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"Whoa..."

Robin nearly tripped over his own feet descending from the hissing train car, suddenly forced to squint as his eyes adjusted to the bright September sun that shone on the small farm town of Adel.

The sound of a bell came from a large spire, emerging from what appeared to be a grandiose courthouse that lay beyond the train station. The low and sorrowful tone of the old bell sounded like a grandfather's hum against the late summer wind, which lazily whispered into Robin's ear. The breeze's cool air gave Robin a slight bit of relief from the sun's hot rays.

 The lull of the bells and the encompassing breeze felt almost as if the town was extending a comforting welcome to Robin. Refreshing the man's downtrodden spirits as he made his way through the empty train station to the sleepy town beyond.

When Robin reached the other side, he paused to admire the craftsmanship of the ornate courthouse he had seen from afar. This captivating building set the small town of Adel apart from the other farming towns he had visited in the Great Plains. The eight muddy red-tiled spires starkly contrasted with the white exterior walls, and the pristine bell tower rose toward the sky with a golden clock at its center. 

The building almost reminded Robin of the old castles from his homeland of Kingsbury.  A small feeling of aching warmth rose in his chest at the familiarity. The courthouse stood as if it were a king's palace, protecting the small, weather-worn town around it. 

The rest of the downtown consisted of significantly smaller, flat-roofed buildings. Though these surrounding buildings were colorful and lively, the courthouse at the town's center was clearly the source of the small town's pride.

Robin blinked up to analyze the grandiose courthouse once more as he approached the nearest corner of Adel's square, while the sound of laughter and light piano music wafted towards him on the wind. His gaze quickly snapped towards the small alley nearby, where the words "Deadwood Tavern " were painted in large swirling letters on the side of one of the downtown shops, a large fading red arrow pointing him down the alley to a hidden tavern down its path. 

Just what he was looking for.

Quickening his pace, Robin followed the sound as he peeked down the dusty alleyway, finding at the end of it an outdated wooden structure with the name "Deadwood Saloon" in flaking red letters. Despite being hidden, the old saloon appeared bustling with customers, with a few drunkards already tumbling down its front steps, blinking quizzically at the late afternoon sun.

Robin smirked and hurried down the alley, carefully holding his leather suitcase to his chest as he eyed the drunken men that littered his path.

Pushing through the wooden swing doors and into the boisterous saloon, Robin made his way past the tables of farmers and day workers to a surprisingly tidy and well-kept wooden bar near the back. The shelves of the saloon's bar were stocked and clean, and the large mirror behind the shelves reflected Deadwood's interior, giving the saloon the false appearance of grandeur.

Robin slowly lowered himself onto one of the cracked wooden stools at the bar, the old seat groaning under his weight. Quickly placing his leather bag protectively between his feet, Robin shot a warning glance at the dirty old farmer beside him. 

The drunken old man raised a brow in amusement and offered a welcoming nod and dismissive chuckle at the younger man's suspicion. Robin felt heat rise to his chest in embarrassment. Years of living in a large city had taught him to be overly wary of besmirched strangers, yet weeks in small towns of the Great Plains had taught Robin not to judge others too quickly. Those whom he would hurry past on the streets of his home city of London had become great sources of information in the Great Plains. Robin returned a quick, polite nod in response before hesitantly loosening the grip on his bag.

Robin scanned the bar for the hostess, hastily leaning forward to call out for a shot of whiskey, before quickly being interrupted by a different patron down the bar.

Robin clicked his tongue and let out an irritated breath, eager to get the information he needed from this woman, whom he had overheard the other men call "Miss Jackie", and be on his way.

This "Miss Jackie" was a muscular older woman with dark skin and tight curly hair, which she had carefully put up in a bright purple bandana. Her purple bandana was almost a piece of art itself. The headpiece was seemingly handmade, intricately embroidered with red and blue beading, which sparkled in the low lighting as she waltzed around the saloon. Necklaces, bracelets, and most noticeably, rings, adorned almost every inch of her exposed skin. Miss Jackie wore more accessories than Robin had ever seen the average person wear at once. The sound of her ring collection tapping against the glasses and mugs rang out as if it were an underlying accompaniment to the saloon's piano.

