{"id":17853,"date":"2018-06-01T23:58:02","date_gmt":"2018-06-02T03:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=17853"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:40:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:40:14","slug":"at-the-cliffs-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=17853","title":{"rendered":"At the Cliff’s Edge . . . (by A-P)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 Twelve-year-old Joe and Mitch are out exploring a cave when they meet Maybelle and Jean Williams.\u00a0 They soon come to know that Mrs. Williams is not at all what they thought, but the figure it out right At the Cliff\u2019s Edge…<\/em><\/p>\n

Written for the 2018 Ponderosa Paddlewheel Poker Tournament.\u00a0 The card \u201csuits\u201d were:<\/p>\n

Anatomy (body parts)
\nFears
\nWhat Women Want
\nThings Found in a Saddlebag<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0\u00a0 K+\u00a0 8,890 words<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>At the Cliff’s Edge . . .\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m falling. I do not dare open my eyes to see how much farther I\u2019ll descend into this seemingly endless fall. I\u2019m screaming. Yet no sound comes out of my mouth. Wait. I feel hands on me. I hear someone calling my name. It\u2019s Mitch! I\u2019m crying. I know he\u2019s crying because his tears fall on my face. I open my eyes and\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

\u201cMitch!\u201d I wake up with a start. I see Pa next to me on the bed. I know he\u2019s been trying to hold me down because his lip is bleeding and my knuckles hurt. Oops… it was probably me\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cPa what happened to your face?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were flailing your arms in your sleep and I didn\u2019t grab hold of you fast enough!\u201d He\u2019s joking, but he can\u2019t hide the concern from his voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, I\u2019ll be fine. You need to clean that lip up before it starts to swell,\u201d I get out of bed. When I get to the door I freeze in my tracks and the color drains from my face.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, are you okay?\u201d asks Pa.<\/p>\n

I go back over to my bed and lay down, \u201cI\u2019m fine, just need some sleep,\u201d I murmur.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no reason why a thirteen-year-old boy should go as pale as you just did and be \u2018fine\u2019,\u201d Pa responds.<\/p>\n

My pa can read me like an open book. My whole family can. Heck… everyone can.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, I\u2019m fine. Please just let me go back to sleep,\u201d I whisper.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay son. But when you\u2019re ready to tell me about it I\u2019m right down the hall,\u201d my father sighs.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about what happened last year. And I\u2019m still not ready to talk about it.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

It all started before I had turned thirteen, while Mitch\u2014 my best friend\u2014 and I were looking for bats in a hidden cave by Lake Tahoe. To be clear, I\u2019m not supposed to be in any of the caves. Therefore, I couldn\u2019t tell anyone about this cave because then they would know I was there.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey Joe! I found a hidden opening!\u201d yells Mitch from behind me.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes it look like it would have any bats? \u2018Cause if it looks like there aren\u2019t any in there we best not try, \u2018cause we\u2019ll run out of daylight searching in places without any bats.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it sure does Joe! It even stinks! Probably their poop!\u201d Mitch runs up to me and basically\u00a0 drags me over to the crack in the stone wall. This is easy for him considering how small I am.<\/p>\n

\u201cMitch! You\u2019re gonna kill me before we find any of the dang little creatures!\u201d I snarl through clenched teeth.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, sorry Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fine just next time wait for me to get there myself. Okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d Mitch replies, \u201cLet\u2019s find us some bats now!\u201d<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

The opening Mitch noticed was really small.<\/p>\n

\u201cOuch!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe! What happened? Are you okay? How bad is it? Do I need to go for help?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2026There must have been a sharp rock and I, um, kinda cut my arm. It\u2019s pretty bad. AND YOUR AREN\u2019T GOING TO GET NOBODY!!!! YOU DO REALIZE WE\u2019RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE?!\u201d I yell this because when it came to thinking on the spot, Mitch really didn\u2019t have much sense.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry Joe. I guess I just wasn’t thinking at the moment. I have an extra shirt in my saddle bags; I can go get \u2018em off Trigger instead of going for a bandage,\u201d he said as he got up and walked to the cave\u2019s opening.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

The cave is dark, but not so dark that I can’t see. Across from me against the wall is a pile of bones, but from here I can\u2019t tell what kind and I definitely don\u2019t want to go see without the torch that Mitch took with him.<\/p>\n

The ground is really smooth. Though I can\u2019t see the ceiling, I know there had to be at least one bat hanging from it.<\/p>\n

Sitting there in the dark I realize that there is a faint light coming from the back. \u2018Huh. Must lead outside eventually,\u2019 <\/em>I think, but it never crosses my mind that the light is flickering.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

