Ghost on Black Mountain by Ann Hite Page B

her.
    All the women stared as if I was supposed to speak to this.
    A sick pressure worked in my ribs. Hobbs was bad, but I didn’t want to talk about him with those women. “Hobbs works a lot.”
    “Well of course he does. He took on this mountain like a hunter goes after his supper, like falling a squirrel or gutting a deer.” This came from the pretty woman.
    “Hush now, Darlene.” The older woman spoke.
    “He took anything worth a darn and left the rest for the vultures to pick over, Mama Park,” Darlene sneered.
    “Yes he did,” spoke a few women at once.
    Women when slapped together in the same room could be the meanest of all God’s creatures, especially to their own kind. “Does anyone know anything about Merlin Hocket? I saw him on the way here.” I allowed these words to settle in their minds. “He talked some kind of nonsense. He looked real to me. I’m not sure he is a ghost.”
    Shelly rattled the delicate cup as she poured tea.
    Mama Park grabbed her chest and took a step back. “Lord have mercy on you, child. You best be careful. Everyone here knows what really happened to Merlin, and he’s a bad omen, nothing but bad. He was found in a creek dead two months after he came up missing. See, it’s because we kept quiet about the truth that he walks this mountain. He punishes us for not speaking up.” Mama Park frowned.
    All the women in the room muttered their agreement and this spurred Mama Park on.
    “One thing I do know is folks that see him always come to some kind of doom.” That word echoed through me. All the women had given me plenty of space. Shelly handed me a cup of tea that sloshed onto the saucer. Lydia came over from seeing to the little sandwiches. She was frowning at me. Mybeing there wasn’t helping the meeting like she thought. That was plain in how she tapped her toe.
    “Most ghosts look like me and you. You can bet he’s a spirit.” Mama Park shook off a chill.
    “Ghosts do not exist. We know that, ladies.” Lydia gave me a “shut up” look. “Can we please change the subject to more ladylike things?” This time she openly glared at me.
    The women began to talk about a quilt they were working on. Darlene recited her recipe for pound cake. I slid out the front door. Shelly met me in the yard just out of sight of the house.
    “You got to leave this mountain, Nellie. That’s what the woman ghost says. She’s right upset and nearly driving me crazy. Get on out of here before it’s too late. I won’t have no part of the bad that is surrounding you. You can fix it but you got to leave right now.” Shelly touched my arm and then walked away. I was left there with my mouth hanging open.

Seventeen

I took myself straight to Aunt Ida’s. Maybe Mama was right all along. Maybe there was death—mine. Jack was unloading wood from the back of his truck. He stopped and took off his hat.
    “Howdy, Miss Nellie.”
    I tried to smile. “I need to ask a favor.”
    His face grew serious and little lines appeared near his eyes. “What can I do for you?”
    “I want to go see my mama.” Women couldn’t just leave their husbands, so I had to sort of lie.
    He nodded. “You want to go tomorrow?”
    My chest felt lighter. “Yes, if you don’t mind, first thing in the morning.”
    Jack took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t want to be out of line, but be careful. Hobbs ain’t going to take to you leaving the mountain, and everyone up here is watching.”
    “They don’t like him. They won’t tell.”
    “Not unless they’re pushed to pay money they don’t have.”He looked over the valley. “Folks might do anything if they’re desperate.”
    “I’m going to see Mama. It’s been too long.”
    “I’ll be there first thing.” He tried to smile.
    “It’s just for a visit. I ain’t going to give Hobbs no reason to know.”
    “I know.” But I could tell he thought otherwise. It seemed he knew more about me than I knew.
    I scrubbed the