There are always going to be detractors, those who want to see someone like myself, Drake Hemingway, The Connection and Konrad fail at every juncture on our path to change and the evolution of this business. The oxymoron to all of this is those who complain and constantly whine about the tactics of The Jackals, we hear it every single day, a repetitive conception based on opinions and not facts. When a wild animal is being hunted, they will do anything and everything to defend themselves, that is when we go against our natural inhibitions in order to survive in a landscape where the masses want us gone, they think we are bad for business, one which since I arrived always catered to the bourgeoisie who go out of their way to make this all about themselves and no one else, yet we are the ones who are the villains. Greed is a manifestation of an overwhelming desire to want something for your own, no matter how it is attained, yet there isn’t one person that sees anything wrong with it.
My mother told me a story once about a Rose and an Amaranth which blossomed side by side in a garden, and the Amaranth said, “How I envy your beauty and your sweet scent! No wonder you are such a universal favorite.” See, the Rose replied with a shade of sadness in her voice, “Ah, my dear
friend, I bloom but for a time: my petals soon wither and fall, and then I die. But your flowers never fade, even if they are cut; for they are everlasting.” Do you see Superman? Greatness carries its own penalties.
ASHES TO ASHES….
CHAPTER ONE
The mystery of life has always been in the family and company you keep. There are those who rely on every single acquaintance for something, needy in their own existence, yet cannot do anything for themselves, they are not free thinkers, simply coveting their own time into while taking advantage at what can be construed as lessons learned, but not everyone is teachable. My father was a great man once and even better leader. I looked up to John Goddard, he is what many call a Gypsy King, but never with the royal bloodline flowing through him. He instead became a zealot, his voice was like music in the ears of the weak-minded, they would listen to anything and everything he would speak of, taking his world for gospel, even my mother supported him though I don’t know if she actually believed in everything he spoke of. My mother was a gentle soul, she trusted my father and his old, neanderthal ways, cutting himself off from the outside world to live in the Compound known as Tombstone….
…. And this is why she is dead.
My father killed my mother with his stubborn beliefs, and I will never forgive him for it.
Tombstone
Somewhere In Texas
Finding a form of transportation has always been fun in my life. I don’t drive a car; it has been busses and hitching rides where I can. Surprised I haven’t been found strangled naked on some embankment off the main road. It never bothered me to find my own way to get around, as the buss pulled up to the lonely stop off Route 12, even the bus driver looked at me a bit funny. Stepping out, all I could see were the tumble weeds, the warm wind picking up the brush.
Bus Driver: Young lady, ya sure this is where you wanna be let off? Ain’t nothing out here fer miles.
Says the old rotund driver with the bushy white mustache which I must admit, was quite amusing and adorable to care for this fiery orange haired vixen in black leather pants, halter top and boots, I don’t think he has come across women like me very often.
Minerva: I appreciate it kind sir, but I know where I am going, Thank you.
Bus Driver: Alright, good luck!
He said in his Texas draw as the doors to the bus closed and he drove away. I was alone and it was time to walk down this desolate and lonely highway. It was about a 3-mile walk. As I started to make my way toward Tombstone that was in the middle of nowhere, when suddenly not 500 feet stepped, I hear sirens….
Shit.
Turning around I see the Sheriff pull up, he was one person I was hoping of not seeing. Slowly turning around, lowering my sunglasses, it was him, Sheriff Lane Austin. As he gets out of the car, I was hoping he didn’t recognize me….
Sheriff Austin: Hello Minnie.
Fuck.
Minerva: Sheriff Austin, long time no see.
Sheriff Austin: It has been, what, two years or so? Nice hair.
Minerva: Thanks.
Sheriff Austin: Here ta see the old man?
Why else would I be here, asshole?
Minerva: Yes, I am. Well, I need to be going now, I have a very long walk.
As I turned around to leave, I knew he would insist on taking me there, and while he was an attractive man, he was also a prick…
Sheriff Austin: You’re not gonna walk four-mile sand mess up them pretty feet now? Those don’t look like good walkin’ boots, Minnie. Come on, I’ll give ya a ride. Take us a few minutes, also drive ya through town, see all the new changes.