\u201cHey Joe I\u2019m back,\u201d\u00a0Mitch doesn\u2019t have to announce his arrival because he walks louder than a herd of stampeding beeves.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey Mitch, be careful when you climb through. Don\u2019t need the both of us injured.\u201d<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

\u201cDang! That hurts!\u201d I groan.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t think we should just tell your pa that you just cut it on a rock \u2018cause you fell down a hill or something? It\u2019s at least halfway true. I mean, it\u2019s pretty bad ya know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. I\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour bleeding pretty bad, plus it\u2019s really deep,\u201d Mitch says pointing out the obvious.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you think I know that!\u201d I say with so much vehemence that it makes Mitch take a step back. \u201cSorry. I just need ta think for a little while.\u201d I link my arms around my legs and put my head on my knees.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

\u201cHey Joe? I heard something over there around the curve. And there\u2019s a fire, too!\u201d Mitch whispers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? You mean we\u2019re not alone?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah! You wanna see who it is?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGo back and get our squirrel guns first. They might be armed. It could be an escaped convict. We would be heroes if we brought \u2018em in! They\u2019d probably give us medals and everything! They would probably even name something after us! Think about it: The Joe and Mitch Livery, The Joe and Mitch Mercantile, The Joe and Mitch Saloon, or The Joe and Mitch Sawmill! They could even rename Virginia City to Cartwright and Devlinville!\u201d I say.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay Joe. Settle down. You\u2019ll loose more blood.\u201d<\/p>\n

We laughed for a while then Mitch said he should probably get going.<\/p>\n

\u201cHurry. And be quieter this time. I coulda heard from a mile away earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

We\u2019re crawling on our hands and knees over to where the light is. We slowly peek our heads around the corner and find two people sitting with their backs to us. One I can tell is a man because he has his shirt off. The other is dressed in a large poofy dress that looks like it doesn\u2019t belong in a cave. That one is obviously a woman.<\/p>\n

Mitch and I exchange a look, then I whisper, \u201cOne, two, three!\u201d And we step out of the shadows with our guns pointing at the people\u2019s backs.<\/p>\n

\u201cHold your hands above your heads, but don\u2019t try nothing we have our guns on you!\u201d I yell.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah don\u2019t try nothing!\u201d Mitch says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy hello there! We were waiting for you to come over for a visit!\u201d The woman exclaims.<\/p>\n

I can tell by the way her words were drawn out that she\u2019s from the Deep South. Her voice is so sweet that it wouldn\u2019t surprise me if she sweetened her coffee with her own words; her skin looks like caramel candy. Her hair is brown and it\u2019s in one of those twisty things all the women put their hair in. Her dress is a deep burgundy color with white lace up her neck and down her arms that makes her skin look gorgeous. Around the bodice there is white trimming.<\/p>\n

We stand there awestruck until Mitch breaks the silence:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are you two here?\u201d Mitch asks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were on our way to visit my husband\u2019s poor sick mother up in Oregon City when we ran plum outta money! Isn\u2019t that just the silliest thing? We didn\u2019t bring enough for our trip! How forgetful are we?\u201d She says.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. Mother got cholera and sent word to us that she wanted us to go over her will,\u201d agrees the man.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are our manners? My name\u2019s Maybelle Williams and this is my husband, Jean. Now that you know our names, what are yours?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell howdy ma\u2019am! My name\u2019s Joe Cartwright and this is my buddy Mitch Devlin.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, howdy!\u201d Mitch says, tipping his hat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t lie to y\u2019all! It\u2019s not in my nature.\u201d<\/p>\n

She starts telling us about being a slave and how she escaped with her husband. Why didn\u2019t we think it was odd that she would trust twelve-year-old boys?<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

We talk for a while until Mrs. Williams catches a glimpse of my arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cDarling child, what happened to you? Your whole sleeve is soaked in blood! And your looking a might pale for a twelve-year-old boy!\u201d She gasps.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine. Did it when I came through the opening. It\u2019s not that bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can bring you some food until you think you should go. We have enough at my house and Joe does too. Don\u2019t ya? But we have to leave now. See ya!\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitch pulls me to my feet. I make a mental note to thank Mitch later. But right now, I need to focus on staying upright.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey Joe are ya feelin\u2019 okay?\u201d Mitch asks once we were out of earshot of the people.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was all I managed to say before I go unconscious.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

The next thing I see is the mane of Mitch\u2019s horse, Trigger.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Cooch?\u201d I asked, my voice barely a whisper.<\/p>\n

