The Shape of Things to Come

Excerpts from the journal of one Nathan Bedford, travelling salesman:

(Editor's Note: These events are not in chronological order. As the original journal has been lost and the only typed version did not include years, scholars can only guess at when these events took place. Although we do know the order of some events, they've been ordered by calendar date for convenience.)

February 17
Ran across that Sally Sixgun character again to-day. This time she had a gang with her though. Called themselves The Posse. They were a weird bunch. Besides here [sic], there was some kinda machine that looked like a man, and a huge monkey, some sorta monster looking thing, an injun, and some guy with weird looking clothes and a gun like I never seen. I hope I never see them again.

March 3
Heard about Mel's Hole so I went to check it out. I saw someone throw a dead animal in there, and then a little while later, it just showed up. Alive as it ever was. I got the heck outta there. I'm a Christian man, I do n't need to be in any place doing some of that hoo-doo malarky.

April 24
Met a character called Chin Tiger or something like that. One of those chink names. They all sound the same. He was a railroad worker, like they all are, but he told me that he has magical powers or he's a wizard or something. I don't recall the exact way he said it, but it do n't matter no way, because I think he's just pulling my leg.

June 9
Had some time to-day before I supposed to open up shop, so I went on over to a Carnival of Oddities that was passin [sic] through town. Some of the things in there were fake for sure, but then some others. . . I do n't know. There were strange creatures like giants and fairies, but there were also weird books and maps and what-have-you. Some of that stuff just looked like it had to be real.

June 19
A group that called themselves the Masked Marauders robbed my train at gunpoint to-day. They got away, and only one fellow got hurt. Tried to be a hero and failed. Mostly I'm just upset at the fact that they took all my wares, so this trip is for naught.

June 27
Heard from a fellow salesman about a town in Nevada where a train coming in gets all the folk into a fit and they start having gunfights and generally just running amok. I do n't know how true it is, but I do n't want to find out. This is me making a note to never go there. Palisade, it was called, I think.

August 12
Passed through a small mining town earlier today. Came across a gunslinger the townsfolk called Sally Sixgun. She seemed to be the protector for the area, and she seemed to have gave herself that job, but I was both dumbfounded and dismayed that a little girl - no more than ten - could do the things she could. It was brave, doing a job it seemed like nobody else wanted to, but that's no way for a little girl to act.

October 5
I will never forget what that Fuller Howard guy did for that woman and her little girl. If that's who I think it is, he's not what the stories make him out to be.

October 30
Saw the carcass of that Terrible Beast of Pueblo. I made a special trip to New Mexico just to see it. I would n't of believed it otherwise, and I'm not sure I do even now.

December 24
It's the day before Christmas, and I'm dying. I hope the dear Lord sees it fit to let me live just one more day, so I can spend it with my family. But if some of the things I've seen are a sign of what the world will be like in the future, I'm glad I'll be gone from it soon.


Chad Walters - 2/22/09