Minerva: It’s been a long journey, Sherriff. I rather walk and enjoy the scenery.
Sheriff Austin: Nonsense, come on.
He took my backpack, and I knew that I didn’t have much of a choice. Much as I wanted to hit him with a crowbar, that was not possible, no way I’ll end up in some po-dung small town prison. Instead, I nodded, getting into the car, the last time I was in here…
Sheriff Austin: Took a long time fer yer smell ta escape this care the last time ya were in here. Still the same I see, but ya have grown up ta be a very beautiful woman.
Minerva: Thanks?
Sheriff Austin: I get the feelin’ yer a little uncomfortable around me.
What I would do to slap this man right now if I knew he wouldn’t draw his gun. Instead, this was about playing along, that was it, there was nothing else to it. I sat there quietly fiddling my thumbs, careful I didn’t scratch my black polish. Looking away was the only solace I had in the car. He reached for his snuff can, such a fucking nasty habit…
Sheriff Austin: Now we ain’t talkin’?
Again, trying to ignore him proved to be difficult as he finally veered off the highway into town, I hated this fucking place with a passion, it was like living in absolute hell. One of the reasons I left, and my father could never accept that, but when my mother died it was time to leave and become a woman on my own, suddenly he pulled to the side and put the car on park….
Minerva: I’m not sucking your dick again, Sheriff.
Sheriff Austin: Is that what this is about? Why yer givin’ me the cold shoulder?
Finally, I turned to face him…
Minerva: Are you being serious right now? You locked up Sundown and was going to throw away the fucking key! Sundown was like my second father, an uncle that I didn’t have, what YOU should have been. I was given no choice in the matter; it was the only way you would have released him. Big Sheriff Austin, the law of Courtland County. You were supposed to protect Tombstone from the outsiders and the only person I needed protection from was you. If you think for one second I’m pleasuring you again….
Sheriff Austin: Stop! Just fuckin’ stop right there Minnie. We are kin, we have always been kin and do ya think I don’t know why yer here? Every day at 4 o’clock sharp I park my car behind that ol’ Texaco sign waitin’ ta see who or what steps off that bus in the middle of nowhere. If it’s a drifter, I make sure that he goes through me first before getting’ anywhere near town or Tombstone. Coyote Flats is a peaceful place, we stick ta our own, ya know that Minnie. When I saw ya step out of that bus, I knew that somethin’ big was about ta happen, as I follow what is going on.
Minerva: Do you, knowing that what my father built along with the rest of the Gypsy Clan is about to be destroyed and burned to the ground that we won’t even be able to find what we lost in the fire within piles of ash? Maybe you have constantly turned a blind eye for years Sheriff Austin, but my mother trusted you! My mother would tell me how good a man you were and instead you basically force me to….
Sheriff Austin: ENOUGH!
Did that son of a bitch just cut me off?
Sheriff Austin: We live behind walls and in secrecy, that has always been my job ta protect Tombstone from outsiders, drifters and gorgers! What do ya expect from me!? I have kept this place safe for over 20 years, and the last man that even came close ta Tombstone…. Well, I don’t need ta tell ya anymore. I AM THE LAW HERE MINNIE! I am the reason this place has stood together! Yer daddy is a crazy old bastard, he has lost the fuckin’ plot and that is why I have tried ta make his life a livin’ hell every time them boys, yer brothers or when Sundown was around, ta take them apart and discourage any of them from wanderin’ off! Yeah, ya gave me head, yeah it felt good, but it was a price ya needed ta pay fer ya were going off the deep end too! And if ya think Gunari and Azalea are gonna help ya!? They want Tombstone fer themselves!
Minerva: TOMBSTONE BELONGS TO ME!
Screaming from the top of my lungs, I had finally lost it, slowly calming down I spoke with a little more patience and apathy…
Minerva: Tombstone did belong to me, it always had but my father he couldn’t handle that I had evolved from his old, prehistoric ways, slowly losing grip of the clan with his backwoods, never evolving methods that simply didn’t work. If you know why I am here, then you know I cannot allow this to happen.
