Old Gods of Appalachia - Springtime in Boggs Holler – Chapter One: A Cowboy Calls

Episode Date: December 9, 2021

Glory Ann Boggs receives unannounced early morning company.CW: Discussion of mortality, aging, death.Written by Steve ShellNarrated by Steve ShellProduced by Cam Collins and Steve ShellAdditional audio production by Kris HayesThe voice of Glory Ann Boggs: Allison MullinsIntro Music: “Springtime in The Holler” by Landon BloodOutro Music: “I Cannot Escape The Darkness” by Those Poor BastardsLEARN MORE ABOUT OLD GODS OF APPALACHIA: www.oldgodsofappalachia.comCOMPLETE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA RITUAL:FacebookInstagramTwitterBlueskySUPPORT THE SHOW:Join us over at THE HOLLER to enjoy ad-free episodes, access exclusive storylines and more.Find t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and other Old Gods merch at www.teepublic.com/stores/oldgodsofappalachia.Transcripts available on our website at www.oldgodsofappalachia.com/episodes.Today's sponsor was Sucreabeille. Spend $25 and use the code ASSBUTTOG to receive a free dram.Old Gods of Appalachia is a production of DeepNerd Media and is distributed by Rusty Quill. All rights reserved.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/old-gods-of-appalachia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Right about now, springtime in Boggs' Holler. is an all-new story set in the same world as Old Gods of Appalachia, which is a horror anthology podcast and therefore may contain material not suitable for all audiences. The story takes place following the events of the scenic route in season two and precedes the events of Build Mama a Coffin. Chapter 1 A Cowboy Calls Esau County, Virginia

1927. When you live on the edge of one of the oldest wind gaps along the Virginia-Kentucky border, spring is something that happens to other people. The ground was just beginning to offer up tender shoots in various shades of green, knowing damn well that a frost-kiss cold snap could be perched like a tomcat,

waiting to swap the whole process back to crunchy mud and withered husks at any given moment. It was a cruel and bitter game. But that's what living on the side of a mountain will get you. This particular daybreak carried just that flavor of unfinished winter and Gloria Ann Boggs was making her morning rounds, tending to the land that had been her refuge in small kingdom for as long as she or anyone else could remember.

She moved slower than she liked these days, leaning on a long-carved walking stick that had been her companion since she'd become a mother. She made her way along the circuit she'd walked every day since she married Whalen Boggs all those years ago. She tended the chickens out back and gathered what eggs her old girls had to offer up. Toss some feed to Bert, Jane, and coffee can, the three goats that kept the back, hill clear of unwanted brush. Her last stop was on the other side of the property where Hattie and Baranice, her two pretty milk cows were pastured. Her oldest boy, Vernard, kept telling her she needed to hire some help or else part with some of the livestock,

but she wouldn't hear of it. Since Mercy left some years ago, them old critters were her only companions around the house. She saw her fair share of folks coming and going, needing her services, as they always did. She'd travel out to deliver a newborn here and there, but more and more folks were going to the new hospital over in Glay Morgan to have their babies as the town grew. Gloria Ann had not been sleeping well as at late. The dreams were coming more often,

and were getting more and more unsettling. She always started her days well before dawn, but these days she found herself waking earlier, and earlier peddling around, cleaning and straightening things. It was like she was expecting company but didn't know who was coming. She was well aware the dreams weren't just dreams neither. Shadows were circling her and her blood, and as she approached her eighth decade walking this world,

her time was growing short. Hell, gifted dreams aside, Gloria Ann's own body was telling her it was about time. She wasn't as ready as she should be, though. Granny's with the true gift could live well beyond a hundred years or more, as time treats those blessed by the green differently than the rest of us. Gloria Ann Boggs, however, had been at war with the sorts of shadows that could take years off your life just by showing you their true face.

She had been a candle against the darkness for most of her life. A candle that had been burning at both ends for far too long. She'd got all her babies off the mountain, thinking that they got away from the land, they'd be safe. But now she wasn't so sure. Vernard had his property and business down in North Carolina. Dale had his lumber and carpentry work over in Stonefort, and Mercy... Well, Mercy was her own mess, but she married twice and at least got out of Esau County. still none of them were prepared to stand if the things outside their understanding decided to mark them as prey

so as she progressed through her morning glori ann was deep in rumination worrying about her babies and their babies and not paying much attention to where she was going she knew ever step of her laying the whole damn holler just by the feel of it under her feet so when the ground spoke to her it came up through the souls of her old work boots and shook her to a sharp and sudden attention. Someone was on her land. And not just at the mouth of the holler. They were over on the far side of the smokehouse. At the very end of the path where she had almost walked, fuzzy-headed and distracted.

