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isprava · 6 years ago

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News, New Villas and Natural Settings

Albany Cottage's 5 treasures that you won't find at any other homestay Amidst the lush, verdant backdrop of Coonoor, sits Albany Cottage, a stunning home with plenty of colonial charm. Here, you will find magical treasures and luxurious promises that are hard to find anywhere else.

Majestic views of the Nilgiris. Acres and acres of deep foliage everywhere you look.

Albany Cottage

situated in Coonoor, is where you can find a little chunk of paradise. Spread across 780 sq metres, this home will take your breath away. Right from its four tastefully designed bedrooms to its sit-outs that let you enjoy your tea with a view, Albany Cottage is where good times begin. Here are 5 things that you will find at this luxurious nest which you won’t find at any other homestay.

1) Albany Cottage is furnished tastefully, using antique furniture and artefacts from palaces and mansions in India and abroad. So you might just be sitting on a piece of furniture that once belonged to royalty!

2) The floors of Albany Cottage are custom designed. What this means is that nearly every room boasts different kinds of floor tiles! So, while the living room offers stone-look tiles with charming gold stripes, the library will surprise you with its beautiful KP tiles in multiple hues.

3) Albany Cottage offers the best of both worlds by providing you with sweeping views of the Nilgiris, all inside a home steeped in colonial charm. It's actually an ode to a British aristocrat who once summered here!

4) Thoughtfully enough, the bedrooms of this property are fully equipped with soft, double mercerised sheets that will wrap you up in luxury even as you settle in for the night. And the satin pillow covers boast an impressive 300-thread count.

5) If you fancy taking in a game of golf, the famed Wellington Golf Course is a mere 5 minute drive away from Albany Cottage. Which other luxurious property sits in such a conveniently accessible spot? Pray, do tell.

Avant gard(e)ns Be it an enchanted garden or a smaller, more intimate one,

Isprava

tells you how you can bring your beautiful green spaces to life.

Gardens are wonderful places; sweet smelling flowers, gently swaying plants and an air of stillness. What's not to love? It is as though time stands still when you are spending it in a garden. And that is exactly why it becomes so important to spend some time and work a little towards making your garden space simply flawless. And here are four key landscaping design trends that will elevate any and every kind of garden space.

1) Plant a section for the kitchen An excellent idea is to have a plot specially crafted to grow vegetables and herbs to be used in your food. From fresh basil and parsley to little tomato patches, you can go ahead and plant your favourites.

2) Say yes to water features The tinkling sound of water in a garden is endearing, to say the least. It can also act as a meditative element. So, adding in a water feature to your garden space can truly bring it to life.

3) Include soft lighting Lighting up your garden the right way is an absolute must! You may host a garden party in the late evening, or perhaps, you may have an urge to eat outdoors once the sun sets. Hence, make sure to include soft lighting in your garden. This will not only make it look better but also make moving about in the dark easier.

4) Create a private space Use long plants that grow close together to build a wall or just go on and build an actual one that divides your garden into parts. You can use one section as a private entertainment area, a reading nook or simply a space devoted to exotic flowers and plants.

CNBC's latest Young Turk - Nibhrant Shah! Know all about the exclusive interview that CNBC conducted with our Founder and CEO, Nibhrant Shah. It is all you need to know about our journey and story.

We could not be more thrilled to have Isprava featured on CNBC! Our Founder and CEO, Mr Nibhrant Shah, was interviewed by CNBC on his journey so far, and all the exciting things that he has up his sleeve when it comes to the future.

As a part of the Young Turks series, this one was all about the story of Isprava. From taking you behind the scenes to revealing interesting facts and features about the company, this exclusive interview is packed with fun snippets of information on your most loved luxurious vacation home platform - Isprava.Click here to watch the entire video.

Snack on this In conversation with Meher and Matt Taff, founders of Natch snacks on the things that make them tick.

1) You moved from NYC to India to start a nutritious snack empire, tell us about this big shift and how you adapted?

Before we moved to India, snacking was an everyday ritual for us, and being in NYC we found ourselves very spoiled for choice. There was always some new health fad that people were obsessing over, sometimes tasty and sometimes not so much. For us, we always gravitated towards snacks that were both simple and delicious. We avoided things that were overly processed. No matter what you were into, there was always an abundance of options to meet your craving.

When we got to India, we were surprised by how few options we found for the type of yummy, guilt free snacks that we love. Most of the things we found were processed or full of chemicals. Both of us, entrepreneurs at heart, knew we wanted to start a company together, and healthy snacks felt like the perfect fit. From there, we laid out our criteria of what an ideal snack should be and began our search.

We wanted our products to be natural, minimally processed, vegan, gluten free, lactose free and 100% delicious. We also wanted to be true to our audience, so we tried to incorporate fun twists on traditional favourites like our chilli flavoured coconut chips or dried mango slices. We launched Natch to bring snacks that we personally love to munch on, keeping in mind the Indian palette and love of fresh, bold flavours.

2) Has travel ever inspired any of your nutritious snack offerings? If so, how?