He looked at me and nodded, for once Sheriff Austin and I seemed to be on the right page, at least on the topic of my father…..
Minerva: Mr. Gunari and Azalea have only helped me in my cause, they are the reason I know now that royal blood flows through my veins. I am a Gypsy Princess; I should be the heir to Tombstone, and you damn well know it!
Sheriff Austin: Listen ta me, We both know that, but Gunari and Azalea want the throne and Tombstone fer themselves.
I wasn’t going to listen to this nonsense, stepping out of the car, I grabbed my backpack and slammed the door shut. I could hear him scrambling out to chase me down, but as I only was able to get about twenty feet, he blocked my way….
Minerva: Step aside Sheriff.
Sheriff Austin: Listen ta me, what happened in the past, happened in the past. I have worked out a deal with yer daddy fer years, but yer mother was like a sister ta me, we have always been kin, not by blood but by clan bond. Yer daddy has bastardized and destroyed everything that he has built for what? This is his way ta get ya back!? I have seen him deteriorate in the last year since ya left him. He’s a fragile and crippled old man that can’t lead anymore, but we know ya can. Problem is yer in with people that have been wanting ta overthrow yer daddy fer years. Ya know why Gunari wears that mask?
Slowly nodding, I did….
Minerva: Yes, my father scarred his face in the same type of challenge he has set me up with Chris Cannon. Technically I don’t have to do this, but if I don’t by rules of the clan I lose it all.
Sheriff Austin: And if ya lose ta that gorger?
Minerva: Then I still lose it all. Now please, get out of my way.
Sheriff Austin: Get in the car, I’ll drive ya through town and then we go see yer daddy.
Minerva: I’m not getting in that care with you Sheriff Austin.
Sheriff Austin: Okay, fine. Then I’ll arrest ya, that way ya can sleep it off in the cell fer a night and think about it.
That son of a bitch, I had a feeling he would do this, and so what choice did I have? I had to see my father, I needed to confront him. I wanted to barrel right through him, but instead I backed off, which I hate, because a normal man I would have kicked him in the balls and never look back, maybe even gouge his eyes out, but instead he had a power I couldn’t defend myself against, Sheriff Austin was the law…
Minerva: You wouldn’t.
Sheriff Austin: I would and this time no sexual favors would get ya out of it, so make up yer mind, jail or yer coming with me in the squad car?
Minerva: Do I really have a choice?
Sheriff Austin: No.
Without hesitation I turned and walked back to the car. Sitting there quietly, we drove off and headed to the compound. The town did change some in the last two years, but it was a quick pass. Once we drove through the gates, I could see the clan looking at me surprised I was there….
Sheriff Austin: They were not expectin’ ya. Also, yer daddy was huntin’ as of an hour ago, he was at Devil’s Crossing. He is gonna come back to a surprise.
Minerva: Good.
Twenty Minutes Later
Sitting in my father’s trailer, I waited patiently for him to arrive. Sheriff Austin stood next to me as I could hear the door. As he walked in, with my brothers Sawyer and Zachariah. The look on his face said it all when he saw me.
Goddard: Siobhan?
Minerva: You do not get to call me that anymore.
Goddard: Why are ya here?
Minerva: Is that really the stupid question? You know damn well why I am here.
Goddard: Lane.
Sheriff Austin: John.
Goddard: Why did ya bring her here, Lane.
Sheriff Austin: Ya know damn well why she is here John, maybe fer once ya need ta listen ta her.
Goddard: I always listened ta my daughter and….
That was enough, cutting him off quickly….
Minerva: You have never listened to me! Had you none of this would have happened! But instead, you allow for what I did to Peyton Rice to sway your judgment when I am the one who is your blood. Going to SCW all you did was become a gorger lover and brought in her sister into the compound and then protected her from what!? The moment I saw it, I knew you were lost. Sawyer? Zachariah… please leave.