As Robin's eyes followed the old woman straying from the bar to check on patrons seated throughout the saloon, he anxiously fiddled with the depleting bag of coins at his belt. His anxiety to gain information on Adel's  'Sunshine Acres' was growing by the second.

Fortunately for Robin, the bar's hostess didn't linger with the rowdy group of farmers, quickly leaving them in a roar of laughter as she grabbed a few dishes from a nearby empty table and stepped behind the bar, heading in Robin's direction.

"Excuse me, Miss," Robin quickly called once the woman was finally within earshot. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure thing, Sweetie. Go ahead," Miss Jackie shouted over the din, lifting her head to smirk at Robin as she poured shots of whiskey, scooting one to him with a large, warm smile. 

The old woman's teeth were an impossible shade of white for her age, and her smile seemed to light up her face in a way that made Robin feel as if he were in the safest place in the world, not a rundown bar in the middle of nowhere. Robin had seen the hostess give this same smile to the farmers as she made her rounds earlier, and having it directed at him, Robin realized that Miss Jackie's smile was likely the real appeal of the otherwise rundown bar.

Robin gratefully took the whiskey, trying his best to return the natural friendliness of her smile with the polished politeness of his own.

"I'm looking for a sorceress."

"HA!"

The old woman instantly scoffed, letting out a shocked laugh and dropping the glass of whiskey she held, causing it to shatter against the counter with a loud crash. 

Miss Jackie let out a string of curses as she quickly wiped her hands on her apron and scowled in irritation.

"Might as well admit you're lookin' for trouble, boy," Miss Jackie muttered, chuckling at Robin's question, and shaking her head as she picked up the pieces of broken glass from the old wooden counter.

Robin's smile faltered.

"Oh, well...I'm so sorry to have startled you, Miss. I didn't mean to cause alarm..." Robin stammered, trying to find a way to remedy the conversation. "Um...How about I... I mean, can I fix that  for you?" Robin offered, holding out his hand for the broken glass.

Miss Jackie snorted and cocked her head at this offer, raising a thin, penciled eyebrow as the suspicion in her eyes deepened. "So, you can fix a broken glass," she replied, almost sounding impressed, yet her eyes looked him up and down with worried curiosity. "And are you a sorcerer, too, then?"

"Oh no, Miss. Just a magician. I have a bit of magic that allows me to fix things. That's all," Robin explained as he took the glass pieces from her, carefully putting them back together until the glass appeared as if it had never been broken.

"Ah," Miss Jackie mused, with a weak laugh after watching his magic work, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "Just another magician, huh? Well...that's nice...."

Miss Jackie's thoughts trailed off as she carefully inspected the whiskey glass. She slowly turned from Robin without another word, walking past the wooden swing doors behind the bar.

 Robin shifted in his seat, suddenly worried that he might have scared the kind lady away by inquiring too soon about the sorceress.

A moment later, Miss Jackie returned and began filling up shot glasses with whiskey again, stealing another suspicious glance at Robin as she did so.

"I'm sorry, Miss, if I startled you... But what did you mean by," Robin began, lowering his voice, "by 'looking for trouble'?"

Miss Jackie shook her head and held up her hand to silence Robin as she turned to deliver the whiskey shots to the farmers at the end of the bar.

Fear began to creep back into his stomach once she returned. The old woman carefully leaned on the bar across from Robin, giving him her full attention.

"I just mean," she replied, leaning further over the counter as her deep, dark eyes searched his quizzically, "that you don't seem like the normal type that seeks her out, is all."

Miss Jackie once again chuckled at her own statement as she tilted her head, scanning his entire face cautiously, as if staring at him long enough would tell her all she needed to know.

Robin sat in silence, squeamish under her intense gaze, unsure on how to respond.

