The Wicked Way

By Papa

When his Aunt Becky drags Ben out to Colorado to help with her archeological dig, Lyse, Bell, and Carson tag along. Soon, chaos follows; Lyse is fighting with Bell, Ben is running off, and him and Carson are attacked by a deranged Native American and the scorpions he controls, which only makes their stay a nightmare for his aunt.
But when Ben uncovers a map on a dead body the team digs up, he is literally off and running in search of treasure--after all the map has a big X on it.
With a homicidal cowboy and the crazy Scorpion Master--who also want the map--on their trail, Ben and Carson trek deep into the wilds of the San Juan mountains, braving spiders, scorpions, Native Americans, and a suspicious-acting Leprechaun (Maybe?) to find their fortune. However, the treasure they seek, isn't the treasure they find--it's so much more ... and also quite deadly!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Papa
• Release date: Apr 2, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370462728

Book preview

Prologue

Losing the Irish

In the year 1876, the people of Odd Springs were happy. They managed to grow beans, squash, corn and potatoes on the hard-scrub land well enough to feed themselves. They had dry roofs over their heads. And their children were growing up fine.

They were poor but content, and the town of Odd Springs endured only minor suffering, mainly from an abundance of red-heads, since all came from the same clan, and since all its inhabitants had an O in their last names, that same abundance resulted in overkill with a capital O. (This overkill of O was also the town’s one joke.)

The town had a sheriff named O’Malley and the sheriff had a deputy--also with the same last name, though spelled differently, the deputies’ being O’Mailey. Both men had red-hair, as was natural to the Irish.

And on the hundredth anniversary of the country they weren’t yet a part of--and wouldn’t be for another thirty days when Colorado would be made a state--the people of this tough land had ample reasons to celebrate their continued existence. The fourth of July was a week away and in anticipation, the town had ordered fireworks all the way from the land of China.

Most of the inhabitants had only a vague idea where that country lay, having lived their entire lives in a sheltered valley in the shadow of the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks mountain range in Ireland. Before moving to this hard, unforgiving land--land not unlike Ireland in that sense-- they lived a free though impoverished life--not unlike the one they lived now.

But none of them knew that on the morning of June, 28, 1876, disaster waited on them. A disaster that would forever alter their future.

Said disaster happened quickly for the small town of Odd Springs. And if Mrs. O’Leary’s ham hadn’t kicked over the lantern, the town might still exist today. But as in the way of all accidents, Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over the milk pail and Mrs. O’Leary tried to grab it, wherein she kicked over an oil lamp behind her knee.

Mrs. O’Leary lived about a mile out of town and no one in the town knew her barn on fire until they got up with the sun--Mrs. O’Leary got up with the chickens, which everyone knows are early risers--thus no one came to her aid. Her barn burned down in ten minutes.

Yet a lone spark wafted up into the air, a gust of wind blew on the spark, sustaining it, and pushed it towards town. The spark, not surprisingly, stayed true to its nature--sparks do that sometimes--and floated down on Mrs. O’Donnell’s cedar-shingled roof. A quite, pretty roof had the O’Donnell house--quite flammable and pretty dry.

In seconds, the flames from the house caught on the O’Reilly’s, her neighbor’s roof, and so on and so forth until the entire town became a conflagration.

The last thing to ignite in that 1876 fire, the town meeting hall, also stored the fireworks for the US Centennial celebration. So, while the people of O-town huddled in the open square around town hall, the town formerly known as Odd Springs burned down to a firework display of a grand scale.

To its inhabitants, it seemed as if their entire world had fallen into a pit of hell and the devil was celebrating.

Many believed it couldn’t get much worse.

Then the Indians arrived. They thought the fireworks were quite lovely.

Back then, in those unenlightened times, the Irish didn’t call them Native American’s; they called them savages and feared them more than the dwarves that haunted all Irish tales and they called Leprechauns. They didn’t call the Indians Leprechauns either but they feared them nonetheless.

