by Ann Hite

Tyler Morgan was up every morning with the chickens. Not because he loved the early morning light seeping across Black Mountain; given a choice, he’d sleep until dinner, but Daddy thought men got up at the crack of dawn and took care of their chores, and Daddy wasn’t a man to be messed with. So, Tyler gathered Mama’s eggs, milked the old cow, and slopped the hogs before a bit of breakfast. Now, Tyler didn’t much care for school or learning for that matter. It just seemed a plain waste of time to him. Look at Daddy; he quit school in the fifth grade and he was no worse for it. All a farmer needed was little numbers and a few words. The rest would come his way from hard work and trusting the land. That’s why Tyler didn’t mind driving the cows to the east pasture every morning. It was a good four miles out of his way, but he never hurried.

Now, Daddy counted on them cows being home by sunset and because Tyler fiddled on the way home from school—fishing, playing ball with friends—he had to put a rush on gathering them cows each evening right as the sun touched the treetops. He found if he cut through Maude Tuggle’s field—she was the mountain’s granny woman, right smart lady for an adult—he made good time. Of course like with any good thing came a catch. He always passed the giant oak tree standing close to her house where he never failed to see a shadowy man hanging from one of the big limbs. It wasn’t no mystery that Granny Maude’s own daddy hung himself after the world war. Nobody spoke of the reason. But, Tyler would have bet his right arm that he hung himself at sundown. The thought sent a cold chill crawling up his spine. Did the man decide he wanted to live at the last second, regretting his decision? He pictured the man jumping from the limb, kicking a few times, before the life just drained right out of him. No wonder his spirit couldn’t rest. Mama said there were lots of souls on Black Mountain that wandered around. She swore they tapped on her bedroom window at night for relief from the worldly struggles. Tyler knew his mama was telling the truth because she saw the dead on a regular basis. They were attracted to her ‘sight’ like fleas to a dog. Daddy didn’t buy the ‘sight’ business, but he hushed up because Mama was his one weak spot, and he figured if she did have a gift, he sure didn’t want to be on her wrong side. Not many folks had ‘sight’ that Tyler knew just Mama and Shelly Parker, the colored girl who worked for Pastor Dobbins, and she’d punch you in the mouth if you mentioned it. Mama didn’t hold no store in Shelly’s gift, her being colored and all. Anyway, Tyler just hightailed it through the field after them cows each evening without thinking too much.

Throughout the day Tyler might be found doing mostly anything. Of late, he began to wander on down to the schoolhouse just to see pretty little Mollie Tagert. She acted real impressed when him and Pooter pulled old Hobbs Pritchard’s skull out of the oak tree. Now, Tyler never told a soul how scared he was that Hobbs might come in the night and cut Tyler’s head off. But Mollie Tagert could just about get him to do anything with that smile of hers. There were days when the thought of her just eat him up inside. So, that spring day in April it was just like him to open his big fat mouth and brag. Some of his friends gathered during recess: Oshie Connor, Charles Ray Heart, Pooter—it wasn’t hard to figure out where he got his name—and Mollie. Tyler was sure Oshie had taken a shine to Mollie too. That’s what started the whole business.

“I seen the ghost of old man Tuggle.” Tyler smiled real big.

Mollie stopped right in the middle of talking to Oshie.

“You’re just joshing. Ain’t nobody seen old man Tuggle’s ghost.” Oshie laughed at Tyler like he was some kind of kid. Oshie just wasn’t himself since he went down the mountain the summer before and worked for the carnival. Tyler guessed it was like Mama said: once a person left the mountain, there weren’t no coming back. Whatever was down there took away the good parts, the fun parts of Oshie and left him older, different.

“I know what I saw! I saw the ghost hanging in Granny Maude’s tree. I’ve seen it every day for nearly a year now.”

“Prove it.” Pooter piped up. He always leaned whichever direction Oshie leaned like trees in a strong wind.

“You couldn’t stand the sight.” Tyler watched Mollie’s eyes grow wide.

