"Aquila the Eagle"
Echoes From The Past (Part IV)
I shook my head in wonder,and headed for the back
of the Pioneertown Palace, in the direction that
the sounds seemed to have come from. Looking
through the windows, I saw that it was an open
air, Spanish style,
courtyard cantina, but walled in
completely, almost like a fortress. As I
turned the corner of the building, I caught the
aroma of an outdoor barbeque and again the sounds
of music and people having a good time. The
smell made me realize that all I had all day was
a cup of coffee and three cans of soda, three and
a half, if you count the one that was in the
phone booth.
But each time I passed one of the many windows in
the wall, and looked in to try to get a better
look at the interior, the sounds stopped,
although the smell of the barbeque lingered on.
All I could hear was the wind.
The rest of the interior was as beat up and
decrepit as the saloon sign. Dilapidated benches
and tables and a roof that was no longer a roof.
Just the support beams. It was obvious that this
part of the "Palace" had not seen any use in a
very long time. But I had heard the sounds and
smelled the aroma of the barbeque and this was
the kind of place that would have been used for
just that purpose. Or was the laughter and the
music only echos from the past? I
could still smell the cooking meat, although the
sounds of revelry had stilled completely, and I
decided to find the source of the mystery
barbeque. As I turned the corner of the next
building, I saw the whole town laid out before
me. In
another part of town were several buildings that
must have been houses, although it appeared that
nobody had lived in them for ages. Rickety structures that looked
like a good strong wind, the kind that blew
constantly through Pioneertown, would topple to
the ground.
(A Ghost Story)
I was hungry, and I thought to
my self "At least maybe I can get something to
eat and drink and then inquire about getting the
flat fixed".
I reached one
very large opening in the wall and finally got an
unobstructed view of the interior. There was
nothing going on in this cantina, In fact, it
looked like it had been a long, long time since
anyone had been in it. The opposite wall was
evidently the back entrance to the "Palace" and
had an old beat-up sign that said
"Under the Moon Saloon"
There were buildings of every description,
a gunsmith, a saloon, the
infamous Red Dog Saloon, another
saloon, this one called The Likker Barn
At
the end of one street was the hulk of an old
covered wagon
At one house that looked better
cared for than the others, the barbeque smell
was more noticeable. The door was slightly ajar
and I thought I heard the sounds of children
giggling behind it.
"Hello", I said, as I
knocked on the partially open door. "Anybody
home?"
At that, the giggling stopped. I
pushed the door still further open, continuing to
call. As the door of the house swung back I saw that it
was completely empty. But the aroma permeated
the entire building.