The entire town of Odd Springs was standing amid the heart of their ruined town when the savages rode up. Fortunately, none of the settlers carried weapons; too busy grabbing buckets instead of guns to fight with, they huddled in the middle of town in fear for their lives.

The Indians looked menacing in their colorful clothing, with their bows and arrows, and stoic faces.

The town awaited their deaths.

The leader of the Indians looked around, spoke to those around him, who replied. The town understood none of what they said. Women began weeping when the Indians motioned for everyone to stand. Sheriff O’Malley began uttering a prayer for salvation.

Indians don’t like killing people, all life being sacred to them. They just get tired of people, the white eyes, (Although these settlers were green-eyed.) killing them and retaliate. Go back and look at the histories and you’ll see that most aggression from the Indians came from the white eyes, settlers in other words, first invading the Indian’s territory, putting up their odd-shaped homes, fencing off their land, and killing them, of course.

Unexpectedly, the savages stayed true to their noble hearts. The Irish, on the other hand, didn’t know this as the Indians lead them away.

No one in the town of Odd Springs was seen again … until later.

Chapter 1

The Town Now

The remnants of the town endured for over a hundred years. No one knew where its inhabitants went. Like many places in the west, a disaster happened and its residents decided to not rebuild. Not that they could. And in the year 2016, no one cared.

The town was an anachronism, lost in time. Its stories no longer relevant to the present. But the past has a way of repeating itself. Not in straight form, but something similar that once happened, might happen again.

And yet human nature still drove people to ponder what happened. Roanoke, Atlantis, Mesa Verde--all of those lost people. No one likes a mystery--unless they can solve it. And in a world full of mysteries, not many get solved, which only make people strive to explain it.

Hardly discernable, only the remnants of walls and stone foundations had outlasted the ravages of the town’s destruction; it left no one to tell the story of the hundred families that once had dwelled there, living peacefully in their struggle to build a life for themselves.

But soon someone would arrive; an ordinary person who would set about an extraordinary chain of events that would reclaim the story of these lost people, that would solve the mystery, tell the tale, the way the desert sometimes gave up her secrets, by simply allowing nature to take her course.

And to say nothing of also proving in the process that Leprechauns are nice people.

Chapter 2

Shuffled Off to Limbo

Ben heard his Aunt Becky say when he walked into the hallway, The only things he’ll need to worry about are snakes and scorpions. Which sounded like a lot to worry about to him. They have some pretty big scorpions in that part of the country. And that only made things worse.

It will do him good, his mother said. To get outdoors, away from the internet and video games.

Oh, don’t worry about that. Where we’ll be, he can’t log onto anything. Totally isolated. I have to use a sat phone when I’m out there. It’s all park, government lands, and a few ranches. Water is scarce up on the ridge but we’ll be okay.

And worse just got worser. I need to get out of this, he thought, frantically trying to devise a tactic to disentangle himself from his fate.

He’ll learn a bit of history. And if time permits, we’ll take a tour of the petroglyphs, said his Aunt Becky.

It was everything Ben hated; learning, drawing, and no internet. He felt like weeping. The only thing that would make it Armageddon was if she didn’t feed him. And that thought terrified him.

The archaeology might interest him too; he’ll learn the history of the Native Americans in the area. How they lived, what they used for food, how they made things.

His mother laughed at that but said nothing.

Then it’s settled?

Oh, yes. He should go--it’s near Mesa Verde National Park? Right?

Yes, northeast of it. We’re just off federal land.

Well then, take him for the summer.

Ben felt betrayed, felt shuffled off to limbo.

Chapter 3

Joining the Club

Ben was talking to his Dad about the up-coming, two-month dig with his Aunt, trying to get his Dad to get him out of it, when Bell spoke up, Hey, that sounds like fun. Can I come along?

