Chapter 7: Courage

It was almost time for the parade so Oakley led Jack and Annie back to the stables. It was very crowded now.

"The whole show must be here!" Annie said.

Oakley nodded. "They're getting ready for the parade. Everyone in the show rides during the parade."

Bill waved at them and walked over. "I'm glad you're back. It's time to get everyone on horses. Annie, let's find you a horse for the parade."

"Ok!" Annie said. She followed Bill back toward the stable.

Jack watched feeling a little sad. He could have been riding in the parade with all the other Rough Riders, but he was too scared.

"Here, come sit with me for a bit." Oakley said, guiding Jack away from the crowd. They sat down on a couple of boxes and watched everyone get ready.

"Did you and Annie enjoy your day at the show?" Oakley asked.

Jack nodded. "We did. It was fun to learn how to be a cowboy."

Oakley laughed. "Buffalo Bill's Wild West isn't about learning to be a cowboy."

Jack looked up. "It isn't?"

"No. There aren't as many cowboys working as there used to be. The wars are mostly over and there's peace in the west. The show is meant to tell a story."

"A story about how things used to be?" Jack asked.

Oakley shrugged. "A bit. But it's more than that." She stopped and pulled a folded piece of paper out of her pocket. It was a drawing of her and Bill fighting off robbers. She handed it to Jack.

"A little girl gave this to me when I first joined the show. She said she lived with her mom and baby brother out on the frontier and they were always afraid of robbers. After seeing the show, she decided she'd learn to shoot too so she could protect her family."

Jack was amazed. "That's really brave."

Oakley nodded. "The show tells a story about what could be. About what a person can be if they believe in themselves. It inspired her to be strong to protect her family, just like many of us did as kids."

Jack looked back at the drawing. "The show helps inspire others to be strong and brave?"

"Exactly!" Oakley smiled at him. "We travel all over the country and even to Europe to show people how brave they can be."

Jack looked up at the horses. Annie was settled on one and Bill was next to her.

He stood up.

"I can be brave too. I want to be in the parade."