The new kid in town with Butterbeans

She follows him all the way to this door. However, something isn’t right. Her fur stands on end. Then her senses pick up a strange energy. The walls of the mine shimmer, and begin to dim. Butterbeans turns and looks behind her. The darkness of the mine is brightening. Bright daylight grows all around. Now the mine fades, and is no longer visible.

She is back at the center street of Capertown. What strangeness is this? Even more confusing, there is no scent. She tries sniffing the air, and there is nothing. The ground is also devoid of scent. However, there are people all around. This is still the place where the shadows exist. Somehow she is no longer watching Jack Seevers, the menacing bandit from before.

Several people pass by. There is still no scent. Then, something strange happens. Someone sees her. She can feel it before she can see who it is. However, he doesn’t try to hide himself. He is standing in front of the saloon, looking at Butterbeans. When she sees him, he playfully tips his hat toward her. Then he makes a follow me gesture, and then turns and strides off in the opposite direction.

The New Kid in Town

Butterbeans follows the stranger. Once again she is heading toward the tavern room. Whoever this stranger is, he knows Butterbeans can see him. Furthermore, she knows he is both a part, and not a part, of this world. She understands this stranger is only here at certain times. Likewise, she can sense no malice coming from the stranger.

With this in mind, she isn’t surprised to see the stranger move straight into the mine shaft tunnel opening. In fact, he is very nearly following the same path the outlaw Jack Seevers took. Butterbeans continues to follow. Mainly because every couple of minutes the stranger turns, and beckons emphatically, for her to follow.

After a while the stranger arrives at the same door Jack Seevers went through earlier. Somehow Butterbeans knows this is all in the same timeline. If there had been doubt it is erased as Jack Seevers steps out of the door and confronts the new kid. Now the vision intensifies, as the two entities from the past square off. The stranger turns and looks directly at Butterbeans and gives a knowing wink. Then he turns back, and the two ghostly forms prepare for a shootout.

Butterbeans

The scene is a vision, but it is also an event from the past. Butterbeans is no stranger to this. She and Alex had encountered many strange situations in the past. However, most dreams of the past did not interact with Butterbeans while she observed. This one was unique and unusual. Therefore she watches closely as the two argue vehemently. Jack Seevers draws first. Then the mine shaft fills with the sound of gunfire and gun smoke.

Moments later the scene changes, and both Jack Seevers and the stranger, are standing in a small cemetery. They are both looking at the tombstones. The newly arrived stranger beckons to Butterbeans once again. In the vision, Butterbeans pads closer to the new kid. He is pointing at a particular headstone. Butterbeans looks where the stranger is pointing, and immediately, an enormous revelation strikes her. She huffs a loud bark and races away to find Alex.

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