It finally occurred to MT that someone like Mr. Trogdon had influence a boy like him could never begin to understand. The Chattanooga Times-Herald had done a story on the moonshiners, but there was no mention of Marion Teague or Perry Trogdon. Instead there was a short paragraph about Mr. Trogdon and his involvement.

Somehow he must have sworn the Sheriff to secrecy, because even the reporter's comments about Snowden and Bates didn't mention how they were discovered. But the most worrisome piece of the article was the part about Nathan Bates.

The man was wanted all over the South, just as the Sheriff had said. Two murders, six bank robberies and assorted assaults were associated with that name. The reporter speculated that this latest caper dealing with the production of moonshine meant that Bates was tied in with some of the backwoods criminal gangs who ran drugs and illegal liquor.

MT had a clear image of Bates in his head and remembered the way he bossed Snowden around. 'A hardened criminal' the paper called him, and he was all of that. Maybe it was a good thing that their names were not in the paper because even criminals read the news, don't they?

But overall MT was relieved that mess was behind them and the summer with Perry could proceed. No more little side adventures. They would make some definite plans and stick to them. Perry seemed willing to try just about anything, and MT was counting on it.

It was several days later, after the excitement had died down, that MT found himself invited to dinner at the mansion. His mother was all aflutter since she was the one who had taken the phone call from Mr. Trogdon. MT could only smile as she pulled his only suit coat from the closet and hurried off to the cleaners.

Perry had revealed that his mother was coming in town for a visit, so the dinner invitation wasn't that much of a surprise. MT wanted to meet the mother because it would give him greater insight to the son. Perry was an enigma, although MT didn't understand all the implications of that word.

The boy should have been off at some fancy summer camp for rich kids, yet he was here in Trogdon wasting away a summer. Perry was definitely a smart kid because he knew things that MT had never considered knowing. Even so, there was a lot of common sense missing in Perry's education, and MT felt it his duty to impart that wisdom as part of their friendship.

Dinner with the Trogdon family was sure to be a formal affair, at least in the eyes of MT's mother. Table manners would include elbows off the table and knowing which fork to use for the salad. MT had been taught most of that because the Reverend Hayes and his wife had been to the house for dinner several times over the years and those were always formal affairs.

Perry called the day of the dinner to say his mother had arrived and that MT should come over at six so they could have some time together before the meal. MT couldn't very well ride his bike while wearing a coat and tie, so his father drove the boy over in his truck.

"I hope you have a nice evening," Carl said. "Barbara Trogdon is a very nice lady."

"Oh, you've met her?"

"I did, but that was years ago. She's a very pretty lady."

MT thought about that, wondering if his father would say anything more. But since he didn't ...

"How did you meet her?" MT asked.

Carl sighed, because opening the door to the past was difficult. But Ben Trogdon had called him a few days ago and said it was time MT knew all the family secrets. Carl would have been just as happy if the need never came up, but Perry had changed all that, and now Barbara was here.

"Robert Trogdon grew up here and we went to school together. The oldest brother Richard was already in high school, the youngest named Neil was still a little boy. Mr. Trogdon wanted his sons to join the family business and thought the boys ought to get their education with the people in the community. It didn't quite work out the way he wanted.

"Eventually Richard went off to college and Neil was sent to a boarding school in Atlanta. That left Robert here struggling to reach a goal set by the Old Man and never really sure what it was. But he was a stubborn boy and didn't find it easy to get along with a lot of the other kids.

"I suppose that Trogdon name made it hard on him, and there were fights. You know how stupid some of our community members can be, and so they decided Robert didn't belong. The Old Man finally yanked him out of town and sent him off to the boarding school. From what I know, he never came back here.

"He married Barbara just about the time I met your mother. Robert may not have felt a part of this town but she did. I think Old Ben Trogdon had a real affection for his daughter-in-law even if he wasn't happy with his own boy. Your mother and I got married a few years later, and you can imagine my surprise when Barbara sent me a card after the wedding."

"Wow, she knew who you were," MT said.

"We had never met, but it seems Robert had mentioned my name. I was probably one of the few who never picked on him, MT. He couldn't help who he was any more than Perry can. I don't think you should hate someone because of their family name. It leaves no room to judge the person, and Robert never had a chance to show us his character."

"But he left Perry's mother ... that was a bad thing," MT said.

"It is, for her and Perry."

They had almost reached the gates to the estate when Carl pulled the truck over and shut down the engine. MT looked at his father with curiosity and the look he got back was filled with emotion.

"I owe you an explanation, MT ... probably something I should have told you years ago. But before you meet whoever is in that house tonight there is something you need to know.

"Barbara Trogdon was very kind to me when your mother died, and so was the Old Man. The reason ... the reason they were so kind was that your mother was a Cotswold ... that was her maiden name, and Barbara was her sister. We had decided before you were born that we would name you Marion Cotswold.

"Cotswold was also the maiden name of Ben Trogdon's first wife ... she was your mother's aunt which means Perry's father is also your cousin. I know it's confusing, but you and Perry are related by blood because his mother is your aunt. And even though our families couldn't be more different, you keep that in mind when you speak to her.

"The Cotswold family wasn't very happy when your mother married me. I was just a simple young man with an inclination for automobiles. I didn't have a fancy education like them and your mother was a college girl when we met. But there was a spark between us that couldn't be denied and Barbara saw that, or perhaps your mother told her.

"But if you head south towards Atlanta you'll discover that Cotswold is a pretty famous name, just like Trogdon is here. You are a Cotswold by blood line, MT, and you are a Trogdon cousin. Perhaps you would have been better off if either family had recognized you sooner. I'm sorry, maybe I should have told you all this a long time ago. But I didn't want to dig up the past and I never expected Barbara and her son to come into your life. But here we are."

MT was silent for a moment and then he smiled. "So Perry is my first cousin?"

"Yes, he is."

"Cool ... and I bet he doesn't even know that."

MT turned and laid a hand on his father's arm. "Dad, I'm glad you finally told me. It doesn't matter how I'm related to Mr. Trogdon. I am Marion Teague and nothing is ever going to change that. But thanks. It might have been awkward if they had to tell me."

"I kinda figured that," Carl said. "Now let's go so you can have some fun."

He dropped MT in the driveway in front of the house, and slowly drove away. MT thought he should have come in and said hello to Barbara ... Aunt Barbara ... Aunt Barbara Trogdon. Jesus, his aunt was a Trogdon! Lord Almighty, he hoped no one in town ever found that out.

Bernice Ball's daughter Missy opened the door when he rang. Did that whole family work here? But she was dressed in a crisp gray maid's outfit and she smiled.

"Hello, MT ... you're just in time. Everyone is gathered on the back porch waiting for you."

MT swallowed hard. He would be the center of attention when he walked out there. Nothing for it, so he followed her down the hall to the parlor and then across the room to the French doors. He straightened his tie and Missy gave him a wink.

"You look very nice this evening," She said.

"Thank you, Missy," MT replied. He took a breath and opened the door.

The first thing he noticed was that he was overdressed since everyone else was in shirt sleeves. Of course, they were outside on the screened porch and it was still several hours before sunset when the cool mountain breeze would flow down to bring relief to the valley. But Missy saved him the embarrassment.

"Let me take your coat, Mr. Teague." And MT gladly shrugged off his sport coat which she took back into the house.

Mr. Trogdon sat in a large cane chair in his shirtsleeves, the cuffs rolled up to his elbows. He set down his drink and stood to shake MT's hand. Perry was across the room standing beside a woman who just had to be the boy's mother, the resemblance was startling.

There were two other men on the porch and a middle aged lady who MT didn't recognize, but Mr. Trogdon took care of the introductions.

"Marion Teague ... although we'd better call you MT since that's what you prefer. MT, this is Dorothy Trogdon and her husband Richard, my oldest. And this young man over here is Neil Trogdon, my youngest son."

MT shook the offered hands as Mr. Trogdon introduced them, and then they turned to the where Perry stood.

"Perry you know," Mr. Trogdon said. "But this young lady beside him is ... "

"Hello, Aunt Barbara," MT said.

She gave him a wonderful smile and then reached out for a hug. Perry just stood there and smiled.

"So you know," Barbara said.

"I just found out. My father was a little concerned about digging up the past," MT said.

"Yes, I don't blame him one bit. I have to apologize for the way my family has acted towards you and your father. But once Perry told me you two had become friends I knew it was time to set all that aside and come meet you."

She gave Perry a not so gentle pat on the head. "Especially since it seems my son has already been out looking for mischief this summer."

MT smiled. "I wouldn't worry about that so much. I have my eye on him."

"Well, well ... all this warms my heart," Mr. Trogdon said. "Shall we sit back down? Dinner will be another hour if Bernice has her way."

MT sat on a couch with Perry and his Aunt Barbara. Missy returned to the porch and was quickly attentive, filling their drink orders and smiling at MT. Barbara caught that and gave MT a glance.

"You know the girl?" She asked.

"Her momma and mine attend church together. Missy sings in the choir and she's very good."

"You attend church every Sunday?"

"Most of them," MT replied. "It's just some mornings I can't seem to get out of bed."

Barbara laughed and nodded her head. "I'd say that describes most of Perry's mornings."

"Hey, I get out of bed if I have to," Perry said.

"Especially if there are moonshiners to catch, huh?"

"We didn't plan that, Mom ... it just happened."

"So MT ... how is your father?" Barbara asked.

"He's fine, business is good. You know he re-married?"

"I do. I've always tried to keep track of you over the years. I have two nieces on my brother's side of the family but you are my only nephew. I'm sorry that Darlene couldn't come with me, that's Perry's little sister. I guess she's more of a Cotswold than a Trogdon so she went with my brother's family to the beach this week."

MT smiled. "I didn't know I had relatives in the Trogdon family, but I guess Perry has known all along."

Barbara smiled. "No, he didn't know a thing about you until I said something yesterday. I guess it was just fate that brought you two together. Now you'll have the whole summer to get to know one another better."

MT nodded. "Yeah, Perry has already suggested he'd like to know me better. Isn't that right, cuz?"

Perry knew exactly what MT was alluding to and he started to blush. But just then Missy walked back on the porch and whispered something to Mr. Trogdon.

"Ah, Glory be. Ladies and gentlemen, it seems our dinner is ready."

They all stood and walked back into the house. MT was wondering if he would have to put that coat back on but the men walked right on into the dining room and the ladies were shown to their seats.

The table wasn't festooned with fancy silverware and golden candle holders. In fact, it reminded MT of how his mother might throw a dinner party for the neighbors. There was no fancy tablecloth, just a long white oilcloth table covering and place mats. There weren't even a dozen kinds of utensils to puzzle over, just a plain knife, fork and spoon.

Down the middle of the table was a nice arrangement of fresh greens sprinkled with wildflowers. MT didn't see any plates of food so he wondered how it would be served. But through the door from the kitchen came Bernice, Missy and Franklin, each of them bearing a large tray covered in plates.

"You watch yourselves," Bernice said, "these plates is hot."

The ladies were served first and MT watched as Franklin placed a plate in front of him and moved on. MT looked down at the chicken fried steak covered in rich gravy, a pile of collard greens and a generous spoonful of black eyed peas. Then came the platters piled with fresh cut tomatoes and cucumbers, corn on the cob and a basket full of cornbread.

MT looked up at Mr. Trogdon just as the old man tucked his napkin up under his chin to keep the gravy off his shirt.

"What?" Trogdon said. "Oh I know, you were expecting caviar and champagne perhaps?" And then he let out a rich mellow laugh. "No, boy, I was raised here just like you and we eat just like regular folks, ain't that so Barbara?"

Barbara nodded. "I have never seen a drop of caviar in this house, that's the honest truth." But the way she said it led MT to understand she might wish things were different.

"Richard will tell you, this is all food from the Trogdon farms," Mr. Trogdon said.

"You ... you're a farmer, too?" MT asked.

It was Richard who made the reply. "The Trogdon companies have invested heavily in the food chain, MT. Why, down in Dalton we have over a million chickens under roof. Over in Perryville we grow the seed crops to feed them, and that's where this corn comes from. The collards, peas and tomatoes all come from the truck farms over near Fairview."

"What he's trying to say is that we grow food across the whole valley and ship it to stores from Jacksonville to Richmond," Mr. Trogdon said.

"Do they have your food at the Piggly Wiggly?" MT asked.

"Sure do, delivered fresh five days a week."

MT was impressed, not only with the Trogdon businesses but the fine way Bernice cooked a chicken fried steak. Lightly breaded, not overcooked, it was delicious. Perry sat across the table and said little while the adults chatted about home cooking around the state. Perhaps he had known all these things but he had never mentioned them to MT.

There were three generations of the Trogdon family sitting around this table, and MT knew Perry would inherit some of the wealth generated by the family businesses. Richard and his brother were certainly working for the family at this point, but it remained to be seen if Perry would chose to become involved. It left MT wondering if there was a place for him as well.

He did well enough in school, but a Marsh County education was far from the academic experience a private school would give Perry. The boy had all the benefits money could buy, but did he have the interest? It was probably just too soon to tell since he was barely a teenager.

With dinner over Bernice presented them with several pies. Her baked goods at the church fairs were famous, and so MT looked on with anticipation as she laid a slice in front of him. But then she leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"You come see me before you leave, got that?"

MT nodded and Bernice moved on, serving the others. There was nothing like fresh peach pie, except this one had a dollop of whipped cream on top which made it outstanding. MT grinned across the table at Perry as they both devoured their dessert.

Perry looked at his Mom when he was done. "May MT and I be excused?" He asked.

"Yes, you may," Barbara replied, and both boys got up to leave.

Perry led the way out the back door and across the lawn to the summerhouse. It was still light outside but MT felt too full for running around, and it seems Perry felt the same way.

"You eat like that all the time?" MT asked.

"Pops likes his country food so that's what we eat. At home I get different things."

"Home ... you mean in Florida?"

"Sometimes," Perry said. "Mom has a condo down there, but we also have the house in Atlanta. Since my school is there that's where we spend most of our time."

"I've never lived anywhere but here," MT said. "So you like to travel? I mean you went to France and that must have been fun."

"Honestly? I'd rather live here," Perry said. "I have no real friends in Florida, not too many in Atlanta except at school and you're the only one I know here. I would just like to stay in one place and learn to be somebody."

"Well now we know you're my cousin, and I take family very seriously," MT said. "But I know very little about the Trogdon family. Guess you'll have to teach me."

Perry smiled. "Yeah, that's cool. I can do that. We have dozens of cousins, at least a passel of second and third ones I've met. Everything gets a little confusing after that and maybe they aren't so important."

"Yeah, it's kinda like the Bible where this one begat that one. Who can remember all that stuff?"

"Trogdon people came from England back when the colonies were formed. There was a Colonel Trogdon fought in the Revolutionary War, but he was killed by the Tories. The family started out in North Carolina, gentlemen farmers mostly with big plantations."

"Where did you learn all this?" MT asked.

"Pops has some books in his library, you ought to go read them," Perry said.

"Uh, well, I read if I have to," MT said. "I wish I knew more about computers."

"Yeah? Well then I'll have to teach you that, too."

"So, did you find out any more about cave art?"

The next two hours were filled with wonder, at least in MT's mind. Perry was a wiz at the computer and they went through dozens of websites filled with information about caves and caverns around the world. But the images captured by satellites circling over the planet grabbed MT's attention.

"It's called Google Earth," Perry explained. "They set out to map the planet and add more to the database every year."

The image he had up on the screen was of Lookout Mountain and the valley to the east where they were located.

"Can you see the Trogdon mansion?" MT asked.

Perry smiled and moved the image over the town and a little north. He tapped a few times on the little pad beneath his fingers and the image zoomed in. It was like they were floating over the estate and MT began to laugh.

"Wow, it's like they have a spy up there."

"Look at the trees, this image was taken in the spring ... see the colors? Can't tell you when it was taken, but it might have been last year."

"This is so cool. Probably a good thing they didn't take any pictures last week when we were out naked on that rock," MT said.

"No way, you can't zoom in that close. Can you show me where Hawk's Point is?" Perry asked.

"Sure ... hmm, follow up Highway 193 north ... yes, there," MT said, pointing at the screen. "That's Lookout Road which leads over to the cliffs. That's where all the rock climbers go ... can you zoom in a bit?"

MT put his finger on the cliffs and the bulge of rock that gave Hawk's Point its name.

"The cliffs are several hundred feet tall around there," MT said.

"Damn, we can't climb that," Perry said.

"Won't have to. I know a better way up. But along the top are most of the caves everyone knows about. There's a road up the mountain to the tourist stuff and some lookout points to park a car. All kinds of places that the high school boys like to take their girlfriends."

"So what about these secret caves you told me about?" Perry asked.

"Those are farther south. Most of the bigger caves are north towards Ruby Falls, which is that big old tourist cavern."

"So south," Perry said, moving the image on the screen away from the cliffs. "I don't see anything but trees. Wait, what's that spot?"

MT looked at the screen and tried to orient the image with what he knew about the ground. "Oh, that's probably the old Confederate mine. It's all sealed up so no one can get in there. That place is one of the reasons they don't like us kids exploring those caves and tunnels. People have been lost in there for days, some even died."

Perry nodded. "But you've been in there, haven't you?"

"We are not going in there. That is one scary mess of tunnels with open pits you can't even see in the dark. No way, Perry ... don't even think about it."

Missy came out and knocked on the door to tell MT his father was waiting out front. Perry shut down his computer and followed MT up the back steps into the kitchen. Bernice was putting away the last of the dinner dishes and she inclined her head towards a paper sack sitting on the counter.

"Got you a little something to take home to your momma," She said. "You be careful and don't drop it."

MT picked up the sack and immediately knew she had given him a whole pie.

"Thank you, Bernice ... uh, Ms. Ball. Dinner was wonderful," MT said.

He had to go shake hands with the men and give his thanks. Mr. Trogdon walked him out to the front door with Perry in tow. Barbara was already outside speaking with Carl and leaning on the door of the pickup. She gave MT a hug before he climbed in.

Trogdon shook Carl's hand and Perry gave them a wave before they slowly pulled away down the driveway.

"How was dinner?" Carl asked, and MT started laughing.

"They eat the same things we do," MT said. "Mom will be so disappointed." And they both laughed at that.

It was four days later when MT and Perry found the time to resume their caving expedition. Barbara had left for Florida and Ben Trogdon had business in Atlanta for the weekend. That was time enough for Perry to explore the attic in the mansion and make an important discovery.

MT arrived at the mansion about an hour after sunrise, expecting Perry to be asleep instead of ready for their day of adventure. But the boy was up and dressed, lunch packed and a pile of goods spread out on his couch.

"What's all this?" MT asked.

"Spelunking gear ... I found it in the attic."

"Spel ... I can't even say that word," MT laughed.

"Cave explorers use these things. It seems Neil must have been as interested in the caves as you are. I found all this stuff in the attic of the house."

There were several plastic hardhats with little spotlights affixed to the brim, coils of smooth nylon rope and assorted canteens, flashlights and a first aid kit.

"You expect to carry all this stuff underground?" MT asked. "That's too much weight."

But it all fit into their backpacks, so they took it along. MT thought of the equipment as Perry's toys, like a little kid with a plastic gun. They certainly wouldn't need all the ropes and helmets, but the flashlights might come in handy.

The caves on Hawk's Point were high and dry because they were up in the sandstone layers of the mountain cliffs. Down lower the rock changed to limestone and the caves had been carved out over the centuries by the rush of underground water. Ruby Falls was such a place and still had pools of water all throughout the caverns.

But Hawk's Point was a teenage party spot on weekends, although MT didn't expect to see anyone there this early except maybe a few cliff climbers. They munched on Bernice's homemade donuts and passed a bottle of RC cola back and forth as they pedaled north until they reached Lookout Road.

The ride was harder on the gravel road leading into the trees. There were lots of ups and downs as they rode over the roots of the mountain ahead, which still remained obscured behind a leafy wall of green. The woods around them was filled with huge boulders and ridges of rock, a preview of what they were about to see.

The approach was half the fun, MT figured. First the road petered out and became a wide heavily packed path, and then the trees gave way to the clear ground at the base of the cliffs. The view was stunning and they stopped to admire nature's handiwork.

"Whoa," Perry said, looking up at the towering wall of rock.

They were not alone here, although there was not another human being in sight. The cliffs were alive with birds, which could be seen circling above the rocks and diving into the crevices where they had nests. The morning air was filled with their chatter, but the appearance of two boys on their bikes was no cause for alarm.

North along the wall there were several streams that plunged over the edge, leaving long tendrils of water dropping to the valley floor. The rock was wet in several places where even more water seeped from underground sources and spurred the grown of plant life which clung to the stone.

MT got off his bike and looked south along the wall. "We need to head this way," He said.

They pushed their bikes up another path worn along the base of the cliff by the hundreds of hikers and climbers who visited here every year. The forest of oak, maple and pine was filled with a lush undergrowth of fern, rhododendron bushes and other leafy plants. MT finally reached a point along the path where he pushed into the bushes and dropped his bike behind a berm covered in ferns.

"Now we have to climb," MT said, struggling to tighten the straps on his backpack. Then he led the way towards a small grove of trees at the base of the cliff.

Perry shouldered his pack and followed, wondering just how they were supposed to climb a sheer face of rock. The grove wasn't very dense and MT pushed his way through and into a crevice hidden beneath the leafy growth. From here it could be seen that the cliff face had crumbled leaving a rock strewn slope dotted with small trees and bushes.

MT used the bushes to pull himself upward, moving from rock to rock and climbing ever higher.

"Slow down," Perry yelled. "I don't know how to do this very well."

MT smiled and turned to look back. "It gets easier in a while."

The rock strewn hillside soon gave way to more level ground, and here the secret of MT's approach to reaching the top of the cliff became apparent. He stopped and waited for Perry to catch up.

"See, now we have a path to follow," MT said.

Sure enough, the years of erosion had cut back the sandstone rock and soil had moved down from the top aided by wind and weather. A narrow path cut through the underbrush, something a goat might use. But they were almost a hundred feet above the valley floor at this point and the handholds seemed more precious.

"Try not to look down," MT cautioned. "Just keep your eye on the path and where you put your feet."

"Heights don't bother me," Perry said. "But I don't think climbing back down is going to be much fun."

"We'll take the easy way back," MT said.

"You mean there's an easy way? Jeez, I might have known."

The slope led them away from the sheer cliff walls and up into the trees at the top where the ground leveled out. MT turned back north and they followed a well-worn footpath. When they reached open ground once again Perry could look out over the forest below.

"Oh wow, what a view," he said. "But where are the caves?"

"Up there," MT said, pointing at the mounds of rock behind the cliffs.

Perry looked at the openings and nodded; they didn't look too scary from here. But while nature had created some fascinating places to explore, man was less kind in return. The ground around the openings was littered with beer cans, broken glass and other pieces of trash announcing that come Saturday night this was probably party central.

There were well worn trails all over the hillside amidst the litter and MT chose one for them to follow. The mouth of the cave they approached stood about ten feet tall but it had a narrow entrance. Perry followed MT inside for a few yards and there they stopped.

A chamber with a sandy floor opened out before them. Again there was more trash, but of a different kind. MT looked down with distain at the torn sleeping bag and the scattering of used condoms amidst the cans and bottles. His disgust was evident.

"Why the hell do they have to come all the way up here to fuck and then leave this crap behind? Someone needs to dynamite these caves and shut them down."

Perry looked around and tried to imagine what it must be like to have sex in such filth. He supposed that after a six-pack and a few joints the guys all started thinking with their dicks and the girls ... this was all pretty damn pathetic.

"Is this it? Are these the caves we're supposed to explore?" He asked.

"No, I just wanted to show you the worst of them first," MT said. "None of these goes back very far because they were collapsed by the road work across the top of the hill. The road goes on into Rock City and the tourist areas, but we'll be going the other way."

"Towards those Confederate mines we saw?" Perry asked.

MT nodded. "Yes, but they are hundreds of feet lower and lead down into the roots of the mountain. I told you, we won't be going anywhere near them, it's too dangerous."

"What were they mining?" Perry asked.

"Saltpeter ... do you know what that is?"

"Uh, some kind of mineral?"

"Very good, it was used in the manufacture of gunpowder," MT said.

"Okay, that makes sense ... we don't have to go in there. I suppose if it was gold we might get rich," Perry said.

"If there was gold here people would know about it," MT said. "They do mine gold in Georgia, but I think that comes from somewhere east of here in the Blue Ridge. You can probably look that up on your computer."

"So the Confederates needed gunpowder. That makes sense," Perry said. "What do we do now?"

"Let's leave this trash behind and go look at some caves very few people know about," MT said.

"Lead the way."

The sandstone cap varied in thickness, pushed up by the layers of limestone as the mountains were formed. Worn by centuries of weather, the sandstone allowed water to seep down into the limestone beneath where it collected and then eroded the soft rock. The pockets made by these waters formed caverns and caves as the water tunneled its way out to the valley.

MT didn't understand any of this except he knew there were tunnels in many of the caves that ran deep into the roots of the mountain. Some of these had been explored when he was younger, but MT didn't venture very deep into the ground at that age.

The stories of lost souls falling into bottomless pits or becoming turned around and confused, lost for all time in the darkness, were enough to keep most kids out of the caves ... but not MT. Alvin had been up here with him some years back and they went deep. But they also carried kerosene storm lanterns into the darkness and marked their way with cans of spray paint.

Fear was a natural element when humans went underground. Falling into holes was easy to avoid if you looked where you were going. Some tunnels were blocked by falling rock or by flowing water, but there were other avenues to travel as the mountain was riddled with passageways.

MT knew which tunnels led down to the mines and they were the most dangerous. The places nature had carved out were solid, whereas the digging by men had damaged the integrity of the rock. There were places where loose stone was held up with rotting timbers and those were the most frightening. Everyone held the fear of being trapped in the dark by falling rock because no one would know where to find them.

They crossed several small streams and MT turned uphill and followed the third one to its source. The water seemed to bubble up out of the ground but that was misleading. MT pushed his way through some brush and pointed at a large boulder.

"Where's the cave?" Perry asked.

"I asked myself that same question when I first saw the water. I looked at that big old rock and realized it didn't roll down the hill. It was probably eroded away by a water source so I went looking. Time to get out the flashlights."

MT moved to the right side of the boulder and pushed his way through a cluster of tree roots. Perry stood there watching ... waiting.

"Are you coming in here or not?" MT yelled.

