Hortons Bend

a keen sharpening. Their two small screens for sifting dirt were mended and sanded down to avoid splinters. Flashlights were fitted with new batteries and the gas lantern was given new mantles. They wanted to be able to move quickly and took a disguised fishing trip up river to scout out any changes in the river. A small map was made of all deadfalls and river rock. If they had to leave in a hurry they needed to know where the fallen trees were so there were no surprises. J.W. was getting nervous but never let on to his older brother. When it was two days away and the weather still held good, neither of them had a good night’s sleep. On the Friday night before they headed for Horton’s, J.W. told his mama he was going to hang out at his brother’s house for a while. “Well I’ll save you some catfish but I can’t promise you on the hush puppies.” He smiled and headed to the cabin. Ronnie wanted to them have an easy night of cooking out on the grill with a few beers. And he meant a few. They both needed a good night’s sleep before Saturday’s adventure and better to fill up on food than on beer. They relaxed after eating some small steaks with baked potatoes and corn from the grill. They had built a small fire in a pit out in the yard. Ronnie didn’t want to discuss it but knew his brother was nervous. “J.W. we’ve talked it over so we each know what we need to do.” He continued, “No need to be nervous…..it’s just like any other dig we’ve been on…..we probe and we probe until we find a soft spot. If it seems good then we set up the lantern and dig and sift.” J.W. nodded his face glowing in the fire light. “Just remember what I told you…..be ready to go when I say go. Don’t look back cause I’m gonna be right behind you.” Shortly after they had eaten, he ushered his brother off home so he could get some sleep. They had planned to eat breakfast at Mama’s and help out on a few chores on Saturday. As for the work, nothing heavy was planned so they could each take a rest before leaving out on Saturday night.
    Saturday’s work for the two brothers consisted on a little fence mending and some light painting. They also put up a new screen door on their mother’s porch. Around 3pm they both kissed their mother goodbye and feigned having any plans for the rest of the weekend. It was hard getting any rest in the middle of the day but J.W. found that between eating again and reading an old hunting magazine that his eyes begin to get heavy. Ronnie dozed but it was a fitful sleep that brought little rest. They both woke up a little before 9pm and began to stir around. J.W. readied the john boat while his brother began to bring supplies for him to load up. Ronnie told his brother to be very careful. Now was not the time to break the glass on the lantern or drop a flashlight. They had plenty of time and need to go slow. After loading the boat they slowly went up river. The moon was very bright this night and helped them navigate through the quiet water. They both saw their landing and made their way onto the bank. Horton’s Bend had a curious fog that night. It was a struggle as the two of them climbed up a steep bank to the edge of the plowed field. They didn’t speak but aligned themselves side by side with their probes. As they probed the soft dirt J.W. often shot sideways glances to his brother. This was an eerie place that felt like something in a horror movie. Ronnie kept his composure but could feel the power that Horton’s possessed. He knew it was rich in history but he had never felt such an overwhelming feeling that they were both being watched. Each probe felt as though it was an invasion. He knew the soil in this county. You could expect a stratum of rich nutrients which overlay the natural orange clay. The soil appeared much darker here. Its earthy smell was strong. He was suddenly drawn to the foggy drifts all around them. The lack of night sounds was also unnerving….no cicadas, no crickets. They had not seen a lightning bug all night. All the while the moon shed a reddish cast that did not bode well. All of a sudden J.W. lurched forward and momentarily Ronnie thought it had been a clumsy trip by his brother. He then realized this was no clumsy trip but rather the probe had gone deep. The two looked at each other for a moment and then began gathering tools from their backpacks. The small lantern was lit and a light weight screen was placed on the other side of it to