Just as he was headed back to the still, the hair on the back of his neck stood straight up. A cold chill ran down his back all the way to his heels. Nothing like hed ever experienced before. Yet, he heard nothing and saw nothing. But he knew something was out there. The blood was pumping so loudly in his ears, he couldnt hear anything else. He stood motionless, snugged up tight to a sapling that hed been making his way around when the feeling had hit him. His only thought was to stay so quiet and still that not even the devil himself could find him, even though he figured the devil had had his eyes on him for some time now. After about five minutes passed, his breathing started to return to normal and he realized that he could hear the frogs and crickets begin their noise again. Whatever it was had gone. If it really had been anything.

Then he smelled a strange odor in the air. Not the usual sour mash smell from the still, but something wild, distinct - but fleeting, and then it was gone

Well, Billy Tarver, he mused to himself. You just had yourself one hellavu scare, didnt you, old boy? Wonder what that couldve been? Oh, well, Id better get back over here and check this fire.

After working around the still for another couple of hours - tending the fire, making sure he had plenty of mason jars for the finished run - he settled down in an old kitchen chair hed brought down for the short rest spells he could take while running a batch.

Even though he was a bit nervous about the scare hed had, he began to doze, since the night was warm and he needed some rest before making his drive tomorrow night. As he dozed, he began to dream. He was standing by a small lake with cool wind blowing on his face. Now that felt good. As he stood there, taking in deep gulps of the cool air, he saw a boat coming toward him and heard someone calling his name. Tarver! Tarver! Tarver. But as the boat came up to the bank, there was no one in it. Just the same calling, calling: Tarver! Tarver! Tarver! He was scared now. Who was calling him? Where had that boat come from? He turned quickly, checking all around him, but still no one was there. When he turned back to the lake, a hazy, cloudy form about the size of a pickup was coming toward him. It was in the shape of a big cat and it was calling his name Tarver! Tarver! Tarver!

It kept coming and coming and coming. He couldnt move his feet. They wouldnt do what he was telling them to do. He had taken root to the ground and the big cat kept coming coming coming. Just when he thought he would die, the cloudy form passed over his body and face like a warm mist - and was gone.

Billy Tarver woke up with a yell and jumped right out of his chair, wiping his face and chest frantically, as if he were trying to get rid of a big spider web hed accidentally run into. Like a crazed lunatic, he looked around him, turning and fighting at the invisible web entangling him.

When he finally started to calm down and realize that it had been a dream, he noticed that a breeze had picked up and cooled things down a bit. So thats what that was all about, he thought to himself. It must have blown the smoke and fire toward me and thats why I thought something was on my face.

Feeling silly, he began stoking up the fire under the boiler again.

Tarver! Tarver! Tarver!

No, he couldnt be dreaming again! He knew he was awake and taking care of the fire. Then who the hell was calling his name? He was getting plain tired of this shit. If someone was messing around here, trying to scare him off, theyd better just give up the idea right now, because it just wasnt gonna happen. Hell, it was probably just two tree limbs rubbing together, making that noise. And hed thought someone was calling his name. Hed let that thing with the pickup get to him, thats all it was. Well, enough of that nonsense. Time to get this job done here.

Turning back to the fire, he caught a movement from the corner of his eye. Quickly shifting to his right to identify it, he saw a dark shape like a panther move off into the swamp, making no sound whatsoever. Silent as death. But a faint sound came drifting back to him a soft cackling laugh. This time the cold chill ran down the left side of his back and up the right side straight to his scalp - and left it tingling like a thousand ants were eating at him.

How long he stood there, he really didnt know, but he knew he had to get a grip on himself or theyd be taking him to a padded room in the local crazy house.

What was happening? Nothing like this had ever bothered him before. And why this thing with the big cat all of a sudden? First the pickup. Then the dream. Now seeing things in the swamp. He figured he must be standing too close to the fumes from the sour mash.

Well, hed just check things out when it got daylight. Hed see whether there were any unusual tracks around or if anybody had been slipping around during the night. Hed get to the bottom of this shit, no doubt about it.