Ghost Medicine Read Free

racing fire that ran toward our house, pushed by the warm, dry winds of autumn. And the orange fire became the galloping horses: Reno, riderless, in front; Luz on her paint, Doats; and Gabriel on his silver buckskin, Dusty; and Tom on the angry and arthritic Arrow, trying to keep up, laughing wildly as the hills fell away, crumbling beneath them.
    the angel is sleeping in the woods.

    I jerked my hands up, to brace myself for some kind of collision. I saw stars in a black sky. I was flat on my back, lying in tall grass, shoeless. My head ached. I felt for my hat, gone. I pulled my hand back from my hair. It smelled of blood. Reno stood beside me, his nose down in the grass by my head, sniffing at me.
    And I stared up at the sky, remembering the time I’d fallen from Reno as Tommy, Gabriel, and Luz watched.
    damn, Stotts. Whoever taught you to ride a horse?
    I don’t think I learned so much about riding as falling off from this one.
    are you hurt, Troy?
    no.
    he’s too big. I think he’s too big for you, Troy. I’m going to make my daddy trade you for another one.
    no, Luz, don’t. I’m okay.
    And she was picking up my hat, brushing it off. She knelt beside me and combed my hair back over my eyebrow with her fingers, cooling my skin, healing me. I thought it was the most perfect moment I had ever lived, and I felt Tom and Gabe’s envy on me.
    I’m okay, Luz. Look, he wants me to get back on.
    Stottsy, that look means he’s not tired of trying to kill you is all.
    And Gabe laughed.
    How long had I slept, or been knocked out? I was sweating on my back where I had been lying. I sat up, and pulled my knees into my chest. I stood, feebly.
    I could see the blackness of the treetops cutting a jagged border around a dim sky. The sun was already rising in the east. I leaned against Reno, brushing off the bottoms of my socks, one at a time, and putting my shoes on. I wondered if I had had enough, if I should head down the mountain now and go back home.
    Reno blew air through his lips.
    â€œI’m okay, bud.” I uncapped my canteen and poured a little water on my hair. I wiped it with my bare hand. Not too much blood, not much of a cut, but a good-sized lump.
    â€œWhere’s my hat?” Reno nudged my chest with his nose as if trying to answer me.
    â€œI’ll tell you what. When I find it, if it’s right side up, we’ll go home. If it’s upside down, we’ll keep going up.”
    It was about ten feet away. Upside down.
    I ate my last candy bar, giving the final bite to Reno. I wasn’t tired anymore, and although my head stung a bit when I replaced my hat, I was feeling pretty good as we set off following the ridgeline as it rose to the north. Reno was eager to ride, as well.
    We rode higher into the mountains until it was nearly noon, stopping once in a while to take a drink or to allow Reno to graze a bit as I just stared and thought. We had followed the stream as much as possible, and as it forked smaller and smaller, kept along those feeder streams coming from the east.
    Ahead I could see the line where the trees stopped, giving way to the paleness of granite and snow on the higher peaks. Where the upper ridge split and opened up to the mountaintops there was a nice-sized pond, brilliant green, surrounded by what looked like maybe the last stand of pine forest.
    This was far enough, I thought.
    you ran how far?
    sixteen miles, I guess.
    damn, Stottsy. I wouldn’t even like to drive sixteen miles without the air conditioner on and a Coke between my legs.
    what’d you do that for, Troy?
    I don’t know, I didn’t start out thinking about how far I’d go and before I knew it I was coming into Holmes on that dirt road. And then it was either turn around and come back, or just keep going and never come back. But you know, I don’t particularly like Holmes.
    are you tired?
    I feel good.
    good enough to do it again?
    yep.
    you’re