Ethan Hightower's "Spanish Moss"

     This story was about three 8th grade boys Blake, Tommy, and Trig, the narrator of the story. The summer prior to becoming "men" and attending high school, they decide to smoke weed, something more "kids their age were doing," or I'm guessing the kids that mattered. The three journey into the woods and smoke a joint. After finishing, Trig notices a black suitcase or bag across the creek, and as the three swim across to check it out, they find a small grey hand poking from the bag's side. Terrified, the three run, not only from the confusion of what they've seen, but from each other. Their friendships are never the same after stumbling across a dead body.
     I thoroghly enjoyed this story, especially the narrator's voice. I found the eighth grade narration not only authentic, but humorous. The 13-14 years are hard to capture, but Ethan does a nice job of it here. I wish I could have gotten a little more insight to why the three boys never spoke about it or why they didn't tell anyone. Maybe it's just the girl in me, but my first instinct would be to discuss what the heck we just saw and then tell someone with some sort of authority like my parents, the police, etc. I wanted to see the narrator change a little more. He tells us that part of his innocence is gone, but I wanted to see it through action/dialogue in the end. Nonetheless, I like how the story ended and the plot as a whole! Also, I enjoyed the contrasting personalities of the three boys. Blake, the "goody-goody" who wears his emotions on his sleeves; Tommy, the boisterous leader of the group that must be the center of attention; and Trig, the character between his two counterparts who represents more of the general reader and a more relatable character. Though these extreme personality types are quite commonly put together in tv shows, movies, and books, I think it also works in this story very nicely. I loved all three characters and was interested in Tommy and Blake just as much as Trig. I felt satisfied as a reader when Trig tells us what happened to Blake and Tommy after the dramatic event. As a whole, I loved the story and found it extremely entertaining. I simply would have liked to see more of a change in Trig maybe through action or dialogue, but nonetheless it's a great piece!