The Preacher, the Fisherman, and the Cahaba

Thank you, old friend, for indulging me. I appreciate that it may have taken longer than you’d planed for. Overly sentimental and loosely accurate at best, but isn’t that the way? Whether accepted or not, we remember things not necessarily as they were, but as they surely must have been. Written & Narrated by L.R. McDonaldMusic: Untroubled Mind by Benjamin Bostick

"I smiled as I considered the strange collision of humanity that marked this brief moment in my life. A moment that left me feeling a bit emptier—the kind of empty I doubt will ever really be filled. The kind that isn’t meant to be. But now, I think I’m okay with that.” Written & Narrated by L.R. McDonaldReading: Chapters 32 and 33 from The Preacher, the Fisherman, and the CahabaIntro music: Indep...

A painful October culminates under a Hunter’s Moon as Billy’s most harrowing parasomnia yet finds him face-to-face with Shellycoat. And again, he will have to face it all alone, or, does he? “And I knew in that moment—this was a fight for my life.” Written & Narrated by L.R. McDonaldReading: Chapters 30 and 31 from The Preacher, the Fisherman, and the CahabaIntro music: Independence Day Eve by Ben...

Aunt Lucille shares some devastating news that makes it all-too-clear: it’s time for Billy to take back the creek. Uncle John’s creek. But to do it, he’ll have to face the difficult truth, alone. It’s Sunday night, he knows exactly where to look. Written & Narrated by L.R. McDonaldReading: Chapters 28 and 29 from The Preacher, the Fisherman, and the CahabaIntro and exit music: Independence Day Eve...

Julie finally comes clean about her past, revealing that there is far more to Jessie’s story than even Billy expected. And with all this weighing on his troubled mind, Billy’s parasomnia episodes are becoming more frequent and progressively more disturbing. Written & Narrated by L.R. McDonaldReading: Chapter 26 and 27 from The Preacher, the Fisherman, and the CahabaIntro music: Independence Day Ev...

A day in the dove field with Uncle John and his friends finds Billy too distracted to fully enjoy himself. Plagued by doubt, he is more committed than ever to uncover the truth about Jessie’s death. Written & Narrated by L.R. McDonaldReading: Chapter 24 and 25 from The Preacher, the Fisherman, and the CahabaIntro music: Independence Day Eve by Benjamin BostickBackground music: If I Were In A Novel...

There’s nothing quite like Friday nights in the fall. Billy, attends the high-school football game with Lee and Jay, hopeful that he’ll find Julie there. But when he does, the encounter is far from what he had expected. Written & Narrated by L.R. McDonaldReading: Chapter 22 and 23 from The Preacher, the Fisherman, and the CahabaIntro music: Independence Day Eve by Benjamin BostickBackground music:...

Uncle John and Billy find themselves in an awkward situation atop Cedar Mountain, face to face with a legend of the land. And unexpected encounters with Fredrick, the Mayor, and Julie leave Billy questioning everything he thought he knew. Written & Narrated by L.R. McDonaldReading: Chapter 19, 20, and 21 from The Preacher, the Fisherman, and the CahabaIntro music: Independence Day Eve by Benjamin...

An unsuspecting Uncle John leads Pops, Peters, and Billy on a march across Chinquapin Mountain in search of the elusive lake James had learned about from Jessie. What they find, however, is far more dangerous. “Why are you always lookin’ for things you don’t wanna find?” Written & Narrated by L.R. McDonaldReading: Chapter 16, 17, and 18 from The Preacher, the Fisherman, and the CahabaIntro and exi...

An unsettling encounter with something along the creek bank leaves Lee on edge as a shadowy camp-out invites the hazy figure of Billy's parasomnia episodes into their lives. Billy and Lee confront the Mayor together but find they are still drifting apart. Aunt Mary finally reveals the story of Shellycoat. “Listen, Billy, life’s a complicated thing. And Shilo’s Beat is a complicated place. It alway...