Morgan_mm - The Hanging Cross- Final Draft lyrics

Morgan McCashland Intro into Fiction Writing Final Draft The Hanging Cross My head was throbbing and I couldn't catch my breath. I looked straight towards the eye blinding sky only to realize what had happened. I tried to move but my body but it was too stiff and blood began to run over my eyes. I looked at my surroundings and I figured I was more than a mile or so from my home. Panic overwhelmed me, as I lay helpless on the stiff ground. Only little whimpers escaped my mouth as I thought about the farm, my husband, and our baby. It started as it does on any other day on our farm out in Coyote, Texas. The sun was bursting through the windows as it always had in the middle of the summer at exactly 6:30 a.m. My mornings usually consisted of making sure the baby was either sleeping, changed, or not starving. The farm was a hard place to raise a child from my perspective. Living on farm with over 2,000 grazing cattle roaming the endless hillside, and keeping up with all the chores, and crops to be catered to, the workdays lasted longer than 12 hours. My husband and I were in always in constant movement. The baby was quiet so I snuck into the kitchen to pour a tall gla** of coffee; the unusual calm felt so heart warming as I stared out the tiny kitchen window. The sun was warm, the trees were so still I remember sitting there taking it all in. The farm was already full of life so early in the morning, my husband Landon doesn't sleep I swear. He was a small town farm kid from the middle of nowhere Texas and I fell in love with him fast. We met in college; our junior year in the back of a stingy, dark bar and he continued to buy my drinks all night. It took me awhile to actually realize he was trying to hit on me. He was so innocent in the way he pursued me, he was an old school gentle men, it sounds creepy but he reminded me of my grandfather. 

We went out on a couple unusual dates before I truly decided to like him back. There was something about his old school charm that still captivates my heart today. He was simple in the way he loved me. On one of our first dates he showed up to my house in his pick up wearing his lightly dirt stained jeans, with cowboy boots, and a heather gray hoodie. What you saw was what you got with him, he wasn't trying to be anything than he already was, and there was something so purely satisfying about that I couldn't get enough. 


He took me to the outskirts of our college town, and he surely knew where he was going. I had no idea what our plans were but I was more than giddy sitting in the pa**enger seat with a man who genuinely cared about me for once. His emerald eyes stayed forward for most of the drive, and at times I would catch him looking over with a slight smile, he was so nervous. 

We pulled up onto a deserted, flat land that over looked the hills of our college town. The gra** was starting to fade from vibrant shades of green colored by the summer sun, to crisp, lifeless shades of brown. The sun was just about to fade into the horizon as soon as he put the car into park. The skyline was on fire, the red shades were hitting our faces and it took us awhile to say anything to each other. The sky was too perfect to put into words so we just stared and took it all in. We sat on the bed of his old, white pick up for a good three hours, drinking cheap, stale beer, watching the sun sink into the earth while basking under a sky full of bright dead stars. He didn't say more than he needed to, and in that moment his heart belonged to me. From there on our love grew faster than a wildfire floating on the wind across a dry Texas summer. Being a big city girl, I never imagined myself falling in love with a simple-minded cowboy. He took me home to the farm every chance he got so I could soak up his different lifestyle. I went from a girl who knew nothing about a crescent wrench to hauling hay bales on a tractor. He took my manicured hands and placed guns in them so I could help keep predators away from the livestock and newly born calves. My life went from sitting in rush hour traffic on any given day, to riding horseback coasting 3 mph behind hundreds of cows on a cattle drive. It wasn't a life I pictured for myself, growing up in the suburbs of a bustling city. I never had any desire to venture out beyond my protected, sheltered country club life. You're right, there is little to no life out in the middle of the rolling country but I found my place when I found Travis. He opened my eyes to a world I didn't even know existed. He took my heart and opened it to wide, empty spaces for the both of us to roam freely. I was a city girl, turned cowgirl and I was damn proud to be apart of our own little world. Shortly after we both graduated college he moved back home to take over the farm and I got a job in a town not too far from his. My career as an advertising consultant was short lived when Travis asked me to marry him a year after we had met. He drove me up the winding back roads on a visit back to our college town and knelt down on the same dirt we shared our first night together. The timing was fast and we had only been together for one year but I think life was planned for me in that way. We got married in a quaint, white little church in the heart of Coyote, Texas. The rain poured down on the churches roof, as we took our first kiss as husband and wife. As soon as we left the churches doors the rain had moved to the east and the sun shined through open spots in the clouds and it felt like God had blessed our union in a way that's indescribable. Two years later I sit here in our kitchen still in awe of my life. I finished my pot of coffee while sitting and reminiscing about the years that had pa**ed since we met in our college town. Now we live on a farm with two hired men, a newborn baby, and more cows than our little town has for a population. I walked down the hall way past our bedroom, into the babies crib. “Good morning, sweet Colt its time to help daddy do chores.” I always found it funny how he would always wake up with his fat, dimpled cheeks smiling from ear to ear. His eyes were bright green just like his daddies, and his curly blonde hair was starting to sprout past his ears. He definitely got his fathers German side in him but I like to think his bubbly personality meets my crazy Irish side. Colt reached for my arms and I took him up in my arms and smelled his baby aroma against my skin. I re-dressed his diaper, put on his own Keller farming white t-shirt and grabbed his miniature sized camo-working boots. Given he was only six months old, Travis wanted him to grow up learning the trade of farming and ranching. 

