“Come on in McHardy. Set yourself down and rest a while. I aint seen you in a month a Sundays. Where you been and what you been up to, Old Man?”
The master of the cabin, Derks Kelly, stroked his long, gray beard then motioned toward a ragged recliner.
“Go on Aran, have a seat. Take a load off. Now tell me what you been a doing.”
Aran McHardy eased his heavy frame slowly down into the shabby chair. He hoped it wouldn't break under the weight of his almost giant body.
“Oh I been around. Taking care of business, if you know what I mean.”
“How is business these days?”
“It aint been too good lately. Revenuers been all over the mountain and I had to hide everything in Dead Man's Cave. It's gonna be real hard to get the product offen the mountain to the customers without getting caught. It's Christmas, demand is high and profit is too. I need a plan. Got any ideas?”
“Well now, for a cut of the profits, I reckon I might be able to help you git it done. How much cut can you give me?”
“I was fixing to ask you if you wanted in. I been thinking about what I could afford to pay, I guess 30% and that's a lot considering I had all the expense of making the hooch. Does that amount seem OK to you, Kelly?”
“Sure, it'll be alright. I got a plan but it aint gonna be easy. It'll probably be really dangerous but no guts no glory and no profit from your labor.”
“Yeah, I know. Lord knows, I like whiskey but I could never drink all the product I have ready to deliver. It'd take years of being wasted all day every day. I'd take years and I aint got years to wait for the money. I aint getting no younger and it feels like I'm running out of time. I've been scared as a possum under a moving truck that the feds will find that cave. If they do, I might as well lay down in the graveyard next to Molly. Without that hooch sale, I'm done for. I don't mind danger. Since Molly died last Christmas, I aint had no desire to live. I reckon a man aint really got no say-so in it. You go when it's your time but it's so damn lonely 'round the cabin these days. I don't never hear much from the younguns. Guess they's busy with their own lives. It gets mighty lonely. I just wish the Good Lord would hurry up and take me. Well, anyway, what's your plan Kelly? Do you think it'll work?”
“Well, as you know, my mama was full Cherokee. She knew these hills and hollows as good as the forest animals. She knew the rivers and she knew the caves. More than a century ago some hunters followed a fox into Dead Man's Cave. It wasn't called by that name back then. It was Narrows Cave. The dead man's name was earned because them hunters didn't never come outa that cave. The county men did some searches for 'em but they won't never found; no bodies, no clothing, no bones, nothing. It's been dead man's cave ever since. My mama told me not to go in that cave. It used to be called, “Narrows” because it was so narrow, hard to crawl through. Hard but not impossible. Mama said when she was a child, she and the other Cherokee children would crawl through those narrows to the back entrance of the cave. She said it was a tight squeeze, even for a child. She warned me never to go into that cave. There's also been told that the cave is haunted by them dead hunters and others who tried to explore it and never come out. They say if you go in there the spirits will git you, kill you with fright so you have to stay there with them forever. 'Course I don't give no belief in no haints. I figure when you dead, you dead. Heaven in hell, well I aint sure about neither one of them and if there is a Heaven i'm hoping to make it there by the skin a my teeth. Then again Hell might not be so bad, at least I'll know a lot a folks down there, probably more'n I'd know in Heaven.”
“Haaaaa, that's about the God's honest truth, Derks. Same thing for me. But if'n there is a Heaven, I know my Molly is there, my ma and pa too and a couple a my brothers. I's always the black sheep of the family so I guess my eternity is iffy. Bet they aint got no hooch in Heaven but I'd be willing to sacrifice it to be with my Molly again. And you's wrong about haints, they's real. I seen 'em myself. Pickup run outa gas one night. I had to walk up the mountain to the cabin. It was late at night but the moon was half full, so I could see pretty good. Passed by that ole holiness church halfway up the mountain. That ole building's been there over a hundred fifty years. Tiny building but a big graveyard. After-all they been burying folks there in that rocky ground for as long as the the building's stood. Well, anyway, I's walking past the graveyard. It was just a few days after they buried that Lorris couple and their baby that died in that cabin fire. I got this most creepy feeling, it was August but it felt cold as February. I was shaking with chill. I looked over at the graveyard and God as my witness, Derks, I seen that couple walking around the graves. He had his overalls and straw hat on, she had on what looked like it might be a Sunday go to meeting dress and she's holding a baby in her arms. I didn't wait around to see no more. I made tracks to the cabin. I aint never told nobody about it but you. I believe in haints, Kelly, I seen 'em. I had Molly buried in that graveyard. It hurts my heart to think about her walking around alone in the cold and snow. I can only hope she's resting in peace and not wandering around looking for something she can't find. Enough about haints. Now, what's the plan?”
