The Enchanted

I was born and raised here, and my daddy before me.

I seen things in these woods no man's supposed to see.

And I know things no man's supposed to know.

These woods be a strange place.

My grandmama always called this place "Hole in the Wall".

"There be two worlds," she told me. "One for men

and one for magic."

And betwixt them two there'd be a hole.

Sometimes things pass through that hole

and them things she called "the enchanted".

Good quail tonight, Pete.

Yeah, yeah, we going get some supper.

Get your nose to the ground. Stay down.

Good boy.

Good boy.

Stay down, stay down.

Good boy, yeah.

Yeah, you're all right.

You ain't good for nothing, but you still my boy.

Killer...

We going to eat good tonight, Pete, yeah.

C'mon.

You're the most hard-headed dog.

Come on, let's go. Get to the next trap.

Come on, Pete. Here. Good boy.

That old owl sound like a witch on fire.

There you is.

This rain going to put that fire out, witch.

Squinch owl on the house, sign of death.

Ain't no folks living there anyways.

Let's go, Pete. Come on.

That old owl's been on that trailer ever since they came.

Trailer should have been burned up a long time ago.

Now it's too late for the fire.

You keep your big mouth shut this time.

Commence to holler, I'm gonna whip you,

you and that squinch owl.

Both be digging my grave with those stumpy foots of yours.

Lord have mercy.

You keep your big mouth shut, you hear?

Don't want no noise out of you.

Who you be out there?

It's me, Royce Hagan, Mr. Booker T.

Peerce Hagan's boy, you remember?

You sure do favor your daddy.

That's a fact. No lie.

You favor him, I thought you might be his ghost.

But I reckon no ghosts like to feel my skin.

No, I don't reckon it does, Booker.

- When you come on in here? - Ah, I just came in this afternoon.

Got my Cadillac stuck in a marsh down there a couple

of miles back and had to walk on in.

Ah, the old house is in pretty damn good shape.

I was really surprised.

I tend to it now and then.

Besides, we so far back in these woods,

nobody be messing around with it.

Everything seems to be right there.

Lot of daddy's old stuff, and aunt Lilly's, too.

This place be sort of a museum.

But I don't be changing nothing.

I left it be.

I just sweep and dust here and there.

Be your place to do the changing.

Been hoping you'd come, ever since your aunt Lilly died.

Been a while back. What took you so long?

Well, come on, sit down.

I've been out to sea. Been riding freighters around the world.

Riding those waves a long time, boy.

Yeah.

What be your plans now that you got your foot back in sand?

I been thinking about cattle ranching.

You got the land.

Just waiting for those cows to come home.

You know, Booker, I turned down a lot of money for this land.

Can't figure out why I didn't take it.

Anyhow, something brought me back here.

Might as well be cows.

And that beats not knowing why I came

or why I want to stay.

Time ain't for wasting on the whys.

Just figuring out those whys is like a dog running after his own tail.

Leads to nothing.

Yeah. Well...

That's just what I've been doing, Booker,

chasing my own tail around in a big circle.

You reckon your heart told you to stop a while?

I guess you could say that.

I'm gonna give it a try anyhow.

Well, I can't tell you about your own self, Royce,

but if you're looking for a place to stop,

this here land is as close to your blood family as you going to get.

Just follow your instincts, that's all.

And that's good.

Well, I guess we'll see if my instincts do me right.

You reckon you can help me get

that old Cadillac out of the marsh tomorrow?

I'll be taking care of Peerce Hagan's boy, you'll see.

You be home now.

Tighten it. That's good.

Well, we're almost to the end of it, Booker.

One thing about you, Royce,

ain't no gator going beat you to the party.

Yeah? How's that?

You ain't slowed down yet.

I left you in town last week, all you had was a no-good Cadillac,

and now you got a pasture full of heifers fixing to drop calves,

and a fine mare in the crowd.

That's something. Sure is something!

Yeah, well, once I make my mind up to do something I tend

to act on it quick. That way, I stay interested.

Wanted to get a couple of calves in there right away

so's I can weed out the sorry cows.

Besides, that'll give me time to look around

for a couple of high quality bulls.

Now that's done, how do you want the back pasture?

That's looking all right.

Sure do appreciate you helping me, Booker.

Yeah, any time you need help you just holler.

'Course, you don't know but I be might pleased

that you staying on here.

Yeah? Well, now I knows it.

Come on, I'm hungry for a nice cold beer.

Now you talking!

You ever been married, Booker?

No, sir.

I had a woman living out here with me a long time back.

But I took her back where she done come.

I learned then to keep my women in town.

I likes to tip in love, tip my hat and walk right out.

Don't want no woman having to die in love for me no more.

But you must get lonely out here?

And wish you had some nice lady around, no?

I done told you, I tried that before

and I find it worse being lonely

and not alone than being lonely with just myself.

You hear what I'm saying?

Yeah, I know what you mean about that.

Never get used to that kind of pain.

What's this going on out here?

What you mean?

What do you reckon this is all about?

They come to work. Done the same with me.

They just come.

Yeah? Well, where'd they come from?

They living out there on your land, ain't they?

Ask no questions. They come, they work hard.

They don't want much.

Well, you sure don't sound too happy about it.

How come you let them stay on?

Ain't got no choice in the matter. Don't ask me no more.

What's all that stuff about you ain't got no choice in the matter?

You just hiding the fact you got a soft heart.

They got a name?

Them's Perdrys.

Say what?

They call themselves Perdrys.

And if I was you, I wouldn't get too friendly with them.

How's that, Booker, because they wear them weird clothes?

You heard what I said.

Well, I'm gonna go on out there

and see what they're up to.

You coming?

I'm going home now. I'm tired.

One thing more, Royce, they be different.

You go slow on them, you hear?

Mr. Perdry, Royce Hagan's my name.

It is a pleasure.

Well, I see you have everything under control out here.

There's little for my children to do here,

and we're good workers, you know.

We thought we could help you on occasion.

Surely, you can benefit from our assistance.

I don't doubt that for a second, Mr. Perdry.

Looks like you got a pretty good crew out here.

Oh, yes, yes.

Well, I don't suppose it do any harm y'all working if you want to.

Plenty to do around here.

All right, y'all welcome anytime.

You know, I must have cat blood in me.

Never get tired of fish.

And today I'm going fishing and catch fish.

Anyway, all I want to know is there any water?

Fact is it's pretty low down by the creek.

Oh, that's nothing. Can catch fish out of a water bucket.

Well, here, take that with you.

It'll keep the skeeters off your neck.

And you can smoke it, too, for my first two calves that done come.

- Is that so? - Yeah.

- They doing good? - Yes, they're real good.

And them Perdrys, you run them off the place?

Shit, no. As a matter of fact, I kind of hired them on.

They helped me get

that old orange grove out there back in shape.

You were right about them working hard.

You ain't getting too funny with them, is you?

Booker, I don't know nothing about those folks

except they dug and planted me a great garden.

Now they're working out

there like something I ain't never seen before on those orange trees.