Perry was startled and put up his arms, pushing against the roots and stepping into the mouth of a narrow entrance hidden beneath them.

"Watch your step; there's a pool of water right in front of you," MT said. He switched on his flashlight and illuminated the ground at Perry's feet. Perry turned on his own light and saw that a pool of water took up most of the space inside the cave. MT was standing on a small ledge of dry rock off to one side.

"This is one of the wet caves," MT explained. "To go any further we'd have to walk through the end of the pool and end up crawling in water."

"That doesn't sound like any fun," Perry said.

"It isn't, but I did it once. I just wanted to show you what some of the caves are like. Now we'll go look at some dry caves." He looked at Perry and smiled. "Does any of this creep you out?"

"I'm not afraid if that's what you're asking. But I am cautious ... I wouldn't be here without you to guide the way."

"Good, now turn around and let's get out of here," MT said.

The open air seemed refreshing after the dampness of the cave, and Perry stood beside the boulder looking down the slope at the trees. He figured MT must have spent hours, maybe days, examining the mountainside just to find these caves. He wondered if his Uncle Neil had done these same things as a teenager.

Neil was the adventurous one, while Richard didn't seem like the type, but then he was older. Perry's father had said nothing about his youth here. Trogdons had lived in the valley for centuries, and perhaps they had also explored these same caves. Perry didn't feel especially close to his ancestors but he had read about them. And here he was with his cousin MT, the new generation of the family.

He knew his Pops had been talking to Carl about his son. MT had no idea how interested the Old Man was in his future, but whatever they had decided was still a secret. Somehow, now that MT was aware of his relationship to the family through his Aunt Barbara, things were going to start happening.

Perry had always thought being a Trogdon was nothing special until he came here. This was the ancestral homeland and the name meant everything to the people in this valley. It remained to be seen what the Old Man was cooking up and if MT would accept any changes in his life. But he was a smart boy, and Perry had no doubt he would make the right choices.

The next cave was dry, if anything underground could ever be called dry. The darkness seemed to be laden with a level of humidity that seeped up through the rock. MT had gone to his hands and knees to enter this cave hidden behind bushes.

They had paused to put on the helmets so they wouldn't knock their heads against the low rock ceiling. MT had to admit it was a good idea and it was handy having that little lamp shine on whatever he looked at. But he probed the way with a long stick making as much noise as possible while he crawled.

"Why the stick?" Perry had asked.

"Snakes," MT explained. "They're probably up on the hillside sunning themselves, but it pays to be cautious when you're crawling in dirt."

The floor of the cave wasn't really dirt, more like a sandy rock dust over layers of stone. But they had to crawl for dozens of yards, most of it downhill, before the cave opened up and they could stand. Hard on the knees for sure, but finally Perry could stand and look around the cavern they had reached.

This was really the first open area in a cave that could truly be called a cavern. The roof was at least twenty feet high with tree roots dangling down and the space around them looked really wide.

"This was probably a large pool of water at one time," MT said. "Over there you can see where the flow came up from below us somewhere. There are three tunnels leading out of this chamber, the one we used to come in and two others that lead deeper into the mountain."

Here he stopped to smile. "How could we figure out which tunnel to take, any guesses?"

"Oh, this is a quiz, huh?" Perry laughed. "But I guess you had to figure it out at some point so there must be a clue somewhere."

"There is," MT said.

"I'll think about it. But look at these walls," Perry said, walking around the open space. "This would be perfect for some of that cave art we saw."

"I have seen marks on the walls in one of the lower levels, but I just figured someone got in there and scratched them with a knife. They were like hash marks, you know, four slashes with a fifth one on the diagonal. Like someone had been counting something ... "

There was a loud crunching sound and Perry let out a yelp. MT quickly turned around and shined his light on the area of the wall where Perry had been standing ... but he was gone. The only thing that remained was his little plastic helmet lying in the dirt.

"Perry ... Perry!" MT yelled, but there was no reply.


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