The green lights didn’t linger long. The world seemed to reboot all at once. In the distance, the old man by the fountain stood up slowly. Jasper and Daniel followed him with their eyes. He went to his chair, grabbed it with one hand, turned the other way, and began trudging off in an unknown direction, dragging the chair behind him.
The door behind the technicians closed and latched shut. The birds took flight again, their calls filling the air. Silver barked.
“Ah, you little traitor,” Jasper said, bending down to pet him. The dog flopped onto the ground and offered its belly. Jasper scratched it. “It’s a bit weirder now, knowing they’re watching me all the time.”
“Enough, Jas. We should’ve figured it out sooner. It’s normal they wouldn’t leave their creations to chance. If you were in their shoes…”
“I wonder what happened last night if they were ready to step in. One of ours must’ve been involved in something.”
“It must’ve blown over since they didn’t come in.”
Silver was still rolling around in the dirt, paws in the air. He reminded Daniel of the dog he’d had before meeting Ema. Ema didn’t like animals. Well, she liked them, but not in her house. She’d always treated them kindly—fed the strays, cried when she saw one standing alone in the rain. But when it came to bringing a cat or dog home, her attitude toward the critters shifted. Generally speaking, she didn’t want to clean up after them or worry if they were hungry. Daniel was starting to think that might be why they still didn’t have a kid, even after nearly ten years together.
“Hey, you two!”
The voice was familiar. Jake stood at the door of his sheriff’s house, leaning against the frame with one hand. He wore just a shirt and pants. His boots were missing, and his hat hung on the inside of the door. They’d built a certain nonchalance and sloppiness into his character. Daniel had seen cowboy movies, and a real sheriff wouldn’t let himself look like that. While the others were meticulous about their clothes and appearance, this one didn’t care as much.
“Sheriff, we were looking for you,” Jasper said, slipping back into the town’s movie vibe.
“You’ll have to wait for me, boys. Best head to the center.” Jake pointed toward the fountain. “And pick yourselves some good weapons.”
“Weapons? We don’t have weapons.”
“What kind of sheriffs are you gonna be without weapons? Ever shot anything at all?”
“Didn’t we talk about this last night, Sheriff? My friend here’s killed a bear from a hundred paces.”
“Yeah, yeah… a bear. I remember. Still, you two seem fishy to me, boys. But I need young deputy sheriffs. Though you’ll have to slim down.”
“Can’t slim down—I’ve got big bones.”
Sheriff Jake stared at them for a long moment. His system couldn’t process Jasper’s comment. Daniel couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.
“Jake, you there?”
“Wait for me at the fountain, boys. And bring your revolvers,” he repeated.
Jasper waved a hand dismissively.
“Jas, let it go. We’ll figure something out.”
“Got any ideas, brother?”
“Nope. We’ll wait for him at the fountain and see what happens. He can’t kill us, which is the main thing.”
“Yeah. But we could end up a laughingstock in front of everyone.”
“In front of who, Jas? Just the guests. The others are…”
“Don’t say it. We agreed not to call them that.”
“Then you’re right. We’ll be a joke.”
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
People were starting to gather around the fountain. Two middle-aged women with black gloves were chatting about something while a few kids ran around in front of them. Three gentlemen stood in a circle, talking quietly and eyeing their surroundings as if plotting something. They wore newer, fancier clothes than the usual rustic garb most folks around here had on. An older man with a dirty beard, peasant clothes, and a rifle sat on the porch of his house overlooking the fountain. Every so often, he’d peer through the rifle barrel, aim it at someone, then pull back and shake his head as if threatening them. And he kept doing it, over and over. They really needed to mix up their movements a bit.
Jasper and Daniel sat by the fountain where there were the fewest people.
“Have you noticed the robots rarely come up to start a conversation, Jas? Or if they do, it’s because of something we’ve already talked about.”
“But they remember every chat with every single person. That’s what impresses me most.”
“Yeah. At first, I thought they’d just be like chatbots. They’d have rehearsed lines they’d repeat until you got so fed up you’d walk away.”
“Me too. But I came here to see what it’s like to screw a robot.”
“And how was it?” Daniel teased him.
“Turns out you need money for that too.”
The two women they’d met on the train were heading their way, holding hands. The dark-skinned one walked a little ahead. She had blue earrings. The blonde smiled at every word she said, occasionally brushing her shoulder against hers. They didn’t stop until they were standing right in front of them.
“We heard there’s gonna be a party here. Know anything about it?” Both were grinning.
“Who told you that?”
“Madam Violet. She’s telling all the guests something interesting’s about to happen here. But she doesn’t know what. That’s the talk around town.”
“Well, if she said it…” Jasper glanced nervously toward the sheriff’s house. “How’d you two enjoy last night?”
The dark-skinned woman looked at her friend, and they gave each other a playful smile.
“We had some fun.”
“I’m talking about something more fun than what you usually get up to.”
“And what do you think we usually get up to?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been with two at once. Though I’ve wanted to.”
“We were three.”
“Three? Excuse me?”
“Poor thing. This place offers endless possibilities.”
“Yeah, I got that, but they asked me for a hundred gold coins. Where am I supposed to get those?”
“You haven’t been paying close enough attention. Look around.”
Jasper scanned the area.
“I don’t see anything.”
“All these people are here for a reason. Everyone’s got a story.”
“We figured that out ourselves.”
“So? Haven’t you jumped into one?”
“Stick around a bit longer, and you’ll see,” Daniel chimed into their conversation. “But it’s not exactly about gold coins.”
“That’s your problem. No one’s gonna hand you money just like that. You’ve got to earn it.”
“And how’d you do it?”
The two exchanged another glance.
“Well, truth be told, through Madam Violet.”
“How? All she offered me was a chance to grope one of her girls.”
“Clara? I saw you. Clara’s juicy, sure, but she’s one of the priciest.”
“I don’t even have a single gold coin.”
“We offered to work for Madam Violet, but I’d only service women.”
“One of the guests?”
“No, of course not. The local women in town want special attention too. You’re not paying close enough attention, like I said.” The two smiled at each other again. “When one of the locals came in, we just chatted with her. And that was that.”
“And she slept with you?”
“With me. But then she joined in too,” the dark-skinned one said, pointing at her curly-haired friend, who grinned at every word.
“And the local didn’t mind?”
“Of course not. Same-sex stuff isn’t some new invention. And the tricks that local lady could do—like a magician.”
“I thought I’d be the first…” Jasper actually sounded disappointed.
“Well, no such luck. But their parts feel real, I can assure you.”
Jasper kept darting looks between Daniel and the two women. Daniel laughed at every glance. He knew his friend. He always acted like this when it came to bedroom antics. But the two women in front of them got him thinking. The gold coins weren’t going to fall from the sky. They’d have to earn them somehow. Up until now, he’d assumed it was because of the test period they were in. But maybe they just needed to get more creative.
“Lazy bums!” Jake shouted from a distance.
He was walking toward them, a revolver in each hand. This time, his hat and boots were in place, and dust kicked up behind him. The two women stepped back with smiles on their faces. Jasper and Daniel stood.
“Get up and get ready!”
There were already quite a few people around the fountain.