the doc," Hedley continued. "He's got somethin' he wants to tell you 'bout."

Albino Pirate slowly withdrew his hand. "Now?" he asked, looking surprised and scared.

The sheriff nodded and beckoned. "Come on."

Keeping his eyes fixed to the floor, Albino Pirate walked down the aisle and took Hedley's place at the pulpit. "Hello, everyone...I'm the Albino Pirate..."

"Oh, just get it over with!" Jennifer snapped, and some of the others nodded in assent.

"...I've never spoken to lots of people like this before..."

Wechsler, who was standing just beyond the open doorway of the chapel with Beatrice at his side Polly at his feet, smiled and gave the boy a thumbs up.

"...but I'd like to try," he finished, smiling back and standing a little straighter. "Back where I come from, we all learn to do pirate things. Shooting cannons and fighting backwards up staircases and sliding down sails with a cutlass between your teeth, that sort of thing. We have a hideout called Blood Island, and no one's ever been able to attack it because it's got all kinds of defenses and we know how to fight off anyone who comes near. I know you're very frightened of those bandits, but I don't think they'd stand a chance against even one pirate! And the next time they come, we're going to have plenty!"

"What do you mean?" someone asked.

"I want to show you all how to fight like pirates!" Albino Pirate continued. "Dr. Wechsler can make weapons, and I'll teach you how to use them! The bandits will be so scared of you that they won't dare come near here ever again! Doesn't that sound like a good idea?"

He was answered with only several dozen frowns and not a single word.

"That's an...interesting proposition, boy," Hedley finally answered. "You got Doc on board with it?"

"Ja!" Wechsler answered.

Beatrice piped up. "I think it's a wonderful idea!"

Jennifer's jaw dropped. "How long have you...? Get back to the house at once!" Storming up to the pulpit, she practically shoved Albino Pirate out from behind it and took his place. "Now I've heard plenty of hare-brained schemes before, but that has to be the most preposterous — "

Hedley glared at her. "Did I say you could talk, Miss Winters?"

"I think I have a more useful solution to this matter than he does!" She turned to the crowd. "I propose that we replace Sheriff Hedley and ask that my father arrange to have troops sent here to protect us. Are we all in favor?"

She too received only frowns and silence.

"Princess," Hedley said, "I think they just want to be done." He stepped in front of the pulpit. "Anyone object to Miss Winters' idea?"

"...It'd take a hundred years fer them folks back east to get anythin' done," a man said. "We ain't got that kind of time."

"So how many of y'all object to the boy's plan?"

The adults all began to grumble under their breaths, but they soon fell back into silence.

Hedley turned back to Albino Pirate. "You really serious 'bout this, boy?"

"Very much so, sir."

Motioning for Jennifer to step aside, Hedley took the pulpit again. "Listen up; seein' as we need to do somethin' and these two have the only ideas, I'm gonna let the boy have a month to do what he wants. If that don't work, we'll do what Miss Winters suggests."

"You can't leave those two to their own devices!" Jennifer said.

"Which is why I'm appointin' someone to help 'em out," the sheriff continued. A smirk crossed his face as he said, "You seem interested, Princess."

"That is not what I — "

Hedley drowned her out by banging on the pulpit. "Meetin' adjourned!"


The townspeople filed out of the chapel and spread out towards the damaged buildings, some going to get lumber and toolboxes. Albino Pirate stood in the doorway and watched them go. He was just starting for the barn when a hand grabbed his arm and jerked him back around. "They know you aren't going to help things a bit," Jennifer hissed in his face. "That's why they don't care."

"I really think it could work," he answered, backing away.

"To do what? Waste everyone's time? I'll have no part in that!"

"...Alright, then. What are you going to do instead?"

"Write to Father, of course. When he hears how you're destroying his work, he'll fix this problem as soon as he can."

The Albino Pirate began to leave once more, but stopped and looked back. "You know," he said, "it seems to me that if you really want to fix a problem, you should do more than just write to someone miles away complaining about it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jennifer demanded. But the boy was already hurrying away.

Ignorant little nuisance. Sinking down onto the chapel steps, she let her eyes wander up and down the street. The people were clearing away the debris and bringing in new materials. Their movements were slow, almost mechanical, and their faces were tired. Some of them paused to stare at what remained of the frame of the train station before shaking their heads and moving on.

They'll all give up before you come, Father, she thought. Unless someone can make them stay.


Stay tuned for the Halfway Point, AKA In Which I Do My Best To Avoid Being Racially Insensitive! Don't miss it!

~ A. Kingsleigh