Fool's Gold: Ghost Town

Author's Note: This is a flash contribution to the historical romance event, Wine and Old Lace. It could probably fit in several categories but Romance is where it where it ended up. Sorry but there's no sex in this one, it's too short for a sex scene to really add anything to the story.

It's set in a little mining town in Colorado during its gold and silver rushes of the late 1800's. There are a few uncommon terms used in this story. A "wag-tail" and a "mab" are derogatory Old West terms for a prostitute, and having sex was called "pirooting". The last unusual term is explained in the story.

Thanks to outofshadows,kimi1990 and blackrandl1958 for their beta reading and editing. They made this so much better! Ladies, my deepest thanks. Of course any errors are mine since I naturally have to mess with the story before I submit it!

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Colorado Rockies -- 1870's

He watched her from the shadows as she sat at one of the saloon's old wooden tables. The early morning rays of sunshine gave her an otherworldly glow as it revealed countless flakes of dust dancing in the air. Her long curly black hair was pulled back, and her worn skirt and blouse told of better days. Beside her was her traveling bag, stuffed full of those things she held most valuable. He knew she would soon be leaving, and it both broke his heart and gave him joy at the same time.

It warmed him that she'd finally be leaving, since her health depended on it. Still, it pained him knowing that he wasn't going to be able to go with her. It was a journey she'd have to make without him. Both of them hoped and prayed he'd be able to join her soon.

In the meantime, he enjoyed watching her. He was trying to memorize every gesture, every nuance, every feature of her face.

She slowly scanned the once loud and bustling saloon. At this time of the morning it was as quiet as a church on Monday. She knew that later there would be signs of life, however, it would never come close to matching the saloon's heyday just a couple of years back.

Now the saloon, along with the entire little town, was on its deathbed. Its patrons were drying up just as fast as the gold and silver mines in the area. Several years ago the town had boomed overnight, but now it was soon destined to be a bust, a ghost town. Its inhabitants had begun leaving a year before, and now the floodgates were open and people were leaving in droves.

She knew she should've left long ago when the town doctor had warned her, but moving to another state cost money, money she didn't have. Even now, it was probably too late. The coughing spells were more frequent and much more severe. Even if she could get to Arizona, there was no guarantee it would help her condition.

She felt him before she saw him.

"Zachariah?" she whispered.

"I'm here," he said gently as he stepped out of the shadows.

She smiled as she heard the love in his voice. She looked at him and her smile grew larger.

He was a shorter man. He was only a couple inches taller than her five-and-a-half-foot height. He was slight but muscular, a common attribute of miners. His full beard masked a contagious smile, and his oversized hat hid his warm eyes. What made her heart warm was his attire, not what he was wearing, but what was missing.

He had donned the standard garb of the day. The heavy britches tucked inside the sturdy work boots, held up with suspenders and a simple woolen or cotton shirt. What was missing was the sweat stained clothes and the total covering of dust that marked a person who spent most of their life underground!

Simply stated... he'd cleaned up for her departure.

"We're you spying on me?" she said grinning.

"Of course," he softly chuckled "I always love looking at you."

She snorted and slowly shook her head. She was very much aware of her appearance. It was a natural extension of her profession. She knew she had an average face and that her body, which had once been considered lush, was now sagging and soft. She was aging much faster than her thirty-four years of age. Her lifestyle had taken its toll on her body and soul.

Still, men desired her. Her large breasts called out to them like a beacon in the night. Her easy laugh and quick smile still afforded her a living. There was little extra money nowadays but she never went hungry. She thought back to the wave upon wave of faceless men she'd entertained over the past twenty years.

It wasn't the life she'd have chosen for herself. When she was growing up she'd dreamed of seeing the world. Those were dreams of a young girl who was stuck cleaning and working in her aunt's boardinghouse. The music and life of the local saloon had always called her and when she'd grown, and developed, she'd gotten a job there.

The nightly noise and laughter had quickly seduced her and she was certain she'd found her new home. She loved the attention she'd received from the men there. Her breasts had developed early, and she was quite well endowed even before her eighteenth year. Her job was to flirt, wait on, and encourage the patrons to drink more. She wasn't expected to sleep with the patrons; however, she had gone upstairs with more than a few.

