Editing Ace of Diamonds: 'Silver Lining'

“Now here’s a Gun you never want to mess with…the Ace of Diamonds. Stop yer laughin Jim I seen it with my own two eyes! No I wasn’t drunk! It was a cloudy day in Kansas 10 years ago. I had just got into town when I laid my eyes upon a small child…couldn’t ‘ave been more than 9 or 10…Shut up! I already told ya I wasn’t drunk! Anyway, normally I wouldn’t ‘have paid no mind to any youngun, but something on her hip caught my eyes. It looked like a water pistol, ya know, one o’ those 10 cent toys at the general store…looked plastic and everything…No Jim, I ain’t no crazy man! You shoulda’ seen it, a single letter A near the bottom of the handle with a diamond outline around it. Before I got tha’ chance to ask her what she was doin’ with such a legendary gun, four scoundrels surrounded her real quick-like, their pistols aimed to kill.”

“We don’t want to hurt ya, little girl, so just give us the Gun and go play along somewhere else.” The biggest one said.

“It’s a sad day mister, why do you have to make it sadder? The clouds look like they might cry already.” She replied all solemn-like.

“It’s gonna be a lot sadder if I have to dirty up that pretty little face o’ yours. Just hand over the Gun and run along.” He said, and started to grip his gun tighter.

“You shouldn’t try and shoot me mister. When people do, they die. Dying’s sad…and it’s already too sad of a world. Mommy gave me this when she died…to protect me from all the sadness in the world.” I swear I saw a tear come to her eye as she said this.

“On three boys,” he said as he adjusted his aim lower, “Here’s a tip for next time kid, talk less, you’ll live longer…three!”

“Please mommy…” she started to say, gripping the small legend to her chest.

“Two!”

“…I’m scared…” her hands nervously shook as she held her Ace in her hands.

“One!”

“…protect me!”

I swear those gunshots rang through the whole little town. Rang til’ I reckon all their chambers were empty. I was frozen in place, waiting for the smoke to clear.

“It looks like it won’t be that sad of a day after all.”

As the smoke cleared I saw a sight to behold. The clouds started to part and the sun shone through those four men like they were swiss cheese. Six holes in each, clear as day…their own bullets too I reckon by the size of the holes. The girl said a prayer for the four unlucky souls and then started to walk by me on her way out of town.

“That’s one lucky Card you got there kid, I hold tight to that if I were you.”

“I will mister, thanks!” she smiled as the sun shone down even brighter, “The clouds are going away, so I’ll be going now.”

“Just remember kid, every cloud has a silver lining.”

“Silver…Lining…” she mused as she looked down at the small object in her hands, the water still dripping out of the barrel, “Thanks a bunch mister! It’s a pretty name!” With newfound happiness she skipped out of town, a bright day still ahead of her.

The drunken man stood up from his chair and gazed around the near empty bar.

“It’s closing time James,” said Jim, polishing up a mug from the counter, “I think I’ve heard enough stories for one day.”

“Alright, alright,” said James as he stumbled out of the bar, “I’ll see you tomorrow Jim.”

-Ithry

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