\u201cDang it Joe! That\u2019s just like you. Pretendin\u2019 there ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 wrong with you, then askin\u2019 about your dang horse. And why would I leave him? Sick or not, you would\u2019ve killed me!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow far?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just about two miles away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks Mitch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo problem, Joe. That\u2019s what friends are for.\u201d<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

When we ride in about two hours after dark we see Adam and Hoss saddling up their horses. \u201cAdam! Hoss! Joe\u2019s been hurt!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHelp Mr. and Mrs. Williams, but don\u2019t tell anyone about them,\u201d I whisper.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa! Come quick! Joe\u2019s been hurt!\u201d Yells Adam as he came running over. As soon as Hoss gets to me he pulls me of the horse and rushes me inside. \u201cMitch go get the doc. I\u2019ll go tell your family where you are once we have Joe settled in,\u201d Adam then runs inside after Hoss<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe!\u201d Pa gasps as Hoss brings me inside.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey Little Buddy. What happened to you?\u201d Asks Adam once he closes the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cHill\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like he fell down a hill, Pa. Looks like it too,\u201d says Hoss.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

A couple days later Doc Martin lets me play again. I wish I could play, but I need to make some plans and sneak food out of the house somehow.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

\u201cNow Joe, we can\u2019t have you getting hurt again or we\u2019ll run out of excuses!\u201d Mitch says when I pick him up.<\/p>\n

\u201cAww give it a rest will ya? Did ya git them food like ya said ya was?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou bet I did!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what I been thinkin\u2019 Mitch?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I ain\u2019t no psychic Joe\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you would just wait a second I would tell you!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOK then tell me!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell here\u2019s the plan\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026\u2026.and the stage leaves tomorrow at noon.\u201d I tell them.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut how will we get there?\u201d Mrs. Williams asks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re gonna escort you.\u201d Mitch says proudly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are we supposed to know y\u2019all won\u2019t rat us out?\u201d asks Jean.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell Mister. We think slavery just ain\u2019t right.\u201d I explained.<\/p>\n

We can tell this pleases Mrs. Williams, as she pulls us into a long hug. \u201cY\u2019all are so noble!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll get goin\u2019 at daylight.\u201d I tell them after she lets us go.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy so early?\u201d asks Jean.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes a while to get from here to Virginia City,\u201d says Mitch.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

After we give them the food we head back home. I make plans of things I have to do to get ready to leave.There is no conversation until Mitch starts to get curious about a couple of things.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMhmm?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow far is it to Oregon?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPretty far.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSchool starts back next week and ya know we gotta be back for that big test they have at the beginning of every year.<\/em> It\u2019s kinda annual.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo\u2026 who cares? We can just make it up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur pa\u2019s will be pretty mad that we left.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll leave a note.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWill we have enough money for all of the stops? And for food or hotels? What if we get hurt? What happens if we\u2019re robbed? Or kidnapped? Or worse. Our pa\u2019s would kill us. Well.. if we weren\u2019t already dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve taken care of it. Don\u2019t worry about a thing. I\u2019ll handle all that stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nothing you have to worry about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n

When we get to the Virginia City cross roads, Mitch and I split up; I go towards Virginia City, he goes home. I have some things to do.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam can I ask you a question?\u201d asks Ben Cartwright.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you seen the gold nuggets that came from the gold vein that we struck the other day at the mines?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the last time I saw them was when they were on your desk. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have seemed to have gone missing. Did you see anyone near them?\u201d Ben wonders while\u00a0 looking on the ground near the desk.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell Little Joe was looking at them, but I didn\u2019t see him take anything. He is pretty sneaky though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLets just ask your brother. Joseph?\u201d He yells up the stairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa. Remember? He\u2019s not here. He took his dinner out with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah. Well\u2026 we\u2019ll just ask when he gets back.\u201d<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, Mr. Gans, are they real or not?\u201d I ask impatiently.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, yes Joe, but where did you get these nuggets?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, can I trust you with a secret?\u201d I whisper in his ear even though I\u2019m the only one here.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I can young man. Unless it\u2019s a danger to you or any other person.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, no sir! It\u2019s not. I just don\u2019t want anyone to find out!\u201d I gasp, trying to look a little miffed. \u201cWell, me an\u2019 Mitch just struck gold is all. I promise!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, son. You are too young to file a claim, but I can sign this slip of paper and you can refund it at the bank for that exact amount except for it in cash.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, thank you sir!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHere you go young man. Have a great day, And be careful because all the girls will want you now that you have all that money and wealth!\u201d<\/p>\n

As soon as he has the slip signed and puts it in my hand I\u2019m out the door and heading for the bank. On the walk there, I go over my mental list of things we\u2019ll need for the road:<\/p>\n