One young man had been particularly enamored by her charms and she'd had feelings for him, as well. He came from a mildly influential family who were appalled at their romance. They quickly dashed any dreams she'd had of becoming a respectable lady. Unfortunately, her suitor wouldn't give up and one night found her in the lap of a customer. The customer was an older, rougher man with a reputation of being violent. Abby hadn't cared for the man, but he was still a patron.

Her young lover became jealous and attacked him. The man stabbed him and then fled. Abby held her young man in her arms as he died there on the saloon floor. His family was enraged and blamed the saloon and Beth. She was fired the next day and run out of town.

Heartbroken and angry, she'd drifted west, working in saloons as she went. Each one seemed to be of lower and lower class, and their expectations of taking care of customers led to more and more nights of loveless sex. By the time she's reached Dodge City, she was more prostitute than saloon girl.

She'd completely given in to her fate when she joined a troupe of women who followed the miners from boomtown to boomtown when gold was discovered in the Colorado Rockies. The money was very good when the gold was flowing, and very poor when the mines played out. The living conditions, the constant battle of diseases and the continuous emotional bleeding of a woman's soul usually led to a very early grave. Beth realized she was both blessed and cursed to have survived for many years longer than most of the girls she'd known.

Then two years ago, he'd entered her life and things changed.

"I've never understood why, Zach," she softly. "I thank the heavens every night you chose me, but there were several of the girls that were younger and prettier than me. Any one of them would've been happy to take you to their bed and show you a good time.

"Why you wasted your coin on me was a mystery. You've could've had so much better than a used up old mab!"

"Stop right there, woman!" he growled.

She was taken back when saw his usually warm gentle brown eyes flash. He was always the quiet reserved fellow, but the anger she now saw let her know she'd gone too far. Panicking she tried to make amends.

"I'm sorry, please forgive me," she said quickly as her eyes filled with tears.

His anger melted off of him like snow off a branch in the early-Spring sunshine. His eyes began to brim with tears as he saw her begin to cry.

"Elizabeth, please. I'm sorry, too. Of course you're forgiven. It's just hard for me to hear you speak that way. It's as if you believe I've wasted all my love on some worthless wag-tail. Do you believe I've wasted the last two years of my life loving you?"

She wiped her eyes and barked out a small laugh. "No, but sometimes I wish you'd have chosen someone better --"

"I don't!" he interrupted. "I don't have one damn regret for ever loving you!"

He sighed deeply and sat down across from her.

"Beth, I don't know how to explain what you've given me. Your love means more to me than all the gold in these mountains. You brought a light into my dark lonely life. I'd spent years in solitude, searching for riches in these mountains. I hadn't realized how empty my life was until I met this pretty woman with a beautiful smile and a laugh that was straight from heaven.

"When I spent that first night in her arms... I swear... I almost gave up my claim just to be with her. I ain't stupid, I knew what she was. I was jealous as hell, but I understood. I knew we couldn't be together without money. We couldn't live on just love. Soon we'd both be starving, so I went back to my mine and worked harder.

"When I came back a couple weeks later, the angels must have been singing. She not only remembered me, but the night I spent with her wasn't just pirooting... it was something more."

Beth smiled, remembering that night. It was the night she'd found something she'd thought she'd lost... hope.

"I was already falling for you," she said warmly. "I was terrified. You'd touched my heart and had reminded me of what I was missing. Before you, I was numb. My heart had turned to stone. Luckily I found this miner..."

They both laughed.

"Zach, you're my guardian angel!" she said softly.

"But I failed you," he whispered.

"No, darlin'. You brought me back to life!"

She saw the tears begin to slowly seep from his eyes. They slowly made their way down his rugged face until they disappeared into his beard.

"I'm sorry Beth," he croaked, his voice full of emotion. "I tried my... I tried my damnedest to find enough silver to allow you to leave earlier. I'd prayed that vein would be rich enough to get us both to Arizona, or at least allow you to go. But it... it wasn't."

"Hush my love," she cooed, "it's all right. In the end, I got to spend more time with the man I love."

Zach looked at the sunlight peeking into the saloon. He could tell it was mid-morning, the scheduled time for the daily stage to leave. With a sad sigh he looked back at Beth.

"I reckon it's about time, my love," he said softly.

Beth nodded and tried to wipe away her tears.

"I don't want to go," she said as she began crying again. "I don't want to leave you!"

