The Sixth Gun Almanac, Part One

A while back, I started putting together a guide to the characters, objects, creatures, and places that have appeared in The Sixth Gun. I'm not sure what I originally intended to do with the guide, but I thought I'd start sharing it, bit by bit, here. Some of the entries (like this first one) reference more obscure aspects of the series. Others may flesh out some of the more easily recognizable story elements. The goal is to continue to build the world in which Becky, Drake, Gord, and Billjohn adventure.

Entry 1: The Fool's Lantern

Much blood has been spilled over the Fool's Lantern, and it's likely best that the damned thing stay hidden for all time. What appears to be a common hooded lantern is in actuality a powerful and dangerous oracle. It is said that when light is shown through the cracked glass of the lantern, the shadows upon the walls spell out secrets. Some say the lantern shows ghostly images of events past, present, and future. Others claim maps appear in the interplay of light and shadow. There have been stories aplenty, though, of those who stared too long and too deeply at the lantern's revelations. Many of those poor souls are driven mad by what they see … while others vanish altogether and are never heard from again. Who can say if one fate is more desirable than the other? The lantern is cold to the touch. When it is lit, the smoke it emits takes on oozing phantom shapes. The lantern vanished some fifteen years ago, and for that I say good riddance. Still, there are those who continue to seek it out. I only hope they never find the blasted thing.

                                                                                                           (Appears in The Sixth Gun #1)