Into Town

Inside the house the doctor is checking Tank.

"He's going to be fine, do not worry. You kicked him with what? I've never seen you before and you are not one of Aron's sons."

"No, Aron and Paula found me on the beach, I don't really remember anything from before that"

"Amnesia? Just learned about it in the books, never seen it, it will pass too, it helps if you go to familiar places, have you been to town? Do you remember your name?"

"No, I do not, I want to go to town, I seem to intrude on this nice family and cause trouble and I only have to thank them for their kindness"

"Come with me, we'll take Tank with us and you can stay at the hospital, it's more like a room with a bed, but will do until you find a job, then you will be able to rent a room at the saloon"

They put Tank on a stretcher and before leaving the stranger said:

"Thank you for helping me, I will try and recompense  you as I can."

"No need, just go and find the path God has given to you" said Aron "it was God that sent you to us to take care, good-speed to you!"

As they entered the town the doctor asked:

"Anything look familiar to ya?:

"No, not really, I don't think i have ever been here"

"That's fine, here we are, this is the hospital, well, it's just a small house, but it's the closest thing and everybody calls it a hospital as we have beds for the sick here. You'll stay in the small room near my office, you'll have some company, we have Mamma Lane with us and a nurse, nothing contagious. My nurse Betsy is here taking care she has all she needs. She's not really a nurse, she helps me and i give her bed and some money to keep her from working at the saloon. She's strong headed, poor cook and wants to be a medic, but that's no career for a woman. It's going to be hard for her to find a man with these ideas she has. I will let you stay for one week at the hospital as you seem to be a fine man, your words are of an educated man, besides, you're he first amnesic I have met."

"Thank you very much, I will try not make any trouble for you."

"You can't really, everybody needs me here, there is a lot of fighting in the saloon, for drinks and the women there, they all want to get fixed and I'm the only one, the barber is very old and can't really help them, some are even afraid to get their hair cut at his place, but he's full of wisdom and everybody goes mostly for that. Ow, if you drink, don't come sleep at the hospital, no booze, no women as long as you stay here."

"Betsy, come here, we have two guests."

A blond girl with blue eyes and long hair came down the stairs. 

"I am here, hello!"

"We have two guests, Tank we'll put in the room at the floor level, he will wake up, he just needs some sleep, i will give him a shoot, and he'll wake up in the morning when I will be here. He's usually very strong, but seems like he hit himself hard now, he might not like our other guest, he has amnesia, this means he remembers nothing since a few days back. Keep him safe from Tank."

"Hello" said the stranger "I will try and leave as soon as I find a job into town"

The doctor left Betsy in charge of everything and went home as the sun already sat down and he usually likes to spend it with his family that lives just outside town. He had his house built there not to keep away from the noise of the town, but to be close to a small patch of trees where he liked putting a hammock and having a pipe while reading. It was the only green island near town as all the trees were cut down for building houses and he did not even had to pull strings to get the land because the former owners were found all dead in the house with wild animal bites on them. The people thought they were bitten by beasts from hell as nobody was  able to recognize those bites and the house was far from any forest and no big animal lived anywhere near that place.

The Beach

The hut is warmed up in by the morning sun as it rises to reveal a now calm sea it is as if a calm summer night would have passed, not a cold storm that made the dwellers heat the house like in the cold winter nights. "He slept like a baby, he's still cold, but he looks fine, I will be back in a few hours and if needed I'll  go get  doc." says Aron while taking his fishing net.
Ben has not taken his eyes of the stranger, not even when Aron and Paula fell asleep. Now the stranger opened his yes and the dog years went up instantly and a small growl raised Paula's attention and she looks at the man in the bed.
"Good morning, how do you feel? I did not expect you to wake up so early."
The man has a puzzled look as he checks out the surroundings. He stands up looking at Paula.
"Good morning, where am I?"
"California, closest town is San Diego, my husband found you last night during the storm. Don't you remember anything? he found you all wet, he said he saw something in the water, are you alone? Where you on a ship?"
"California? San Diego? They don't say anything to me."
"What about Tijuana? What's your name?"
"My name? I, I don't know."
"You don't seem hurt, how can't you remember your own name. Maybe the doc should see you."
"Thank you for caring for me, how may I help you?"
"Just go see the doc in town and leave."
"Let me help around at least as a sign of thank you."
"OK, go get some wood, there is a forest near here and my husband went to fish, since the kids left we have trouble getting wood from the forest as it's far for us"