Colt was a smiley baby, never too fussy and was familiar with our routine and more than content to tag alone. His curly hair always tickled my chin while I strapped on the baby carrier and placed him in front ready for a days work moving cattle into a different pasture. 

We stepped outside into a different light than the one I was admiring early on in the morning. The clouds have begun to build and the wind was unfamiliar. It was blowing from the south and on top of our hill it swooped and tossed my hair all around. There was also something unusual about the color of the sky. The sky was lightened by a whirling aqua green that seemed to highlight the earth and objects that surrounded us. The sun was still shinning strong, and the chipped red barn was illuminated by the strange color. Travis drove by on one of the cattle feed trucks just as I had stopped staring and acknowledge the world around us. “Sky seems a little different, don't it babe,” I smiled and nodded my head agreeing. “Why don't you go hop on top of Tex I got him all saddled and ready, and I'll join you and Colt in five minutes,” Travis said and rode off on his own horse Donkey. He winked back as he strode away on top of his bay colored horse. Is it still normal after a couple years of marriage, and a baby to be so in love with my life? I fast walked to the stables, and grabbed Tex out of his stable. 

Right after our wedding day on one of the first couple days living on the farm Landon had told me he was going to a town about two hours away from ours to pick up seed for planting. I never thought anything of it since it was that time of year and he frequently had to make day trips to other towns around our area. A half-day later he showed up with a new horse trailer that was stainless aluminum and shone brightly against the summer sky. I placed my hand against the sun above my face and squinted to get a better view. He didn't just bring home a horse trailer he brought me home my very own quarter horse. Being from the city this huge mammal scared the crap out of me the first couple times on the farm. Slowly I began to ride and Travis “tried” to teach me how to properly trot, run, and walk the horse around the farm. It is incredible how much power a horse hones, the muscles protrude with every step and the power you can feel moving beneath you can be terrifying. How can our nimble bodies control such an intelligent, mighty animal that could take over our own bodies at any moment. His face was so proud; he jumped out of the old white pick up and ran towards me with a satisfied grin. The dust flew up in the air with every stride toward me, his arms rushed toward my hips and he picked me up and kissed me softly. “I figured a real cowgirl needed her own horse, so I reckoned no way to welcome my beautiful wife to the farm like her own horse,” he said as he dropped me back to the ground and lead me towards the horse trailer. “I splurged a little but this good fella will be like riding a miniature pony, he will do most of the leading for you so your only job will be to hang on,” Travis explained. I was honestly speechless, I didn't know what to say, tears starting to run down my face as I turned to him with sheer excitement. “This is the best gift, I've ever gotten. I feel so at home Travis thank you so much,” I squealed. “The rancher I bought him from said he's been rode his whole life, he is only three years old so you have a while with him. He has intense color for a palomino and I thought his mane matched your long blonde hair so it should be a perfect match.” Travis explained as he handed over the reins that lead the horse out of the trailer. His face was a darkened white and his mane flowed past his long neck, I put my fingers in the coarse hair and felt his warm neck under my fingers. “The rancher said he responds to Tex, I figured you'd want another name but for now it would probably be easier to stick to Tex till he is used to you. “ Travis said. “No, I've got a Travis and now Tex, I want him to keep his name I think it fits him well especially since I'll be riding him a top of Texas ground for the rest of my life,” I said as I took Tex's long face into my hands. His nostrils flared and the heat escaped the gapping holes hitting my face. 