“First plan is to stay away from graveyards at night. If'n you say you saw haints, Aran, then, by God, I guess haints is real and I plan to stay away from 'em. Now about the hooch, I figure the best time to try is on a moonless night, so we'll wait for the clouds to roll in. It'll probably be snowing, but hell, we's used to snow. Snows seven months outa twelve up here in these mountains. Snow won't be no problem nor slow down. When it's dark we'll go to the cave. We can't use no glass bottles cause in them tight places, they's liable to get broken. Go over in the valley and buy some metal gallon containers. Anyway, as I's saying, when it gets dark we'll go to the cave and pour all the hooch into the metal jugs. Then we'll squeeze our way through the cave to the other side, where it comes out down in the hollar on the paved road to Franklin. I'll have the pickup parked over on one of the dirt side-roads, near as I can git it to the cave without it being seen. When we get outa the cave we can load all the hooch into the truck bed and cover it up with hay bales. If we do get stopped it'll look like two ole farmers delivering hay. What 'a you think of my plan, McHardy?”
“It just might work, Kelly. We aint gonna make a cent on that whiskey left setting in the cave. I think we should give it a try. Next night it clouds up, I'll head down to the cave and you do the same. Wait 'til about midnight so we'll be less likely to be seen. I'll walk and you drive your truck, it's a sight better one than I got and we might need to do some speedin.”
“Alright, it's agreed on then. Let's shake on it. Can I get you some soup, McHardy and some cider. It' getting nar on supper time.”
“Thanks but I best be going. Got some hounds to feed and my plow horse. I'll see you the first cloudy night.”
“See you then.”
McHardy threw on his heavy coat and took his leave. It wasn't far to his cabin but it was a bit of a climb and it had been getting harder and harder for him to walk uphill. He decided to just take his time and not upset his old worn-out heart too much. As he neared the old holiness church he turned his head the other way. There was nothing he wanted to see in the old graveyard. As he passed the church, he couldn't help but look. He saw lights inside and an old Christmas carol floated out into the darkness, “God rest ye merry gentlemen let nothing you dismay. Remember Christ our savior was born on Christmas Day.” There were shouts of “Hallelujah, Praise God.”
McHardy knew there had been no services in the church for over fifty years. It had been abandoned that long and it was falling apart. He wondered if Molly's sweet alto voice might be included in the singing. She loved Christmas, everything about it. She would go about her work and cooking in the cabin singing the old carols. She always had a surprise gift for Aran. One not under the tree but reserved to be given to him by his wife on Christmas morning.
The ghostly song continued to drift out over the snow, “To save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray, Oh, tidings of comfort and joy.”
McHardy quickened his steps. His heart pounded against his ribs but he refused to slow down until he was well past the church and out of earshot of the old carol. He didn't look at the graveyard so he had avoided seeing any haints that might be roaming around among the gravestones.
He soon arrived at the three room cabin on Loose Cow Ridge, named after a bovine disaster of a hundred years before. After feeding his hunting hounds and plow horse, he fell into bed exhausted and more than a little shook up by the music from the old, abandoned church.
Three partly cloudy days went by but on the morning of the fourth day a blizzard rolled in. The snow was falling so thick and fast that McHardy could barely see far enough in front of him to make it on foot to Dead Man's Cave. It took longer than it should have because the drifts were knee-deep and everywhere. Finally he reached the cave where Kelly was waiting for him. McHardy had already placed the metal jugs and the big funnel in the cave close to the still.
McHardy shook the snow out of his stocking cap and his long, graying hair and pulled off his thick gloves.
“Howdy, Aran. I already got about ten of them jugs filled. You can fill some now. It shouldn't take too long and we'll be on our way to deliver this hooch and collect some coins.”
They worked quickly and soon had all the jugs filled. It was finally time to squeeze through the tunnel. Kelly's pickup was waiting in the woods on the other side. Over in Wild Hog Hollow, there would be no Feds looking for stills. If they could quickly load the jugs into the pickup bed and cover them with hay bales, they had a good chance of making it into Franklin without getting caught. They'd deliver the hooch, collect their money and be on their way back home.
They started through the tunnel, Kelly was pulling the jugs behind them secured together with a rope. McHardy went in behind Kelly. The tunnel became more and more narrow as they pressed along. McHardy was crawling on his belly. He yelled at Kelly, who was far ahead of him.
