Here and No Further: A Memoir for the Boys

Beginning in the humid summer of 1975, the "Triangle"—a wedge of red clay tucked between the towns of Arkwright and Canaan, South Carolina—is the entire universe for twelve-year-old Steve and his band of working-class misfits, the "Black Sheep." For Steve, his pragmatic best friend Warren, and the eccentric, fearless "Old Weird" Harold, life is a series of bicycle adventures, dodging chores, and steering clear of the local bullies.The borders of their little universe are constantly probed by these curious and harmless kids where they believe with each new discovered place that they are the first to have ever been there and that they somehow can lay claim to it. Their adventures and explorations eventually lead them to the ruins of Blanchard Town and the hidden graveyard that becomes a magnet to them. An irresistible possible source of fun and mystery where they can play a popular childhood game called Ghosts in the Graveyard.The graveyard and the town are the property of Old Man Blanchard, the meanest man alive. They have to navigate the dangers of crossing him and disturbing the ghosts said to haunt the tiny hamlet.The Black Sheep are the unofficial guardians of the Triangle and they will protect it with all of their strength and with a common unity and attitude of Here and No Further. While doing this, they cross the local criminal element and that leads to a constant friction between them and the "Redneck Mafia."As each adventure leads to greater dangers they find that Old Man Blanchard and his property could be the hiding place of the Lost Confederate Treasure. The idea of a treasure brings unwanted attention to the property of the isolated and brooding Mr. Blanchard who, above all things, wishes to be left alone with his pain.The frozen heart of this war hero is finally thawed by this group of boys and girls that remind him of his son that died in Vietnam. This leads him to invite, Sam, his granddaughter, to visit for the summer of 1976. Sam is a beautiful tom boy that fits right into the group of adventure seeking boys and she immediately becomes the love interest of Steve and the other boys.Mr. Blanchard and the Black Sheep begin to find clues that lead them to believe that the treasure is actually on the property somewhere so, they focus on finding clues in the graveyard since that would be the natural hiding place.Is the treasure there? Can they find it before anyone else? Will the ghosts that haunt Blanchard Town let them find it?As the lines between the natural and the supernatural blur, the boys discover that the ghost stories might be more than just stories, and that the "Gray Lady" who guards the graveyard is a force to be reckoned with.Here and No Further is a poignant, humorous, and heart-pounding ode to Southern boyhood. It captures the specific ache of growing up poor but free, the fierce loyalty of friends who become family, and the realization that some legends are true. It is a story about redemption—for a town, for a grieving father, and for a group of boys who refuse to let the world define them. Read more