>>169371>>169378Perhaps it is of interest to Posey, perhaps it isn't, but it is most certainly something Posey could encounter on a nightly walk.
Standing on the foundations of the now lost structure, Posey could walk down that winding path east, and back to her cottage. She could go back to the manor. She could wonder into the treeline, full of wild and still verdant cypress trees, and rows of defoliated citrus trees.
But should she move just a little west back towards the manor, and to that small, dirt cart path now lined by wooden poles carrying a powerline, she could follow it through a tree line not a hundred yards in depth and exit into a vast clearing. Over to the left, the far left, Posey would find a large, plowed, fallow field with sprouting grass and rimed with trees that likely mark the border with the road that took Posey to the manor from Baltimare. Over to the far right, Posey can see comparatively neat rows of barren branch deciduous trees that are almost certainly oranges, lemons, or some kind of kind of fruit. But it's what is in front of her, and to her more immediate left and right, that is far more interesting.
The road continues a ways down, mostly straight, and composed of dirt and pebbles. But to either side of this road are a number of structures. At first, coming out of the trees, there is nothing. But to the left, is a wooden structure that Posey understands well enough to call a barn. It has one of those machines parked in it, visible through an open door, the mortals use for their agriculture. Just a bit further past are shrubs growing ontop of the foundations of what must have been, some decades ago, structures. But just a few yards past these, on either side of the road, are small rectangular buildings, slightly raised above the ground, with little steps leading up to them and low angled roofs that hang over the edges, and a small chimney at the end. These buildings are made of wood, sometimes painted white, sometimes barren or perhaps painted brown. In some, grass and shrubs have grown high around them. Some have simple cut grass, while others have manicured rose bushes. Most have gardens behind them, raised beds with raised or dormant plants in them, though some grow winter hardy vegetables like lettuce, cabbage, or squash. These gardens are sometimes separated by fences, be they barbed wire or wood, and sometimes open. A couple have compost heaps, with little bits of rotten food wastes sitting on the top. There are perhaps eighteen or so of these small buildings in total. Though a few seem abandoned, most seem inhabited with blinds closed on the glass windows, and a few have lights on inside. These rows of buildings are split in the middle by a pair of slightly larger buildings with big wooden doors, surrounded by dirt and pebbles. The two buildings are slightly different, but both have big chimneys, with the one on the right having an external oven. Further away off to the right, by the tree line, are bigger, two-story buildings with few windows, and timber emanating from the center.
Though the row begins with simple foundations, it ends with two structures that are bigger and more impressive than those that came before. One is a house with a stucco exterior, albeit one that is bigger than any before, being longer, wider, taller, and better constructed than those that came before, with a tile roof. This house has lights on inside. Across from the house, and slightly further away, is a small - very small - rectangular church building, complete with a steeple and a brass sun figure hanging over the door. The walls are coated in fresh-enough whitewash, and the windows are unbroken, suggesting the building remains in use. But Posey does
not feel that wicked aura normally exuded by these buildings.
The road continues, veering off slightly to the left, before turning right to cross the river on a small wooden bridge. There is some sort of shed across the river, and then rows of what seem to be more fruit trees. But what lays to the right is more interesting. The road splits, and a section goes to the right, down to the small river. There is a large brick structure that Posey can immediately recognize as a windmill. It's four wooden blades move slowly in the breeze, even as the top of the structure looks as if a hole has been blown into it, or else collapsed from decay. But behind the windmill, on the gentle slope to the river, and the riverbank itself, are more small structures. The river is perhaps twelve or so feet below the ground level, and several small shed-like structures that seem to be homes line the river and the hill. These are made of unpainted wood, usually with tin or sheet metal roofs. Lights, sometimes the consistent yellow of electrical lighting, and more often the flickering of kerosene lamps, shine through many windows, or even sit on the wooden porches that extend out onto the still water of the river. Posey can hear the sounds of a drum coming from the river, and perhaps would see activity if only she peered further. The small river opens to a bayou or swamp, with low cypress trees small than those seen before lining the waterline. Posey can see the outline of what must have been a watermill, but perhaps that is further away than she dares look.