As he drove across the rolling hills, sometimes making it up to 10 miles an hour, Vic listened to Mr. Garvey ramble on about the lack of rain, his sons and the tobacco crop he intended to harvest. He would say, "Yep, it keeps this ninety-year-old body in good shape, it does."

She would nod at the appropriate times and smile when needed, but concentrated on how to get the dead animal out of Mama’s Milk. "Mr. Garvey, why were you at the cave?"

He shrugged and yelled over the roar of the diesel engine.

"Just checkin’ it out. This time of year the punk kids try to get in there and ya know, one of these day’s someone’s going to get hurt, anyway that’s when I’d smelt it." He patted her knee as he continued. "I ain’t smelled something so bad, so strong since WWII and onct smelt, you’d never forget. Ever! Now Vic, I know I’ve called before and it’s been a cow, or coyote, but not this time, nope, not this time."

He slowed the tractor then brought it to a stop with a lurch. "Sorry," he apologized, "Still gettin use to the new girl."

"That’s okay, why are we stoppin’?"

He nodded toward the hill and turned toward her. "Vic, just can’t go back up there again. And believe you me, I ain’t thinkin’ it’s any animal this time neither."

She nodded and followed him off the tractor. Accepting his gentlemanly offer of help, she could feel some strength left in his thin arms. Maybe he was right, work did keep him going.

"Okay Mr. Garvey, I’ll just have a look-see."

"I’ll wait for ya right ‘chere." He climbed back onto his John Deere.

She nodded and slew her back pack over her arm and looked over the large hill. Standing about 100 feet high and treeless except for the base, which was surrounded with cedars and blackberry bushes. Mr. Garvey planted the bushes years ago, hoping to keep the teenagers out one of the oldest known caves in Tennessee.

She walked to the large patch of bushes and picked up an old stick, hitting them several times to chase away the rattlers. She sure didn’t want to be the laugh of town for getting snake-bit. Almost every City of Caleb resident was the proud owner of a police scanner.