"Tell me. Why on earth are you looking for our Miss Ivy?" Miss Jackie finally asked, leaning back from the bar to cross her arms over her chest. Whatever this old woman had read from Robin's face wasn't enough to answer all her questions, it seemed. "You talk like someone from Kingsbury, boy. What are you doing all the way over here, in the Great Plains?"

"Well..." Robin began, perplexed about how to answer. "I'm technically not looking for a sorceress... I'm looking for a place called Sunshine Acres. A rancher from a different Sunshine Acres told me the quickest way to find the Sunshine Acres here, in Adel, is to ask about a 'jewelry sorceress.'"

"Uh-huh," Miss Jackie hummed, narrowing her eyes, as if he had dodged her question on purpose. "And what might you be wanting with Sunshine Acres?"

"Ah. Right. Well... you see, you were correct about the accent. I am a doctor from Kingsbury.  I am traveling the Great Plains to find my brother, Otto, who wrote me and told me to meet him at 'Sunshine Acres'. He didn't specify which Sunshine Acers... so I am forced to check each in an attempt to find him," Robin explained with an awkward, and slightly bitter laugh. "The previous Sunshine Acres I visited was the last one on my list, so I had almost given up hope, but the rancher told me to look into a 'Sunshine Acres' in this town, even though it's not an 'official' Sunshine Acres on any maps. So, I am here for one final attempt to find my brother before giving up, heading home, and sending him an invoice for all the money I wasted," Robin clarified, ending his rambling with a dejected chuckle.

Miss Jackie gave him a weary look at his reply.

"And this brother of yours, does he work for the government?" Miss Jackie murmured, leaning forward and lowering her voice as she glanced toward the drunk man snoozing beside Robin.

"What?!" Robin let out a snort at her question, "No. I mean... not... that I know of?" Robin added, feeling more unsure as to why the hostess was asking such a question than how he should answer it.

Miss Jackie hummed in thought, fiddling with the many rings on her knobby fingers as her thoughtful gaze landed beyond the wooden swing door of the saloon.

As the older woman seemed to debate whether or not to give Robin the information he needed, Robin couldn't help but hold his breath, anxiously clutching the coin pouch at his hip, telling himself to wait until she turned him down before offering her what little funds he had left as a bribe.

"Well... like I said," Miss Jackie finally muttered, "you don't seem like the normal type to be asking after Miss Ivy, so I'll give you the directions to Sunshine Acres. However, I'll just let you know," Miss Jackie whispered as she leaned back over the counter, her nearly black eyes piercing into Robin with a warning glare as she drew near him, "this Miss Ivy is a woman capable of many things. So don't you, or your brother, go around underestimating her. Do you understand me?"

Suddenly, a flash of gold shimmered through Miss Jackie's aggressively protective glare. The gold stripe disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, the only reminder of its presence being a sudden chill that ran up Robin's body.

"Oh. Um... I won't," Robin said, his words more of a promise to himself than to the strange woman before him.

"And," Miss Jackie continued, pulling herself off the counter and dusting off her cowhide skirt, "if you're looking to get to Sunshine Acres, take the tram and jump off at two and a half minutes past the third stop. That will land you on the path to the jewelry sorceress, or Miss Ivy's, Sunshine Acres," Miss Jackie finished, grabbing some additional whiskey glasses from below the counter before pointing out the door. "The tram stop is on the other side of the courthouse. It runs every half hour."

Robin turned and looked at the large wooden clock hanging above the saloon door. It showed that it was twenty minutes past four in the afternoon. He would have to hurry.

Robin thanked Miss Jackie for her help and quickly drank his shot of whiskey, leaving two gold coins for the intimidating old lady.

Robin carefully repeated the steps Miss Jackie had told him as he walked over to the town hall, anxiously trying to remember his stop—or rather, his jump—to Sunshine Acres.

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Author's Note:

The Town of Adel in this Novel is based on the real town of Adel, Iowa, USA. I drove through the town once and thought it was the perfect setting for a novel.

Here is the picture of the real courthouse: