Never look a Christmas gift camel in the mouth.

'Twas the night before Christmas, when through Busted Gulch
A creature was stirring, it wasn't a mouse;

"How's she doing?" Asked Billy

An answer he knew before he entered the bakery

"Still da same"

margarita answer

"Our poor little Jane."

The two watched Jane sitting alone by the table

Gazing at the porcelain camel

The camel

Made Billy uncomfortable

"She just will not talk."

"Whatever happened to her is to mucho shock."

Then little Ron flew open the door

Came slipping  sliding across the floor

Jumping with a yell

"A CAMEL!"

"There's a camel!"

"Calm down Ron all's is ok"

Margarita did say

"I gave it to Jane for her to play."

"No not that one!"

Ron cried 

"A real one!"

"It just walked into town "

The boy said jumping up and down.

"With a rider on its back!"

"Except he looks dead?"

Billy felt dread.

Jane up and ran

Passing them

As fast as she can

"Come back child it could be dangerous."

Margarita cried

Following her out the door into the night

"Hey!"

"Wait for me!"

Ron followed quickly

Alone

Billy uneasy

Walked slowly

The deputy

Felt his sidearm

Getting heavy.

      *******************

The sheriff held back the crowd at one end of town.

There at the other in moonlight silver

Strode the camel and it's dead rider

Margarita caught Jane

With the help of strop the barber

From going any further

Margarita held the girl tight

Despite the child's fight

"No Jane it's to dangerous."

Margarita warned.

"Wild animals can turn furious!"

"Your right ma am"

said Billy joining them

He stood tall making a stance

"Best not take a chance"

His pistol raised

He took aim

"No!"

Sheriff cried

And grabbed Billy's arm as he fired

The shot rang up into the air

Crowd yelling in fear

The camel startled

Stumbled

It's corpse fell to the ground.

Behind corpse townsfolk were shocked at what they found.

A woman passenger exhausted in need of care.

MOTHER!  MOTHER!  MOTHER!

Jane shouted screaming.

"Jane?"

The woman woke not knowing

Was she dreaming?

Jane escaped From her captors running.

"JANE!"

Screamed the mother

jumping

Falling

Ground hitting

Crawling

Running

"MOTHER!"

Finally

Entwined her daughter

Smothered

hugged

kissed

Oh JANE!

Oh Mother!

Over and wonderfully over.

The camel trotted towards the crowd proudly.

Towards the sheriff and Billy.

Billy stirred into its eyes filled with hate.

The camel just stirred back and seemed to wait.

Billy's hate slowly disappear

Within the camels gentle stir.

"Hell you win camel"

Billy said in the end

"But don't go thinking this makes us frien-"

The camel spat in Billy's eye

"I guess he agrees and saying goodbye"

The sheriff reply

The camel with a loud grunt turned trotted the way he came

Back out of town again

"Lord almighty!"

Cried Unger the undertaker disappointedly

Bending over dead body

"This deceased isn't well...deceased."

"He's right!"  The Doc joined him.

"He's barely alive Quickly get him inside."

"Who is he?"

Asked the sheriff looking at Billy

"It's Ronan O Boyle." 

Answered  strop the barber

"Are you sure?"

The sheriff asked.

"It's not another?"

"I should be-"

Strop answered picking up the body

Gently holding

All help refusing

"It's ok."  replied the barber

"He ain't heavy, He's my brother."

He hurried following the Doctor.

*******************************

Soon the townsfolk began to leave

Home to celebrate their Christmas Eve

Margarita and little Ron took both mother and daughter back home

To the bakery

Until just two that night remain on duty

Sheriff and his deputy

On night patrol

Well

More of a stroll

"Need to ask you something  my brain keeps pondering "

Sheriff Asking unsmiling

"Ask make it quick getting cold."

Cold?

Billy wondered was he getting old

"You say you found this girl Jane all by herself?"

The sheriff curiously asked

"There was no one else?"

"That's what I said." 

Billy replied

"It's cold let's get inside."

"And you say she never SPOKE... not a word?"

"Again that's what I SAID! "

Billy seeing red

"Why you fishing?"

"Nothing just wonderin-"

Sheriff head scratching

"How did you know her Name?"

Billy stunned found..

He could say nothing....

"So Strop our barber is OBoyles brother I was wondering-"

The sheriff said silence braking

-"Where in town he was staying."

Billy broke down

Interrupting

Stammering

"I thought he was dead....

I couldn't save both..

I had to choose..

I - - -

Sheriff stopping

"You did all you could son as far as I care what's done is done."

Sheriff places hand on Billy's shoulder.

"A mother and daughter are back together. Anything else don't matter."

The sheriff quickly hugged as men always seem to do.

It was done Billy just knew.

He hoped it would be enough for Rue.

"Now Deputy want to join me in the saloon for some Christmas cheer."

"Don't mind if I do sheriff."

Billy said then enquiring-

"Who's buying?"

"Town hall Deputy, it's our staff PARTY!"

"Merry Christmas sheriff."

"It will be Billy"

"It will be."

At the edge of Busted Gulch

By a chapels window light

Pastor Stein did exclaim

As the camel drove out of sight

Happy Christmas to all

And to all a good night