The third neighbor simply waved a hand toward the trees. “Ground moves here. Frost, clay… who knows? Don’t lose sleep over it.” Walter nodded politely, but the casual tone irritated him. Something was happening beneath that mound—something no one seemed interested in understanding.
Finally, he spoke with Mr. Hollis, the oldest resident on the block. The man squinted toward the yard as if peering back through decades. “ I know your place once belonged to a quiet fellow,” he said slowly. “Kept to himself. Quiet as a shadow, that one. Sorry, can’t help you with the mound, I suppose.”