The place was a ghost town. Despite its breath-taking locale, Appaloosa Plains had become a shadow of what it once was. The residents of the "sleepy ranching town" had drifted off, leaving behind shells of homes, crumbling remnants of Victorian architecture and empty streets. The city tried to save its existence by offering a funding assistance program for repairs, but the program collapsed when it was discovered that nearly all the buildings were contaminated with asbestos, had unsafe lead piping, needed all-new roofs or their foundations completely redone. Historical building legislation delayed construction work to such an extent that people opted to sell their homes to the government at a loss so they could move away from the red tape and renovation nightmare that their neighborhood trapped in. Now almost no residents were left and there was no city government to speak of. Appaloosa Plains was nothing more than a mess that needed to be cleaned up. Luckily, cleaning up...
“Do you think I can start helping in the garden now?” Mason asked, moving his gaze from his fishing line to his brother. “Didn’t know you were interested in the garden,” Ryker replied with a raised eyebrow. “Well…” Mason said thoughtfully, “Now that Matthew is married I don’t think he’ll come over as much. He’ll be more busy… and dad hasn’t been able to help all year… Aria hasn’t had any time to go fishing with us, she’s been working so hard.” Ryker smiled at him, then returned his focus to their bobbers on the pond. Cinnamon Crest Falls cascaded into the water nearby, but the water was otherwise still. The autumn morning air was crisp and mostly quiet, with only the sounds of the waterfall and some early morning birdsong to be heard. “The birds will migrate soon,” Ryker said softly. “But I can tell you a bit about the different plants before this season is done, if you want... Usually we start helping after we turn 13.” “I’m 12, not a baby,” his not-that-much-younger b...