Nightwalker

Page 51

Construction equipment was everywhere around town. The old ghost town was coming into a life it had never known before. Whatever was being dug or built, however, the cemetery wasn’t to be touched. The Paiute had a great respect for the dead.
At the cemetery, Ringo directed them to his grave. He gave Dillon a solemn handshake, then said, “What the hell!” and hugged him. He kissed Jessy one last time. “Be happy,” he told her. “Keep strong, and be brave, just as you are. And never forget kindness. Be generous and kind to all around you, nightwalker,” he said.
She nodded and set flowers on his grave as he turned away. The sun was setting, but the evening was suddenly ablaze with a beam of light. Ringo walked toward the light as Dillon and Jessy watched him.
Then the light faded and Ringo was gone.
Dillon tilted Jessy’s chin and brushed her lips with a kiss. “We’ll do as he asked,” he told her softly. “We’ll live bravely and generously, and remember the lessons of the past.”
She smiled. “Live, learn and love,” she told him.
He smiled and brushed her lips with his again. Then, hand in hand, they walked away and left Indigo behind them.