The Light, It was bright, and hot. As I approached it I felt as if I was on fire. A burning sensation filled me as I got closer and closer towards it. The pain was great, but bearable and strangely comforting. This will be a poor comparison but it was akin to licking a scab it hurt to do but once done was satisfying. Then, I felt lines of cold form around me, as if chains from cocytus had caught me. They started pulling me back, down and away from the light…

“Welcome back to the land of the living Mr. West. Pardon the sulfur smell that particular incantation calls for it and mama always taught me it's better to do things the right way or not do them at all.” A voice says as my eyes adjust to a man with a black shirt, black tie and black duster looms above me. “Well your body was still mostly fresh when I exhumed it so you should still have your voice box. Can you talk?”

“Who are you?” I ask an obvious question but my head hurts worse than the morning after I had gotten back home from the war and saw friends I hadn’t seen in years. A lot of drinking went on that night and when I had woken up I was in Maggie’s room and my soldier's pay was gone. Gone not being the operative word, more like spent. Buying rounds for everyone will do that.

“Who am I? That is the obvious question but not one I will answer succinctly you can just call me…” he paused with a finger to his lips and then smiles a gold tooth shines in his face as he says with a cheshire grin, “Mr. Black. More importantly I am the one who brought you back to the land of living my boy! There is an injustice that must be righted in the world, you know of what I speak. I have elected you the person most familiar with the situation to be the one who rights it.”

“There is injustice going on everywhere Mr. Black. What do you mean by bring me back?” I say as my mind tries to remember something but can’t. All I am left with is a feeling of loneliness and coldness I have never felt before.

“Hehehehe” he laughs, a bit like some prospector who just found gold. “Well I brought you back because I saw your eyes and they had the look of a man quietly enraged with what had occurred, most would think that it is because you were being hanged. But that isn’t it, is it Mr. West? You know you failed to do what is right and you seek to correct that mistake isn’t that right? It is really just an intuition on my part. I don't know your story, but as payment for me bringing you back and this stew I have made, I would be most obliged to have you share it with me, I would like to have it. Your story that is.”

I look at him in the eyes…a blackness is in those eyes bottomless and with a pull that threatens to pull me in forever. I look at the embers of the fire. To remove myself from their empty black embrace.

“I will share my story but there ain’t much to tell and it ain’t all that interesting.”

“Well let me be the judge of that Mr. West, I’ll get the bowls.”

He grabbed two bowls and ladeled the brew into both and handed me one with a piece of hardtack.

“Haven’t had this since the war.” I say about the hardtack holding it up checking for worms. Lucky me, the protein was confined to the stew.

“The good cooking is what everyone misses about being a soldier,” he chuckles as he sits down. “So tell me friend, what led you to be hung? Hanged? A portrait is hung and a person is hanged so hanged.” he says with his weird grammar aside.

“Well I have been doing bounty hunting work over the west. Seems fairly easy after my time in the army and I haven’t been able to stay in one place too long. Nothin’ feels like home anymore and bounty hunting keeps me in an inn and fed and able to go to the next town. I do have family here though. My brother,” I go ahead and break up the hardtack and mix it into the stew, “he decided he would be a decent man and he staked a claim and built a ranch. Small at first but he was always a hard worker and over time he was able to make a good livin’. I come in to visit whenever I am near, which isn’t as often as I should have….” I remember all the times he tried to get me to stay, and offered me a place. I couldn’t though no matter how much I wished for it. “ Anyway, he had a wife he met out here and some kids…” I cough as a pain radiates from my throat, as if i had cut myself way to many times shaving and then poured alcohol on the wounds. I start to resume speaking but stop myself. Why am I talking to this stranger spilling out my life story at his say so. I don’t even know who he is. I look over at him in the dim firelight of the campfire. I see the outline of his hands that appear to be covered in black gloves and there is something faintly silver swirling around them. He notices my pause and my stare.

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“I would be careful talking too much after that hanging. I may have brought you back from the dead but the wounds you suffered in death remain. You are lucky your neck didn’t snap hard to hide an injury like that.” he says and I notice that he is trying to derail my thoughts with his words.

“You still haven’t answered my question Mr. Black what do you mean by bringing me back? I am keen to know what you mean by that.” I say pointedly.

“Ah well if there is no shaking it I will tell ya. I brought your soul back from wherever it was and reshackled it to your body.”

“Why?” I ask, it seems the most pertinent question out of the several swirling inside my head.

“Why? Why indeed sunny boy. I brought you back because I too have an issue with the mayor, though not as strong as you do. In fact, I was in town to resolve such business when I came upon the hubbub that was going on. Fairly somber affair for a hanging so I figured that the people must not be approving of what is going on. Is that fair to say?”

“It is, the mayor got the hanging judge to approve it, said he needed his swift justice.” I say as I rub my neck trying to ease the burn.

“Ah makes sense you have to love the state, its power is undeniable and infallible ain’t it? Anyway, after hearing some rumors of what went on after applying the appropriate trade in booze I figured if I brought someone like you back you could bring about the proper justice this time around. With you bringing someone like the mayor to justice I would be able to do my proper business everyone wins i figure.”

“And what is your business Mr. Black?” I say regretting the words as they left my mouth. This man claims he brought me back from the dead so I could kill the mayor, at least that's the subtext of his words. If he does something so major, so unnatural against God’s law as to resurrect the dead to kill someone else, it would have been probably better to not ask what his business is.

“Well my boy.” He says and his face, never fully revealed in the darkness becomes more visible and I see a pleasant unassuming smile that mirrors the delight in his eyes as he says “My business is all business. I make deals. An Entrepreneur is what you can call me. I help people out with investment and when they do well I smile and take my agreed upon cut. It’s a good business.”

“I never asked nor agreed to come back so if you are waiting for a price from me, I wouldn’t hold my breath.” I say trying to hold some composure as I sit up and start dusting myself off.”

“I would not ask for a price as someone else made the deal. However, are you willing to let the Mr. Easterman Mayor of the great town of Golden Gulch get away with his crimes and not only that leave him unhindered to commit more? Do you wish other families to be in the same situation as your Brother’s family? You were in jail for a while awaiting the judge and his sentencing and you weren’t allowed any visitors by the new sheriff. I bet you don’t even know what's left of his family, what they have been reduced to to make ends meet. Can you abandon them as well?” He says, noticing the look in my eyes. “I thought not,” he says, facing me. His face was still covered in shadow. He throws a package at me. “It's a cavalry pistol corporal like the one you had in the army, with some shot. That should help you get started and I would recommend you wear something to cover your neck scar. He turns to take his leave and holds up his right arm and waves. “Say Hi to the Mayor for me Mr. West…” he then turns and cocks his head and makes that smile again, “and may justice be done.” he then starts chuckling and leaves the cave for me to contemplate the situation in silence.