Joe stepped out onto his porch and looked up the hill. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Despite the stop-work order, the hammers were still pounding, and the massive “Starship Enterprise” mansion loomed even larger over his home. He felt his anger rising, but then he stopped himself. Like a seasoned chess player, he weighed every move, every countermove, every possible outcome.
Slowly, his tight jaw relaxed and a quiet smile crept across his face.
He knew exactly how to handle his audacious new neighbor. Calm and confident, he reached for the phone. “This isn’t over,” he murmured, almost amused. And oh boy, was he right.
#1: Something Above Them
Joe lived with his wife in a home below a hillside property. The land above them was close enough that changes there could affect their own surroundings. Whatever rose on that slope would become part of their daily view.
Then the property passed into new hands.