“Ha, welcome to the farm family Tex,” I said, as he nodded his head up and down. Tex was ready to go and I placed my left foot in the stirrup and hauled Colt and I into the saddle. Tex moved his two front feet up and down adjusting to our weight and gazed slightly back at us like he wished he could just stay in all day chewing on the hay in the horse barn. His head nodded as I pulled the reins out towards the tractor barn. As soon as we got trotted up to Travis the wind howled now from the north. Travis looked concerned and said, “I finally got all the heifers ready to haul out to the pasture about two miles from here, I didn't see any storms on the radar an hour ago but I think we will be fine if it pushes toward the south again.” We began to slowly ride behind the 300 heifers that were moving slower than tumbleweed blowing on a still day. I felt an urge to turn around since Colt was riding along but the scenery seemed to entertain him and not a peep was coming from his soft mouth. Half a mile from our designated pasture where the heifers were going to calve the wind grew worrisome. Travis was out in front of me and he was coming in and out of sight trying to herd cows that had strayed off the path. I couldn't do much with Colt strapped onto the front of my stomach so I rode slowly in the back. I cursed a little under my breath wishing Travis wouldn't let the hired men take the weekend off so much. I stared back and the clouds that had built up heavier than I have ever seen them. There was no doubt that a storm wall was about to consume our entire surroundings. Fear struck me as fast as the lightning that hit the ground not far from where Colt and I were riding a top of Tex. My heart seemed to skip a beat but was quickly revived by the thunder that rolled behind the lightning. “Travis, Travis where are you, we can't stay out here much longer,” I screamed as loudly as my lungs enabled me. 

Nothing, I heard nothing. 

The wind had stilled a bit and the hairs on my arms stood straight up. Tex could tell I was panicked and I felt him pulling the reins tighter in distress. I looked down at Colt and I was astonished, he was fast asleep, at peace through this terror we were surely about to face. Just then Travis rode up to my left and talked calmly but with purpose. 

“I have a feeling this isn't just a thunderstorm, Summer, I need you to stay composed since we have a ways to go to get to shelter but I do believe there could be a tornado out there and we need to get home now.”

With out hesitation I swallowed my fear and motherly instincts kicked in. I need to protect my son, my life, and make it home safe for Colt. 

We left the 300 plus heifers were they stood and headed back toward the farm, to our home. I remember the tall green gra** was flattened by the wind that was hitting us directly in the face. My eyes couldn't believe how quickly the windmill on top of one of the pasture was moving; I couldn't even focus on the blades, as they were a blur in the distance. That's when I lost everything; my heart knew I couldn't ride Colt to safety as fast as Travis could. “TRAVIS, you have to take Colt, I can't ride as well as you we both know that and he needs to be safe you have to take him,” I screamed through the winded air. As I unhooked the strap that kept Colt steady, I grabbed the handle and made Travis grab Colt and buckled the front latch. I ran my hand through the top of his curly blonde, hair and felt the touch of his baby soft cheeks as my hands slipped from his face. Travis and Colt took off and they soon disappeared below one of the pasture hills. I readjusted the saddle quickly so I could run Tex back to the farm behind Travis. That's when I saw it, as soon as I hopped back into saddle a twisted; funnel was cutting through the earth maybe three miles ahead. The wind around me was still and silent, I felt a sense of calm and my mind was paralyzed. The tornados direction was hard to detect since it was far with in the distance. The base of the tornado was wider than anything I have ever witnessed before in my life. The beauty of the scene that was unfolding in front of my eyes captivated my entire being. There was no way around it, but the twister was heading straight toward our farm. I ran Tex, pushing my heels into his sides and holding on for dear life. In the distance I could see that the tornado was about to gain momentum as it hit a farm that was close to our own. The barrel of the twister was spinning relentlessly, with unidentified objects being thrown about the outer shell of the funnel. I was breathless as I came into the yard of the farm and spotted Travis standing, motionless among the deadly scene. I took his hand and grabbed Colt into my arms. His face was full of emotion and his eyes shone of sheer terror. He spoke “I have time to get the horses in, you get inside and you shut the basement cellar door as tightly as you can.” My mind raced and I begged him to come inside but before I could form a sentence he was running the horses to the barn. I raced inside looked back and heard a noise that was so distinctive I didn't even have to look back to know that this was a moment that would forever change my life. I barely got inside when I felt the power from the exterior of the funnel. Colt began to scream and I ducked into our mudroom and forced myself to walk through the destruction that lifted around me. I made it into our kitchen where the cellar door was shut closed. As I lifted the handle with one arm the tornados force lifted the door and I fell into the cellar with Colt still in my hands. I woke up. My eyes were full of tears as I tried to stare out into the sky. I couldn't feel my body, and my mind felt weightless. That was when I realized I wasn't even in my body I was above it. I looked around and noticed I wasn't anywhere near our farmhouse, I had been thrown into a different pasture and I wasn't moving. Just then, blood was starting run down my face and I could feel it trickle off of my cheeks onto my neck. Wait, I'm not dead, I'm here I can feel. I tried to move my hands and fingers but they were pined under a large cedar tree trunk. I could move my head slightly over to my left side when I noticed that part of the tree limb was lodged deep into my thigh. I felt no pain just soreness all over. I was starting to panic but only knew that would make it only worse. I grew tired again and I felt by eyes starting to drift back into a deep sleep. Darkness besieged by body again and I was out. Chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, movement, wind, fear awoke me from my deep sleep and above me was an army green helicopter stealthily hanging above me. I heard radio over the wind gust and a voice call out

