Lori awoke to the soft call of a distant train whistle. She blinked blearily, the sound an intrusive yet gentle call from the world beyond her dreams. With a groggy grunt, she shifted in her cot and leaned over to peer out the hayloft door. A train chugged along, miles away on a stretch of track that wound its way between gentle hills, its smokestack shooting black clouds that billowed and twisted against the early morning sky.

  She flopped back down on her cot, too tired to care who might be coming. It was Oblivion, after all. No one came here anymore. Could a train get lost? The thought made her smile, and soon she was snoring again.

  Lori awoke an hour later to the insistent call of nature. She groaned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, swung her legs over the side of the cot and tugged her boots on.

  Staggering down the creaky ladder in her long johns, she spotted her father at the table, engrossed in the stack of letters with a steaming cup of coffee beside him. She stretched and yawned, giving him a sleepy wave, which was met with a quick nod. She pushed open the heavy barn doors letting the crisp morning air envelop her as she stepped outside.

  The morning sun gently cast the world in yellow light, the sky still a canvas of pastel hues. Lori yawned again as she made her way to the outhouse, the prairie grass damp with morning dew.

  Lori's eyes meandered to the distant train station. To her surprise, the train she had noticed earlier was still there, its polished brass glinting in the morning light as it idled on the tracks. The sight was unusual and piqued her curiosity, but the pressing nature of her current mission could not suffer delay.

  She arrived at the outhouse, its weathered wooden door groaning in protest as she pried it open. The smell! Good grief, the smell! The rustic interior was the farthest thing from luxurious. Spiderwebs clung to the corners of the ceiling, their delicate threads catching the morning light seeping through the cracks between the boards on beams of swirling dust. A stack of old newspapers lay beside the opening, destined for practical use.

  As Lori fumbled with the trapdoor of her long johns and sat down to business, the dogs barked fiercely. She leaned to her side, peering through the cracks in the warped boards. Through the narrow slits, she caught glimpses of the dogs darting toward the town. Beyond the flurry of wagging tails, a figure emerged from the distant buildings – a blur of brown and green making its way toward them.

  Of all people, why did it have to be him? Lori grimaced, her suspicions souring her mood further. With a sigh, she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her legs in a disgusted hunch, staring at the dirt floor beneath her feet. What could he possibly want now?

  The dogs' happy barking grew louder as the newcomer drew closer. Through the gaps in the wood, Lori saw Jangles had roused from sleep and gave a rumbling yawn. He stretched lazily in front of the barn, his limbs shaking off the stiffness of sleep, and he stretched his wings, then flapped them to get the blood moving, shaking off the last remnants of sleep.

  As Jangles finished his stretch, he froze, his body suddenly bristling and alert. His eyes narrowed, fixating on the figure drawing closer. Jangles' reaction dashed her hopes that she might be wrong.

  As the newcomer came into view, she recognized the distinct form of the kobold she knew too well. He stood no taller than three feet, the creature’s dense coat of brown fur shimmered slightly in the morning light. The green bowler hat perched jauntily on his head cast a small shadow over his large, black eyes. A matching green walking stick complemented his hat, clutched firmly in his right paw. He resembled a groundhog or a prairie dog walking upright, his short legs waddling with surprising agility across the corral. The dogs darted around him, yipping excitedly, their tails a blur of motion.

  He petted each of the dogs as he strolled along. They adored him, their barks turning into happy whimpers as they nuzzled his hands. He took off his bowler hat and reached inside and produced a treat for each of the dogs, who barked and whined in suspense until each got their due. He kept one eye on Jangles, who hadn't moved from his tense stance in front of the barn. The dragon's eyes narrowed further as the kobold stopped a few feet away, maintaining a respectful distance.

  “Good morning to you, Jangles,” the kobold said, tipping his green bowler hat before placing it back on his head.

  “Ebeneezer,” Jangles replied with polite coolness, his voice a deep rumble. He didn't budge, his body still coiled with cautious energy.

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  Ebeneezer looked at the dragon for a moment, his large black eyes reflecting awkward curiosity and perhaps a hint of regret. "Well…" he sighed, accepting the unspoken chill. He turned and continued into the barn, the dogs following closely behind.

  The moment Ebeneezer was out of view, Lori slipped from the outhouse and quietly ran to the barn. She could hear the dogs' quiet whimpers and the voices inside. Pressing her ear against the thin wooden wall, she could easily make out the conversation.

  "Colonel Drake," Ebeneezer said. "It's been too long."

  “Hello, Ebeneezer. Have some coffee.”

  “Aye! Don’t mind if I do!”

  Lori could hear the little kobold waddling across the floor, sliding the pot from the stove that was as tall as he was and pouring into a tin cup. “How long has Lori and Jangles been back?”