"I know, sweetheart," he stated gently, "but it's time."

"Zack," she whispered, "I'm scared!"

"I am, too. But I'll see you soon and we'll be together then."

Beth slowly got up from the table and picked up her traveling bag. Timidly she walked over to the door and opened it. The intense sun poured in and lit up the dank little saloon.

She turned and peered into his eyes.

"I love you, Zachariah, with all my heart! Don't you forget me!"

"I love you, too, Elizabeth, and I could never forget you. You're a part of me and always will be."

She spun around quickly and stepped out into the blinding sunlight.

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Epilogue -- Present Day

The children's voices drifted on the wind; their squeals and laughter dancing across the mountain meadow. Their parents sat on the picnic blanket and soaked up the incredible scenery.

Soon, the boy and girl ran over to them. Their playful argument brought smiles to the adults.

"Are not!" the girl shouted.

"Are too!" taunted her older brother.

"Are not!" she laughed and yelled back at him.

"Just ask Dad!" the boy replied.

"Daddy!" the ten year old girl stated, trying her hardest to pout and look annoyed at the same time. "There's no such thing as ghosts, right?"

"I don't know, sweetheart," her father said trying to hide his smile, "there are so many things out there we can't explain!"

"Daddy!" she squealed.

"Robert!" his wife warned.

"What?" He exclaimed grinning. "Every respectable ghost town has to have ghosts!"

"So, does this one?" his son asked.

"Sure, quite a few, in fact! Most sightings around here are of a man and a woman. Sometimes they're seen in the old hotel but usually over there in the old saloon!"

All four looked over at the dilapidated old building, half expecting to see something supernatural. What they saw was one of several dark wooden frames sticking up like tombstones out of the scenic Colorado countryside. They were the last reminders that a town had once lived and thrived there.

"They refer to them as the Miner and the Saloon Girl," the man continued.

"A Saloon Girl?" the woman snickered.

"Hey, there are children present, so this is the Disney version!" He laughed. "Anyway, legend has it that back during the Colorado Gold Rush a miner fell in love with a... saloon girl."

His wife barely muffled her laugh.

"Unfortunately, she got very sick. Back then, they didn't have the necessary medicine to cure her, so the best they could do was tell her to move to another state where the dry air was better for her. But that cost money, money she didn't have. So the Miner dug deeper and faster trying to strike it rich so that he could take her to Arizona.

"Very few miners ever struck it rich. Most found gold or silver, but never enough the make them rich and many were forced to give up when they were broke and starving. The Miner wasn't lucky either and ended up being a Tommy Knocker!"

"What's that?" both children asked in unison.

"That's what they call the ghosts of miners who have died in a cave-in. Their spirits are said to keep knocking on the walls, hoping to be rescued. Well the Miner dug too deep and too fast, and he died when his mine shaft collapsed on him, burying him in the mountain!

"The Saloon Girl was crushed. Still she tried to save all the money she could but it was never enough. She died before she could ever go to Arizona."

"That's so sad!" the girl cried.

"Is that why they're ghosts?" the boy asked, now enthralled by his father's story.

"Yep!" their father grinned. "Now they're seen walking hand-in-hand down the street or in the hotel. But they're never apart, always together.

"All right everyone, let's head back to the Jeep! We need to make sure we're out of here before the sun goes down!"

"Aww Dad!" the duo moaned together.

"Afraid of ghosts?" his son teased.

"Nope!" the father replied smiling, "just trying not to become one. The drive up here was hard enough, I don't want to chance things driving back down at night."

"Come on kids!' the mother said, nodding in agreement. "Let's pack up the gear and clean up the campsite."

She walked over and snaked her arms around her husband and gave him a warm embrace.

"You know," she said softly, "maybe they ended up striking it rich after all."

He reached down and gave her a gentle kiss.

"I hope so," he whispered. "I'd like to think they did."

The family loaded up their Jeep and began the scenic but rough journey back to civilization. As they drove over the first ridge, a gust of wind picked up some dust as it snaked its way through the rotting remains of the ghost town.

When it reached the old hotel porch, it revealed the forms of a man and a woman standing arm-in-arm. The faint outline of a bearded man stood next to a woman in a dress from a bygone time. With no human eyes watching, two faded faces turned and smiled contently as they watched the beautiful Colorado Rockies sunset.

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