Chapter 8 - The Beginning of a Friendship

Hannibal suddenly realized that he was walking too fast for Jed to keep up with him. "Sorry."

"'S okay. You alright?"

"Yeah, I guess. Just don't think that kinda thing is fun, that's all."

"Me either."

Hannibal gave him a small smile. "I like squirrels. They're fun to watch. You ever watch 'em play?"

"Not really." On the farm, they were considered more of a nuisance than anything else.

"They're real smart. They play together, just like we do. I saw a squirrel playin'... playing with a ball once, honest to God. Just throwing it into the air and rolling it around and running after it." Han smiled. Throwing, rolling and running - he was improving already. He was lucky that he usually picked things up quickly.

"Really? Playin' with a ball?"

"You watch 'em sometime."

They reached the treeline.

There was a sudden whirr of sound beside Hannibal's head and he ducked back. "What was that?"

Jed laughed. "It was just a hummingbird! Ain't ya seen one before?"

"Nah, we don't have 'em in New York. Pretty sure I'd remember if we did!"

"We got lots of 'em here. I like to watch 'em, I like the colors."

"Yeah."

They stood quietly for a moment to see if they could see anymore. After a few minutes, Han said, "So, what should we do next, Kid? Any ideas?"

Jed thought he grew about five more inches in that moment. Not only had he found a new friend, but he wanted to know what Jed wanted to do. With four older siblings, he never got to choose where they went.

He stood up a little straighter. "I like to go to the creek. It's nice there."

"Okay. Which way?"

Jed moved ahead and started leading. "This way."

They walked along happily, Hannibal looking around him all the time.

Jed looked at him curiously. "So, is that where you're from? New York?"

"Yeah, Kid. New York City!"

"What's it like there?"

"It's different. It's a city, there isn't any of this. Don't hear the birds much, it's real loud all the time. Always someone shouting or music playin'. Playing," he corrected. "And it's never really dark, places are always open and there are lights on all the time. Surprised me when we got in last night. Never knew it could be so dark."

Jed nodded, but he had another question. "Why d'ya keep doing that?"

Seeing Han's questioning look, he explained, "Playin', playing. You keep sayin' things twice."

Hannibal laughed. "Elizabeth - ma - doesn't want me to drop my 'g's'. I'm trying to remember."

Jed laughed as well. "You lived in New York all your life?"

"Yep."

"When d'ya lose your folks?"

Hannibal paused for a moment and watched a bird flying overhead.

Jed wondered if he'd gone too far. "Sorry."

"It's okay, Kid. Makes sense you'd want to know."

Jed felt uncomfortable. He wished he'd never asked.

"Never knew my pa." He kicked at a rock with his shoe. "My ma… she left me. We couldn't afford to pay the rent anymore, so we had to leave our apartment. We walked for ages and we found a small bakery. Ma gave me some money and told me to go and buy some bread, said she was tired and she'd wait for me in the park across the street. When I came out...," his voice hitched a little, "she wasn't there. I never saw her again."

He bit his lip. He'd never really talked about it, but he felt he could tell Jed. He felt tears close to the surface and had to swallow a few times to hold them back.

Jed looked at him, aghast. To just be left somewhere like that… he couldn't imagine it. He thought of so many questions, but asked the most important one first. "How old were you?"

"Six."

Jed's age. He tried to imagine being abandoned and alone in a city. He suddenly felt sick and didn't want to ask any more questions. "I'm glad you're here now."

Hannibal tried to smile and wiped a hand across his eyes, which Jed pretended not to notice. "Yeah. Me too, Kid."

They reached the creek and Jed looked over to see what Hannibal thought. His brothers preferred the woods, but Jed loved this place. He loved to hear the water trickle over the rocks and to dangle his feet in the water.

Hannibal stood looking around him for a long moment. Jed started to get nervous.

He was an idiot. He should have suggested somewhere else, there were other parts of the woods they could have gone to, places that were more exciting. He should have known Hannibal would find it boring here. He opened his mouth to apologize when Hannibal spoke.

"It's beautiful."

Jed felt a sudden wave of affection for his new friend. "You really like it?"

"Yeah, Kid, it's great!"

Jed was suddenly, ridiculously happy. "I like to dangle my feet in the water. Sometimes the fish swim between your toes and they tickle."

Hannibal jumped down and started to pull off his shoes. "Is it cold?"

"At first! You get used to it."

They played down there until Jed reminded Hannibal that they should head back for their dinner.

They walked back barefoot, letting their legs dry off in the sun.

"Hannibal?"

"Yeah?"

"Why d'ya keep calling me 'Kid'?"

Hannibal paused for a moment in surprise. "I thought that's what everyone called you. Your brothers were calling you Kid."

"Just because they think I'm a baby. I hate it."

"I wouldn't. I think it's a cool nickname. Kid. It's like something you'd read in a dime novel, dontcha think?" He held up his hands and declared, "It was a hot and dusty day when Kid Curry rode into town with a loaded gun and an empty stomach…!"

Jed laughed out loud. "I don't know about the loaded gun, but I always have an empty stomach! Race you to the house!"

Within minutes, Han far outstripped Jed, so he stopped and waited for him.

"Wow. You're fast!"

Han gave an odd grin. "Yeah, it helps sometimes."

"Thanks for waitin'. I guess I'm pretty slow."

"You're younger, your legs are shorter so you have to work twice as hard. When you're my age, I bet you'll be faster than me!"

Jed blushed. He wasn't used to his playmates being so nice. "Is there anythin' I can call you besides Hannibal? It's kind of a mouthful."

"David - I mean, pa - he started calling me Han. You could too."

"You don't mind?"

"No, Hannibal's a terrible name!" He grinned to show that he meant it. "'Specially if your brothers are going to start calling me 'Hannah Belle'."

Jed grimaced. "They probably will, they like nicknames."

"Yeah, well it doesn't bother you anymore, does it? Kid Curry, fastest gun in the west!"

"Yeah!"

Jed held his fingers out like guns, and they darted back and forth, pretending to shoot as they ran.