Aron is coming from setting up the nets and he sees Tank, the local goon, the one that kept harassing them since the kids departure to seek fortune. "This can't be good" he said to himself.
"Hello old man, how's the fishing?" said Tank revealing his perfect white teeth.
Tank is big strong man, with no apparent vices, he looks like a nice guy, but he harasses people for his own gain, he never buys anything, he just gets things by harassing the men in the local area. Nobody has ever managed to chase him off or beat him.
The stranger coming from the small forest nearby, saw the two man and as he was going down the path he saw Tank taking old Aron by the collar and Paula crying there. In an instant he was down near Tank, who could not understand the presence in front of him. One moment away he could see the sky and the sea and the beach and all went black. The stranger kicked him so strong he went flying into the air. Aron and Paula were shocked and could not make a sound. Their stranger saved them, yet it meant a lot of trouble for them now, at the same time, how was it possible. He was about 1,70 tall, white, skinny and his pallor made him look weak., yet with one fist he pushed big Tank in the air.
"No, he will kill us now!" shouted Paula
"I am sorry, he was attacking you, what I was supposed to do? Let him beat you up?"
"Yes, he would have taken whatever he wanted and for a week or so we would have been at peace, what will we do now?"
"How did you do that?" asked Aron.
"I, I don't know, I was up on the hill coming down the path when he was beating you, it just happened"
"Let's help him, maybe he'll show us mercy, come help us move him into the house"
The stranger took him by an arm and Aron by the other and they took him into the house while Paula was crying and cursing for the moment she sent Aron to get the wood for the fire.

The Storm

On a hut near the ocean Aron and Paula are making the fire to heat themselves in a stormy night.
"It should be hot, we're in the middle of the summer, this is not normal"
Aron takes the small cloth covering the window and looks outside. A strong thunder makes the hut shake and the flicker of the lightning reveals the high waves of the sea.
"Nothing to see there, you'd better come here and help me with the food"
"I thought i saw something there... on the waves"
"It's too dark o see anything, you'd do anything but help me, I always have to do everything on my own. Why God have I fallen in love for such a lazy man."
"In the lightning, ah, woman, what do you want me to do, I fish all day long to give us something to eat."
"A fish a day is not bringing food, we're old now, what will we do later?"
Mumbling something Aron goes and taking a knife starts cutting a carrot in small pieces.
"What in the name of god are you doing there, have I asked you to cut carrots? Go away! You'd better go get some more wood, it's not enough."
Aron puts on a raincoat, and goes towards the door pushing Ben with the foot moving along the carpet under the dog close to the fire. Ben is the household's dog, it looks like a Saint Bernard but it's all yellow except for its black ears. They never thought it would get this big when they found it as a puppy lots of years ago, but they cannot part with Ben even if it's hard feeding the whole family during the winters..
"And you say I'm lazy. He did not even flinch, his tail could be on fire he would still sleep."
"Just go get the wood, I'll make the food and see if you can find Mindy, I'm worried and I don't want her to catch a cold."
"It's just a cat, with fur, I would not worry about Mindy." said Aron getting into the storm outside.
Aron knocks hard with its foot in the door and blasts it to the wall, even Ben put hid head up to look at the noise and starts growling.
"You will not guess what I found outside, come and help me, somebody was drowning in the water, told ya I saw something there in the water. There might be more, but I can't see anybody else."
Paula helps him put the stranger on the bed.
"Get some blankets, and bring me that whiskey you keep hiding along in the old closet, we need to make him warm. He's knocked up pretty bad." said Paula while getting some blankets.
"Let's hope he'll make it through the night, I can't go into the town now and get the doc."
"Let's just hope this is not trouble for us, there are no ships that sail this part of sea, no good ships anyway" replied Paula with trembling voice.
"As soon as he can walk he'll be gone, Ben does not like him, and he likes everybody, even that damn cop" said Aron.
"I'll bottle some hot water to keep him warm."
Thunders strike outside while the people in the house try to bring warmth to the stranger they took into their home.