 “Looks like we have ourselves another fatality.” “WHAT,” I screamed in my head I'm not dead I just have a tree stuck in the side of me, no big deal!” I tried to s** in air so I could scream out but nothing came out and it felt as though there were pine needles lodged into my windpipe. 

A ladder was thrown from the side door of the helicopter, and a bag was tossed to the earth, as it landed not far from me. A man in chopper gear, with a green pea like helmet started to climb from the ladder and was there to retrieve me. By this point I felt thick, hard blood covering my entire face and I tried to smile in relief but I was frozen from blood. No wonder they thought I was dead. He came over and was obviously a**essing the damage from the tree that engulfed my entire being. I began to move my head to the left as far as it would go so he would know I was there, I'm here, and I'm alive. His face turned white as he stared at my mangled body “She's alive, you wont believe this but she is moving.” He ran to my side as soon as he waved for the copper to land near us to bring down medical help. He crouched besides the limb that was wedged between the dirt and my leg. 


He took the water canteen from his vest and began to untwist as he poured the cool liquid over my blood stained face. I couldn't say a word but that was the most refreshing moment of my life. The blood loosened off my skin and the medic began to a**ess the damage. 


It took the whole crew to release me from the trees clutches but I was free and being lifted into the helicopter. My mind was racing but words were not coming from my mouth. Small whimpers were all I was able to manage and I wanted to scream at them for if they knew the fate of my family. I felt the chopper begin to lower and thought to myself that was way too short of a trip to make it to any hospital. Just then as we hit the ground I could see Travis running from the distance. His face was broken into hundreds of emotions, and relief hit him as he noticed my head moving. “My sweet, sweet Summer I can't even believes this we thought you were gone forever, my heart,” he began to say as he whipped my dirt matted hair from my face. He searched in my eyes and then realized he forgot to mention Colt's fate, 

“Colt is fine, he is fine, you saved his life. He was sitting in the corner of the cellar before you were lifted by the wind.” I nodded in deep relief and all the sudden the darkness began to drift my body back to sleep. 

I was in a coma for two months as they tried to heal my body back to life. I woke up on a sunny day in August. My leg was amputated due to the unforgiving wound the cedar tree left amongst the tornadoes wake. My body was weak but I made it, I lived and my family is still here. We moved on with our lives, mine becoming a little slower as I adjusted to farm life on one leg but I was forever grateful to be here. We took that cedar tree that took only a limb but not my life, and created a cross that hangs over our barn today. It is mangled, skewed, with splinters all through out the bark. It remains a symbol to me as I go everyday reminded of what could have surely been taken from me on that fateful day. It hangs high, with a reminder of how beautiful, and tragic our world can be and how one must fight on to live for myself, and my family.