My father turned to them and nodded, they walked out leaving me alone with him and Sheriff Austin. I could barely stand looking at him, I was disgusted, the anger and hate was flowing through my veins, I could feel myself shaking wondering if I could even speak probably or hold off from jumping at him and tearing his head off. After taking a few deep breaths, I focused on him….
Goddard: I am actually glad ya came.
Minerva: No, I didn’t come here to try and plead with you or ask for forgiveness, this was not about talking things out or returning home. I came here for ONE reason and simply put, I am the heir to your throne that doesn’t even belong to you, I am Gypsy Royalty, not those bastard sons or anyone here. What you did was blasphemy and further showing me that you don’t give a damn about your own blood! I wanted to see you one last time and ask why? Why a gorger like Chris Cannon? You couldn’t come talk to me, instead making deals with him behind my back? A gorger, this sacred land and you’re risking years to destroy what we built!?
Goddard: If I have to destroy it ta rebuild it so that ya come back, then I will.
Minerva: No old man, no. You lost me the minute mom died. When you allowed her to suffer, when you were so afraid of the outside world that she wanted us to be a part of, how dare you!? She died in vain, and you didn’t even fucking care!
Goddard: Yer mad at me, I get it but I never killed yer momma, I loved her! I was broken, still am! Every single day I walk through this compound, I miss her! I look at ya, and I see HER! My heart broke and part of me died, Minnie! Yer momma wouldn’t want this, she would want our family together!
Minerva: You’re right, she would want us together, until you betrayed me!
Goddard: I never did such a thing!
Minerva: YES, YES YOU DID! Everything we stood for, everything we fought for, everything we stood against and everything we believed in became bullshit. In the end you failed this compound and the people, because if Chris Cannon somehow finds a way to win? WE, not ME, not YOU but WE lose EVERYTHING! Can’t you see father, that I have been fighting this war you taught me to battle against when I was a little girl and now you turn on me, why!? Peyton fuckling Rice?! Sienna Swann or did we forget her father is the reason we were given nothing when they couldn’t treat her, and I blame you for waiting too long! Now it’s my fault that you put the future of this precious Tombstone in the hands of a man that will completely destroy it? No, I will not allow you to do that, this is MINE! My legacy, not Cannon’s!
I couldn’t control myself anymore, looking over at Sheriff Austin who nodded, it was like he was giving me the green light. I could see that my father had become an emotionally brittle old man, it was sad, pathetic and disappointing. I couldn’t face him anymore, slowly starting to walk out, he grabbed my arm, suddenly I pinned him against the wall, my elbow lodged on his neck…
Goddard: Go ahead, that’s what ya wanna do. GO AHEAD….. BREAK MY NECK!
Minerva: Do not tempt me, but I don’t want you dead, instead I want you to watch everything that you built be destroyed one way or the other. Through a gorger or through your daughter. I’m going to do this for my mother, because you took her away from me just like all of this will be taken away from you.
Backing up I let him go and walked out. Sheriff Austin I could see him looking down at my father, shaking his head before following me.
He wants to destroy Tombstone?
Fine, but not if I do it first.
SCENE FADES
When gazing at your reflection, in Gypsy lore it is said to be the portal into the soul, a transparency many do not want to peek at, terrified to learn what they will find. I am not afraid to see the real me, never hidden behind a cowl, mask or makeup, not once trying to disguise myself as something you rather Minerva be than what she really is. Popularity is an idiosyncrasy superstars get hung up on, attention getters who need the cheers and boos of the fans to fuel their passionate desires, where at the same token, they feed off the words of inspiration spoken by the peers of this business who became legendary and immortal in the Hall of Fame, but there is one individual who not once in her career based success on the awards and accolades won, the Most Valuable this or that, not pandering to the constant recognition needed to make this all about a legacy left or remembered. No popular choice, no hit the “like” button on anything I am on or produced, even watch or care about what I say or do, for the only person that matters?
Is me and The Jackals.
We are simply beginning….
… and for some?
It Ends.
Minerva 