God damn it, glory, she muttered to herself. You can't worry about the young and so much you let them catch you with your mouth open and your teeth. As quiet as she could, she set her egg basket and feed satchel down and focused herself. She settled her breathing, closed her eyes. She drew upon her gift and felt the green steadier for the moment. The ache in her hip and her tricky knee faded and firmed up. Somebody was on her land inside her wards and meant harm. She almost felt bad for her.

almost her grip shifted and she held her walking stick as a weapon rather than a crutch she moved with surprising silence and stealth for a woman of her considerable height and size to the east side of the property she kept her eyes peeled and extended her senses through her wards and it wasn't long before she saw him well he was just a boy maybe a little bit of a little bit of more than school age.

She couldn't tell for sure from where she stood, but he wasn't big at all. She did not relax or let the power she'd gathered about her go. There were things in these hills that could look like all manner of innocence right up until they got close enough to bite you. On the surface, he looked like a baby, younger than her youngest grandson. Something just... wasn't right with him though there was a coldness about him that had nothing to do with the fickle seasons of southwestern

Virginia he stood with his back to her staring at haddy and baronice the animals did not appear spooked in fact had moved closer to him and seemed to be considering accepting pets from the little feller haddy wasn't the brightest thing but even she should sense what glory ann did the child was touched by something dark and old. To her eyes he was a boy, plain and simple as any other, if a bit small and soft. Through her gift, though, she could smell leaf rot, grave-turned earth, and the iron-kissed stench of cooling blood.

If he was a boy, he was surely afflicted with a curse and a powerful one. The boy was about to touch Baronisa's nose when Gloria Ann called out, her power infusing her words with command. Stop right there, son. Don't you move a hair. The boy didn't jump. He didn't even really stir. He turned his head slowly to look at Gloria Ann,

and she expected to meet the gaze of something hiding inside the form of a child. and there were things under the mountain that could hold a human form for a while. They'd walk into a dry-good store or a church looking normal as you please and next thing you know there's dead bodies everywhere and no explanation. But the eyes

were usually where the things or the hainths got it wrong. Even with the animals and such, you'd have a sweet little rabbit or fawn come to the edge of your yard and go to see about it and its eyes would be swirling pools of purple shadow or weeping tears of black blood, and then it would speak in the voice of a dead preacher, or something like that.

Florian had seen it plenty of times. But this boy's eyes were a normal pale blue, seemed soft and kind. In fact, as he turned to face her fully, that cold sense of rod slowly shifted to the warmth she associated with someone with a gift of their own. She blinked. The boy looked startled, but not really scared.

He smiled a bit uncertainly, I like your cows, he said simply, pointing into the pen. The ground under Gloria Ann's feet thrummed again. This time the message was clear. Eastern Ward, powerful gift, a woman, no ill intent, but panicked. A fearful voice came from ten or fifteen yards in that direction. Miss Boggs? Miss Boggs!

Wait! Wait, please wait! We don't mean you no harm! Please! Gloria Ann turned around to see a red-headed woman that she vaguely recognized, standing right at the edge of her eastern property line, anxious to cross,

but clearly no one better than to try. Her eyes were wide and her face wrought with fear, and she would have wondered if this was the boy's mother if her mind hadn't made the connection and fetched up the woman's name from memory. Gloria Ann squinted over at her and called back. You're a Walker, ain't you?

One of Sheila's girls? Thought y'all was over in Tennessee. Yes, ma'am. I keep a place over on Birchfield in Gley Morgan part of the time, too. Yeah, I heard that too. Ellie Walker. That's you?

Yes, Miss Boggs. That's me. If you grant me passage, I swear on my mama, and her mama's name that we mean you no harm. And honestly, we need your help. Gloria Ann looked back to the boy by the cowpin. He turned back to the cows in the shadow of death and hungry dark spread out from him again,

chilling her bones. Well, come on in, Miss Walker, and please explain what you brought onto my land. Ellie didn't know where to start. She'd been stunned when Gloria Ann Boggs had recognized her on site. The woman was known throughout the region as one of the toughest and wisest grannies still walking. Her reclusive nature and thunderstorm of a temper had also become infamous as she'd aged in her sunset years. She'd planned on calling on Miss Boggs all formal like good manners dictated,

but she'd woken up to find that cowboy had wandered off, then come to find out he'd somehow just glided past. wards that would make her sister Marcy green with envy to visit with the old bird's beloved milk cows. Could this morning get any worse? She had to choose her words carefully or she might find out. Ellie started to speak, but Gloria Ann shook her head. No, ma'am, I suspect what you need to tell me needs me to be fully awake and listening close. And that requires I have my breakfast and my coffee. She threw a skeptical eye over at Cowboy.

You are welcome to join me, but you'll understand if I asked the young gentleman to eat outside. Ellie scowled at this a little on Cowboys' behalf, but then realized how the boy must come across to gifted folks who didn't know him, especially somebody who'd seen the kind of things that Glory Hand Boggs had. Ellie nodded and called over to the boy, Cowboy, honey, Miss Boggs is going to be putting a stucke. "'You want something to eat?' "'No, thank you,' the boy called back.