  “They arrived at noon, yesterday. Leaving sometime today, I think.”

  A chair shifted across the dirt floor as Ebeneezer sat down. “I should have guessed by all the post and reading material.”

  “What brings you out this way? Trouble in Hakitaw?”

  “Ah, so you’ve read Bing’s letter?”

  “Last night.”

  “I see.” He paused. “We sent a man to Hakitaw a couple of weeks ago. He has not reported in.”

  Silence.

  “You see, we think it may be a tribal curse. Something with the local natives that used to live there.”

  More silence.

  “Would ye come along? We could use your expertise…”

  Silence, and Lori's jaw tightened as she pieced it together. She had stupidly hoped that Ebeneezer had come here to get her and Jangles to give him a ride, but Ebeneezer had come from Craterton Forge, and there were any number of ways he could get transportation from there without coming all the way out here. Ebeneezer had come for her father.

  He had not answered. She could picture him thinking over the rim of his coffee cup.

  “We can go if Lori will take us. But she has post to deliver to Fort Dane, first.”

  “Splendid!” Ebeneezer said. “Fort Dane is on the way! Or near enough.”

  Lori's knees almost gave way. Her breath quickened. How could he have agreed so easily? She clenched her teeth in frustration.

  Jangles walked quietly up behind her. She ignored his presence, her fingers absently plucking splinters from the barn’s wooden planks.

  “Lori?”

  She sniffed. “I’m sorry, Jangles, I’m just really mad right now.”

  Jangles coughed lightly. “It’s just that…”

  Still tugging at the splinters, Lori barked, "What?"

  “The trap door to your long johns is down. You’re showing your bare bum to the whole town.”

  Lori felt her face turn hot and red.

  ***

  Lori stepped into the barn with Jangles behind her. Ebeneezer turned to see her in her bright red long-johns. Lori gave an indignant sniff, and Ebeneezer quickly turned back around to face her father, wide eyed and properly mortified. Lori made sure her trapdoor was securely buttoned before climbing the creaky wooden ladder. Once decently dressed, she descended the ladder again.

  “Hello, Ebeneezer.” Lori walked to the stove and poured herself a cup of coffee.

  “Good morning, Ms. Drake. Good to see you again.”

  A moment of silence hung between them as they both seemed to agree to never mention her appearing in her long johns.

  A quick glance at her father proved that he would be mentioning it again at some point, given the strain with which he kept a straight face.

  “What brings you out this way?”

  Lori refilled the coffee pot with water and fresh grounds and placed it on the stovetop as Ebeneezer told her everything she had already heard.

  Lori was about to speak when her father said, “I’m going. That’s final.”

  Lori nodded with a meek, “Yes, sir.”

  “Well,” Ebeneezer said with a searching glance between Lori and her father, “I suppose I can tell the engineer to go on without me.” He hopped down from the chair and took up his cane. “Would either of you care to join me?”

  “I’ll come with you.” Lori set her coffee down. “I have to find someone in town who will see to the dogs and goats while we’re gone.”

  Ebeneezer nodded in surprise after an uncomfortable pause. “Very well.”

  “Jangles, get yourself a goat for breakfast. We’ll be leaving in a couple hours.”

  “Hmph.” Jangles grunted and watched them leave, his eyes narrowing at Ebeneezer who quickly glanced away.

  The two walked in silence, the awkwardness hanging between them like a bad smell. Ebeneezer kept glancing sideways at Lori until they were nearly at the large corral gate down the hill.

  “Look, lassie, I don’t quite understand what I have done to merit such a cold reception-”

  “You use my father!” Lori’s shout cut through the still morning air and echoed off the empty buildings. The crows erupted from the water tower, cawing and squawking.

  Ebeneezer winced and stood in a confused, hurt silence.

  “You! And Bing! And all of them! Hunters who come here for miles around asking his advice! They get tactics and knowledge from him! He teaches others to do what he can’t anymore!” She pointed at the barn. “He serves them whiskey, he feeds them! He feeds their horses! He gives them a place to sleep, and they never pay!”

  Lori’s voice cracked as tears threatened to flow. “I have to fly all over this country delivering post and taking whatever work I can get to make a living just so we can scrape by! Meanwhile he’s stuck in that leaky barn by himself because you and your righteous crusaders against evil can’t be bothered to help! You’re leeches, all of you! Sucking him dry and leaving him to pickle in his own misery! Where the hell are you all when he needs help with cooking? The laundry? Fetching water? Now you come along and expect him to go on a hunt?” She shouted in disbelief and threw her hands up. “He’s missing an arm and a leg! Hadn’t you noticed?” She shoved the gate open and marched down the empty streets.

  Ebeneezer stood stock still, bewildered and speechless as he watched her go.