Jessie's Mountain—an excerpt

Chapter One, Dear Grasshopper (cont'd)

“Shhh! Don’t wake nobody up whatever you do!�? I warn him, but he only wags his tail. Together, we head down the hallway to the kitchen to scrounge for something to eat. I can always think better after a snack, and Uncle Hazard is not one to miss a chance for food. I cut myself some cornbread left over from supper and break it up into a glass of buttermilk. I toss him a bite, which he gulps down in a single swallow, and he rises up on his haunches to beg for more. When he whimpers at the ice storm raging outside, I pull him onto my lap and whisper into his long wiener dog ears, “Uncle Hazard, don’t be scared. Come morning, our holler will look like a glass city.�?

He licks my face, and again, I wonder what I should do? Wish I had me some kind of sign to help me make up my mind. Would leaving like this constitute running away? Officially? I aim to return directly after I audition for Mr. George Flowers of Music Row and sell some songs in order to buy our house from our cheapo landlady, Madame Cherry Hat. That way we won’t have to move to Grandma Horace’s house in Enka-Stinka.