“You boys are plumb crazy if you hunt up some dead ghost.” She flitted around and pointed at Tyler. “And, you’re the craziest of all, walking by him every night.”

Tyler liked being in the light of her attention. “It ain’t nothing. I have to go that way.”

“I think we should meet Tyler at this tree. Let’s see his ghost.” Charles Ray spoke soft.

Was he sweet on Mollie too?

“You fellows can’t stand the sight, but come on over. I can’t hang around waiting on you because my daddy will whoop me good if I’m late, but you go on down the road until you get to Granny Maude’s place. Now you have to stand in the field. I don’t know what happens when you get closer to the tree. I’ve never tried it.”

“You boys are crazy! I wish I were a boy. You have to tell me all about it tomorrow.” Mollie smiled, and Tyler for one was darn glad she wasn’t a boy.

As the school day came to a close, a thought popped into Tyler’s mind. What if, just what if, he got the ‘sight’ from Mama. That would mean nobody but him could see this ghost. Lord, he’d never hear the end of it. He had to think of something real fast. And then, right when the teacher rang the dismissal bell, he had the best idea of his life. It was so good he nearly ran over Oshie and Pooter on the way out the door.

“Where you tearing off to so fast?” Oshie yelled at Tyler’s dust.

“Just be there.” Tyler threw his hand in the air and kept moving.

“We’ll be there don’t you worry.”

Daddy always said pride cometh before a fall, or was that God?

He thought on his plan long and hard, all through afternoon chores. It was perfect except for one glitch. If he hung himself by the neck, he’d die for sure, and that would defeat the purpose. While he was out in the barn, cleaning the horse’s shoes, the answer just dropped right in his brain. It was simple and smart. He’d just tie a rope around his chest and hang there like a dead man. Them boys wouldn’t come too close. They’d be way too scared.

As the sun settled on the tops of the trees, Tyler stood in front of the tree. The hair on his arms stood straight up, but he couldn’t see no shadow, which was a good thing cause he might have died on the spot. He hoisted himself up onto the second low branch. He tied a good knot around the limb and then around his chest. When he lowered himself, the jerk took his breath away for a minute and he swung.

“I don’t believe a bit of this.” Oshie walked into the field.

“Lord God in Heaven look at him. He’s hanging there.” Pooter stood with his mouth wide open.

“I’m leaving. My mama doesn’t like me out after dark.” Charles Ray turned back.

Tyler concentrated on looking dead as his body slowed to a soft sway.

“He’s crazy. I’m going home.” Oshie punched Pooter in the shoulder and Pooter took off running. Oshie was behind him.

Tyler had to think of a way down. Desperation spread through his chest, which ached from the tight rope. No girl was worth hanging stuck in a tree, looking like a darn fool. Then, he remembered his new pocketknife. He sawed on the rope above his head until it snapped and he hit the ground so hard again he lost his breath for the second time. When he opened his eyes, Maude Tuggle stood over him, looking at him as if part of his mind was gone and maybe it was.

“What in the world are you doing in my tree, Tyler?” You could have killed yourself or is that what you’re trying to do. Nothing is that bad. Does your Daddy know you’re out here hanging in my tree?”

The air slowly leaked backed into his lungs.

The next day at recess Tyler hung back, not sure what Oshie was going to say.

“What happed last night? Did you see the ghost?” Mollie was prettier than ever.

She wasn’t nothing but trouble, plain old trouble.

“We went out there.” Oshie looked over at Tyler. “We saw it.”

Pooter’s eyes got big. “You’re one crazy fellow, Tyler, hanging from that tree right by that darn ghost. That was one trick.”

Charles Ray chimed after Pooter. “This idiot here was hanging side by side with a ghost and the ghost was hanging by his neck just a swinging. Tyler was hanging by his chest keeping time with the ghost. It was plum crazy.”

Mollie stood next to Tyler. She had this smell, a girl smell, sweet and clean. “You are so brave.”

Tyler smiled at Mollie, but he thought he might just take the long way home from there after, see some different scenery.