“Bud, this tunnel is getting a mite too narrow, I'm crawling on my belly and my back is almost touching the top. I'm having to squeeze my shoulders along and I gotta tell you, this aint making me happy a'tal. I got that closephobia or whatever they call it. I can't stand closed in places. I'm having a hard time breathing. Are we anywhere near the end of the tunnel?”
“We still got a ways to go, Aran. Keep pushing on. The truck aint far from the cave. It won't take long to load the jugs and cover 'em with the hay bales. Just keep pushing, it won't be long afore we're outa here and on our way to Franklin.”
McHardy was about to yell back his agreement when he realized his shoulders were stuck, stuck firm and immovable. His pulse quickened and dizziness took hold of his senses. There was panic in his voice when he yelled,
“Derks, I'm stuck, oh Lord, I'm stuck and I can't breathe too good. What can I do?”
“Well, Aran, I can't turn around in here, it's too narrow. I got the jugs tied to my belt and I can get out and pull them after me. I'll load the truck, make the trip to Franklin and deliver the hooch. I'll drive back to the opening of Dead Man's Cave, I'll come in and pull you out. You'll be alright that long. Just try to relax and breathe deep until I come back to get you.”
“I'll try, Derks, but it's damn hard to breathe and my heart aint beating right. Hurry up and do what you gotta, so you can get me outa here.”
“OK, Aran. I'll hurry.”
Mchardy heard the clanging of the jugs against the cave walls. He could tell Derks was trying to hurry. Clang, clang, clang. That was the last thing he heard before he passed out.
He woke to profound silence. Nothing seemed to be stirring inside or outside the cave. He could imagine the silent snow, falling, drifting against the mouth of the tunnel, piling up on tree limbs, the ruins of the old church and the gravestones in the graveyard. It was strange but he felt somehow comforted by the image. He smelled the sweet scent of Jasmine, like the perfume Molly used to wear. He had to be dreaming. Molly was dead a year and in her grave. A light began to shine softly and increase gradually. He was lying flat on the tunnel floor. A pair of feet stepped into his line of vision. They were a woman's dainty feet, wearing sheer stockings and black slippers. McHardy recognized them. They were the slippers he had buried Molly in, a year ago.
A woman's soft voice spoke to him, a voice he remembered well.
“Come on, Honey. I'm gonna get you outa here. You ought not be in here, seeing as how you hate close places. Come on now, take my hand.”
“I can't move, Molly. I's stuck in-between these damn rock walls. If I try to move it'll break both my shoulders.”
“Take my hand, Darlin. I promise nothing is gonna hurt you. Take my hand.”
McHardy could barely move his hand but he turned it palm up and managed to move it upward a few inches. Her delicate hand grabbed his big, rough one. Before he knew it he was free from the walls and able to stand.
“Come on now, Aran, let's get outa this ole cave. Hold on to my hand.”
He found himself standing in the huge, main hall of the cave. He was holding her hand but he was afraid to look at Molly's face and especially to look into her eyes.
“I have a gift for you, Honey. Look at me Aran.”
He looked at her, lovingly, for the first time since he had kissed her cold lips in her casket. He looked at her and accepted her gift.
Before dawn, Derks Kelly returned to Dead Man's Cave. He began to snake his way through the tight tunnel.
“McHardy, you alright? I'm coming fast as I can. We'll get you loose. Just hold on a little longer.”
There was no reply and Derks feared his friend was too weak to speak. He pushed himself further into the tunnel.... pushing, pushing. Squeezing through the darkness. At last his hands brushed against a shoe. He reached out and grabbed the foot it covered.
“Mchardy, McHardy, you alright?”
There was no answer but Derks Kelly needed none. The ankle he took hold on was cold, as cold as death.
That's one way to cut your partner out of 30%. I ain't heard or read the word, haint, in a coon's age… Maybe not atal.
Love the vernacular. But I found that the risky, but safer, plan was a little hokey. The danger would be in the pickup truck if stopped by the sheriff or town police nosy about what they were carrying.
Mammoth Cave has a place called "Fat Man's Agony." It is a place where the cave is still high above and is filled halfway completely. But if you walk in the channel of an old stream in the middle, it is very narrow up to your hips. I was very skinny at the time and had difficulty getting through. All a fat man would have to do is not walk that narrow channel but get up on top and either walk or crawl to the other end.
Molly coming was a nice touch for a delusional, dying man.
I remember when we were fishing with my grandfather and he declared, "I'm just waiting for the good Lord to come and take me away." He had suffered a couple of strokes, was taking insulin and his arthritis was quite painful. He still lived about five years more.
