The cat meowed and scratched at my front door before I got into Bessie’s front seat. I sighed and gave in to his begging, scratching him behind his ear. “Is it too hot for you, Bud? I swear, you’re gonna turn into a terrible barn cat if you keep coming to my place to enjoy the air conditioning.”
The second I unlocked the door and opened it just a crack, the cat zipped inside and disappeared. I’d taken to leaving out a bowl of water and some kibble in the kitchen just in case, so I left him to the cooler air and locked the door.
It took an extra try and a heap of patience to get Bessie’s old engine to turn over, but once it did, the whole vehicle shimmied with every step on the gas to rev her to life. Easing her onto the dirt road, I drove the old pickup back to the barn and parked it behind the loaded truck.
Uncle Jo and Dad carried a large slab of wood they’d found somewhere in the recesses of the barn. After dropping the tailgate, they leaned the lumber against the truck and adjusted it to the perfect angle.
With the engine idling, I opened my door to see if I could help. Uncle Jo walked to the middle of their makeshift ramp and jumped up and down. “See? I told you it was sturdy enough.”
“It’s not an issue of whether or not it’ll hold me, Dad,” Deacon complained. “When you said I was going with you tonight, you didn’t tell me it would be in the back.”
My heart ached for my cousin. I didn’t blame him for his resentment even when we were trying to help him.
Walking to the back, I crouched down so I could look Deacon in the eyes. “I know that you’ve been in this state far too long. I think we always assumed the solution would present itself to us sooner or later. I’m sorry it’s been so much later.” I scratched the tufts of thick, wiry hair on the top of his head.
The pig leaned close enough to me he almost knocked me over. “I know you’ve all been trying, oink. I just want my life back.”
I kissed his hammy forehead. “If you climb into the back of Ol’ Bessie, then we can be on our way to the Midnight Market. It’s a new moon plus a solstice. I’d say our luck is supercharged.”
My uncle nodded at me in gratitude as his son lumbered up the ramp into the back of the truck. On the bed, Dad had stacked some moving blankets we used to transport furniture, giving Deacon a comfortable place to settle.
“Let’s get on the road,” Uncle Jo commanded, crawling into the passenger side with me. He shimmied the window at the back of the cab open so he could talk to his son if he needed to.
I placed my straw cowboy hat on my head and slipped the tape I’d selected from the glove box into the cassette player. Music from one of Deacon’s favorite bands blared out of the speakers, and I risked my uncle’s and my hearing by cranking the Florida Georgia Line’s song about cruising loud enough for my cousin to hear. Rolling the windows down, we let the melody and wind blow past us on our way.
When we approached the designated area for the market, we slowed down to talk to a guy sitting in the middle of an empty field. He finished his sip of his drink and slid the can back into the holder in his camping chair. With a grin, he shoved himself out of the hammock-style seat and strolled over to talk to my father in the truck ahead of us. After a few minutes, he waved our first vehicle through but held out his hand in front of us.
“Howdy, y’all. Name’s Pete.” He grinned wide, revealing a few teeth missing from his smile. Taking a more authoritative stance, the man straightened and cleared his throat. “Cicadas chirp their nightly tune. The stars, they twinkle in the sky.”
I looked to my uncle to provide the response to the secret code. He shoved a meaty hand into his pocket, then checked the other one in a panic.
“Oh shoot, Buck’s got the paper with the code words written down with him.” Uncle Jo crowded closer to me and yelled out the window in his friendliest tone, “Don’t suppose my brother’s pass could extend to us as well. You should find our names on the list. That’d be Jewell with two L’s.”
Pete shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. Either you have the key to get in or you don’t. Can’t let you stay out here neither.”
I retrieved my spell phone but cursed under my breath. “It won’t work this close to the market.” If Uncle Jo couldn’t remember the rest of the code, then we wouldn’t be going any further.
While I repeated the phrases to my uncle, the guard got a little bored and took a closer look at the contents in the back of our truck. “You fixing to sell a pig tonight? Must be something special about it.”
“I’m not an it, I’m a he,” Deacon corrected, causing the startled man to jump back a few steps.
“Well, I’ll be. A talking pig. Don’t that beat all,” Pete mused, taking his trucker hat off his head to scratch it. “I’ll bet he’ll fetch a pretty penny to the right buyer.”
My uncle glanced at his watch. “It’s getting close to opening time. Is there any way you could let us in this one time?”
Pete sighed. “Rules are rules, I’m sorry.”
My stomach dropped, and I wondered how we’d get word to Dad that we were stuck outside the market. Worse yet, how would I be able to lessen the blow to Deacon.
“But,” the guard continued. “Since you made my night with a talking pig, I’ll give you a clue.” Pete pointed