"'His eyes never leaving the bovine ladies in their pen. "'I'm not hungry right now, Miss Walker. "'And then, I appreciate you offering, though, Miss Boggs.' "'Glorianne felt that shift from cold shattered "'to spring sunshine again as the boy turned to face her. "'What a peculiar little thing he was.' warily she returned his smile and nodded I'll set some aside for you young man

should you change your mind I got a mess of bacon and taters to fry and the smell might wake your belly up Cowboys smiled nodded and turned back to the cows Gloria Ann motioned for Ellie to follow her as she moved down the path towards the house not wanting to feel the return of that

withering shade that spread from the boys back On the walk to the house, Ellie Walker told Gloria Ann everything she knew about Cowboy, who used to be called Caleb. His family had moved on to land adjacent to the nameless place and had given it a name, which apparently had started a dark chain of events that rolled across the Tennessee Valley.

The mother and child walked again, and it seemed that death was everywhere. Gloria Ann listened and nodded grimly. Things been stirring all over, and that old biddy being up raising hell fits right in, while there's been all kinds of doing over, and Gloria Ann suddenly stopped walking and turned on Ellie. Wait a god-durn minute, Ellie Walker. You said you come here looking for help? Yes, I was hoping.

Rage and frustration suddenly filled Gloria Ann's weathered face. She breathed deeply and went on, and, clip tone. Miss Walker, you look me in the eye and you tell me you ain't asking me to saddle up and come down to Tennessee to fix this. Miss Boggs, no, we... I'm telling you here and now I can't. I just can't do it.

I ain't got long left, and I got business of my own to get on to before my time's up. I can't go bind up every beast y'all let loose now. It's y'all's turn. I told them they couldn't change a damn thing about the way that binding works. Now look at you. Come running up the mountain for the elders to save you. I tell you I can't. Ellie cut her off as respectfully as she could. Miss Boggs. It's the boy, Miss Boggs. He's the only one she's spared that we know of and she's changed him.

Ellie plowed ahead before Gloria Ann could interrupt her words spilling forth in a rush desperate for the guidance of someone who knew more than she did. Scared to death, Miss Boggs might turn them away. My niece Sarah brought him to us. She was his teacher at school. She's got the gift and noticed that something wasn't right with him, but he ain't never hurt nobody. So my sister Marcy and me, we did the egg test with him,

and what we found don't make no sense. It's like the dark and the green are all mixed up inside him. He ain't growing. He can't eat. That's why he didn't want no. breakfast, everything he eats, he sneaks off and throws up. He thinks we don't notice, but we do. That's not the worst of it, though, ma'am. I don't think, I don't think he can die. He went out on the lake by the gap and something come for him. His friends saw it, saw him die, they said.

They said they saw something hit him hard enough to break every bone in his body, and he just shows back up at the schoolhouse like he just got left behind on the playground. Now please, I ain't asking you to set one foot off this land. But he's just a baby, Miss Boggs. He never asked for this. Never asked to be chained to this earth like some damn hate. And everybody knows that Boggs' holler is where you go when you need help with the dead or things that won't die.

We all got bags to carry and life ain't fair. But those of us that can do more should do. I don't know what your mama taught you, but it's what my mama taught me. So please, Miss Boggs. If you think you can help, Cowboy, then, But two, if you can't, I guess we'll be on our way. Gloria Ann took a deep breath and let it out, releasing the power she had been holding.

The aches and stiffness in her old bones and joints slowly returned, along with a fresh wave of shame that poured in like rainwater that filled the place that had held her initial anger. There she went again, so caught up in her. own woes and troubles, she almost forgot the whole reason for the gifts she'd been given. She was put here to help people, to keep folks safe from the darkness. Ms. Walker, I'm going to go in my house and fix some breakfast. Why don't you come in and tell me more about our young friend out there and we'll see what can

be done. Miss Boggs, thank you. I... Hush, girl. I ain't done y'all no good just yet, and I ain't making no promises on that count. What I can promise is bacon and eggs. You get on the house now. Ellie dipped her head like a chasing schoolgirl

and proceeded through the open door into the house. Gloria Ann took a moment to gaze thoughtfully back in the direction of the cowpin and her new friend. Now that she was aware of the shadow he carried, she couldn't not feel it on her land. With a sigh for both the situation at hand and the ache in her old bones, She followed the younger Miss Walker into her house,

closing the door behind her. Well, hey there, family. Thank y'all for coming along for the ride here in springtime for Boggs Holler. Chapter 1, A Cowboy Calls. I know y'all been real anxious about finding out what happens to this little fella. You got three episodes to tell that tale. You might regret asking, but you done did it, so here we go. If y'all are enjoying meeting the inhabitants of Boggs' Holler,

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distributed by Rusty Quill. Today's story was written and performed by Steve Schell, produced by Cam Collins and Steve Shell with additional audio production by Chris Hayes. Our intro music is by Land and Blood. Our outro music is by those poor bastards. And as always, the voice of Gloria Ann Boggs, the spine of the mountain was Allison Mullins. See you soon, family. See you real soon.