Ben shrugged; he would gladly let her take his place. "I don’t know. Why would you want to?"

To learn about archaeology. And Mesa Verde sounds fun.

Kris said, Honey, I don’t think you can go along with Ben. He’s going with his Aunt Becky.

An archaeologist at the University of Colorado, Becky stayed in the field eight months out of the year. In the short time Kris had been married to Ben’s mother, Becky had only visited them twice.

But it’s archeology, Bell said, as if that made things easier.

I don't know, honey.

Accepting it, Bell shrugged and went to her room to do whatever sixteen-year-old girls did in their rooms. Paint their toe nails or their hair. Her and Lyse did that enough for both to be true.

Five minutes later, Lyse found him. I would like to go too, she said.

What? Ben said. This was turning into a nightmare. Now why would you want to go?

Well, I’m a little bored, and it seems that wherever you go trouble finds you.

A rare compliment indeed. Why, thank you, Ben said.

Kris didn't look too happy about that comment, but his father let it go.

Ben thought warmly, this thing might be a lot more fun if I had Lyse there to torment.

But I’m warning you! No pranks!

Not a one, Ben said. Then he scrunched up his face, and said, Maybe one or two.

I’m warning you, Lyse said.

Me too, Ben replied.

Bell came into the room not ten seconds after Lyse left. Dad, why can’t I go on the dig with Ben? He goes on vacation with us.

Yeah, but his mother isn’t your mother. They might not want ya’ll to go.

"That’s not fair.

There’s nothing fair about it. She’s Ben’s aunt, not yours.

She stomped off, mad.

Not five seconds after Bell left, Carson came into the room.

Can I go with them too?

Kris scratched his head, I don’t know son. Becky isn’t your aunt. He felt weary just explaining it.

Why do you want to go on an archaeological dig, Carson? Ben asked.

I like digging too, his little brother said.

Ben thought, well, if I’m going, things won’t get boring with them along. Who knows what we’ll get into? He warmed to the idea.

Five seconds after Carson left the room, all three children were again standing in front of their father. Can we, at least, ask her? Bell said. She must’ve been elected spokesman for the labor group.

Chrissy, their Mom, and Ben’s step mom walked into the room. Now, that’s Ben’s family he’s staying with. Ya’ll don’t need to be horning in on his fun.

The more Ben thought about it, the more he wanted them along now.

Wait a minute. Let my call my aunt and see first? Ben said. All she can say is no.

He made the call.

I don’t know? his aunt said when Ben asked if he could bring his three siblings along with him. But when he mentioned Bell’s name, Becky said, Hey, isn’t she?

Becky Duggard loved children the way a woman without children loved them; that is, she had no idea how much work was involved. She wanted the experience of children, in an idealized way. (Becky didn’t have any, her entire life dedicated to science.) But she planned on teaching in the future, and so she needed practice handling children.

And gaining the ability to deal with teenagers, also intrigued Becky. The eldest girl, Lyse, was seventeen and Bell, at sixteen, would be starting at MIT next year. Becky needed exposure to children that age, if only to understand their opinions and attitudes towards things. This might be a learning experience for her as well….

And getting Bell out there might turn into a good thing. It might get the dig a small amount of publicity. Girl Scientist Takes Up Archeology! she imagined the local paper’s story. This might prove a valuable experience, she thought …. The more Becky thought about it, the more the idea grew on her too.

The loaded potential of the experience decided the matter for her. Becky said, Sure, they're welcome--if their parents sign a waiver and pay for it. It’s not that much money but I can’t support four kids on my salary.

The news delighted the children.

I’ll use my money from my job, Lyse offered. And quit!

And there’s some Christmas money left, Bell added. (That’s what they now called the gold they’d found in Galveston.) It took maybe ten minutes of haggling with their parents before they relented.

Kris and Chrissy Wildermuss agreed with a shocking attitude towards it. A summer without kids! both exclaimed to their children’s stunned