They wandered through the backyard that first evening, admiring the wide maple trees casting shifting shadows across the grass. The small wooden shed leaned slightly but had character. Even the odd lump near it seemed harmless. It was just another quirk of an older yard settling into itself.
Marie joked that every house came with “one mystery mound,” and Walter laughed, already picturing garden beds and a hammock between the maples. The yard had a lot of potential. Whatever that bump was, it didn’t matter. They had bigger dreams to plant here.