The Ballad of Gavin Cardigan

"hey, danny boy! what's on the menu today?" cardigan seemed in a good mood as he walked into Poor Yorick's Pub.

"vietnamese grilled pork sandwiches," blake replied, already pulling a guinness for his best customer.

cardigan took his beer with a grateful sigh. "i'll take it, thanks" he said as he walked over to join sierra and marian.

"hi, gavin," marian greeted him.

"gavin?"

cardigan turned toward the corner where the raspy voice had uttered his name, spying a bedraggled young man in a denim jacket holding a guitar. "do i know you?"

the young man shook his head, "naw, man. i just like the sound of your name, and i've never heard it in a song before. may i use it?"

blake walked up, delivering the sandwich. "this is tucker. i let him play here sometimes."

"he's very talented," Mysterious Lurker offered.

blake stared at her. "when did you get here?"

"oh, i've been here ever since i walked in. can i have a ginger ale?"

blake muttered under his breath as he walked off.

tucker was strumming and trying out some lyrics:

she looked him up and down and said, "gavin,
come sit down and tell me what you're havin'.
he said, "i can only stay a bit
'cause pretty soon i have to get
going to my mississippi home..."

sierra looked at cardigan in surprise. "you never told me you were from mississippi!"

"i'm not," gavin said, annoyed. "he's just making stuff up."

"why mississippi, tucker?" marian asked.

the shaggy black-haired singer shrugged. "arkansas doesn't fit the meter."

"i'm not from arkansas, either," cardigan stated. "why don't you write a song about sierra, instead? she's got a musical name."

she buttoned up her shirt and whispered, "gavin,
what's the point of this conversation that we're havin'?"
he said, "you know i'd love to stay,
but you'd regret it every day
so i'll head for my mississippi home..."

marian looked over at sierra. "why would you regret it if he stayed? i don't understand."

"it's not me!" sierra sputtered.

"it's not me, either!" cardigan bit into his sandwich in irritation, then relaxed as the savory grilled pork brought him back to a happy place.

"stop interrupting," Mysterious Lurker admonished them. "you're disrupting the creative synergy here." her blue eyes sparkled as she accepted a ginger ale from blake.

tucker continued:

the preacher closed the good book and said, "gavin,
leave behind the trouble you've been havin'.
ask god to forgive you, son,
forget about that smokin' gun,
he'll take you to your mississippi home...."

marian was aghast. "gavin! what'd you do?"

sierra was impressed. "cardigan! what'd you do?"

Mysterious Lurker turned her brown eyes on him. "do you think you'll go to heaven or hell?"

cardigan muttered, "either's gotta be better than here."

the devil turned the heat up and said, "gavin,
it's payday for the fun that you've been havin'.
he said, "devil, you can't reach me here,
i can't be caught, i have no fear,
i'm safe now in my mississippi home..."

Mysterious Lurker clapped her hands and shouted, "encore!"

tucker winked and switched to a minor chord:

sierra was a hillbilly gal...

"oh no," sierra groaned.