The love for travel is shared by us both and has been a huge influence on us as well as for Natch. In fact, a lot of the products Natch offers were inspired by our travels, particularly to parts of America and Asia. A majority of our products come from Thailand, which is where a lot of the inspiration for Natch was firstborn. Very early in the process, Meher and I visited a snack exhibition in Bangkok and were blown away by the incredible variety and selection of snacks. It was on this trip that we first began to explore the type of products that we believed would be a great fit for India, while still maintaining our commitment to being good, and good for you.

Beyond just the products themselves, Natch aims to create a laid back, travel-friendly culture. All of our products are natural, with real, simple ingredients, offered in bright and accessible packaging. We know that people's lifestyles are evolving, so we have created snacks that can be enjoyed on-the-go. Everything is bite sized and packed fresh, perfect for road trips, hammocks, or waiting for the train. We love to explore new places and believe Natch is the perfect travel companion for any adventure.

3) What would we find in your Isprava kitchen? What is your prime indulgence?

In our Isprava kitchen, you would probably find lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, yummy snacks, and lots of things that go well with a cold beer or a cocktail. We are both snackaholics, and would each rather have 9 small meals in a day than 2-3 big ones. We love all types of appetizers, dips, and tapas type snacks, things you can munch on all day for a quick bite.

Neither one of us has much of a sweet tooth, so our prime indulgence is usually more of the savoury variety. Matt loves sharp cheeses, salted snacks, and prosciutto pizza, while Meher is a sucker for pate, a good cheesesteak, or just about anything doused in butter. While its true neither of us love sweets, we have yet to meet a piece of fried dough we do not like.

4) If you could carry only five things on your next escape, what would they be?

Firstly, our Natch snacks, of course ;). Not only do they serve as great munchies on a trip but also provide us with good images for our social media marketing. We would each have to bring a bathing suit because we love the warm sunshine so have most likely picked a place that is beachside. To accompany that would have to be our favourite pair of flip flops and sunglasses. Sadly, I must admit we would probably want to bring along our iPhone, allegedly for navigation and communication, but really just to browse the internet and look at Instagram. Our phone would also be key; helps in snapping a lot of great photos.

5) In a world where even snacks get categorised as luxe or premium, what does luxury mean to you?

We would categorise Natch as a premium snack company. We use only the finest natural ingredients in all of our carefully crafted products, resulting in an exceptional snack that is unparalleled in taste and quality. In this regard, premium is the perfect way to describe what we are going for.

"Luxury" on the other hand can be misleading. It denotes something you treat yourself to on a special occasion, and at a big expense. Natch products, however, are meant to be enjoyed all the time! Our natural, better-for-you products should not be considered as an occasional indulgence, but rather an everyday snack that you can eat guilt free.

#luxury villa #home decor #Villas #property #real estate

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ecotone99 · 5 years ago

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Spun Golden [MF]

Spun Golden

Rupert waited in his squad car on the top of the mountain. The night was dark and the fog was so thick he could barely see the large rancher he had been staking out the week prior. He felt cramped and restless waiting for his backup.

The HEAT wagon pulled up behind him and the team got out in an ordered frenzy. They went up to the door of the rancher and knocked. The lead commanding orders for the door to be opened only to be met by silence. The HEAT lead kicked in the door, breaking into two. The team hurried in and Rupert could see flashlights through the darkened windows that pierced through the fog.

“All clear, you should come in and investigate,” said a female voice over the CB Radio.

“What’s the M.O.?” asked Rupert.

“Looks like another O.D., we also found a grow room but not more n’ that, looks like the house is trashed too, an ambulance was called, should be here shortly.”

Rupert looked around the house for evidence, the inside of the rancher was filthy. The rancher had stacks of newspapers since the seventies gathering dust, containers of half-eaten food, rotting, and gathering mold in the sink. He walked carefully to the backyard, which was grown over with weeds, grass growing up to his knees, which wasn’t saying much considering Rupert’s height. In the middle of the yard was a greenhouse, which looked to be surprisingly well kept compared to the rest of the house.

He opened the thin mesh door to the greenhouse and found rows upon rows of grow boxes. The grow boxes were full of straw, out of this straw grew a flower that resembled a poppy, but instead of red, it was a deep golden color. He was struck by the heady perfumed fragrance that lingered in the air, small trails started to form in his vision, and he felt drowsy. He left immediately letting the fresh, humid air hit his lungs and clear out his senses.

“That is certainly another grow operation for Spun,” Said Rupert.

The officer shook his head, “It seems like every time we find one, two more crop up in its place.”

“I know, but we have to keep fighting the good fight,” Rupert sighed as he massaged his temples.

Spun was short for Spun Golden, a genetically modified plant. The plant had hallucinogenic and addictive qualities, and it was ravaging small towns along the I81 corridor. The plant was an opioid, a poppy that had been crossed with the hallucinogenic properties of belladonna. It grew best out of the soil that was aerated by straw.

Senior Special Agent Rupert Stiltskin of D.C. area DEA was assigned with finding the kingpin of drug ring for Spun, but every time he got a lead, by the time they could legally throw a raid, the suspects were either dead or long gone, this was another dead end.

Frustrated Rupert drove down the mountain a few hours later, the fog turning into clouds as the road wound down into Castle, Pennsylvania, the nearest town. His ears popped and his head was pounding, no doubt from with withdrawal of Spun. He was in his mid-forties, balding with a hooked nose, he had a small potbelly from too many donuts. Although his body was past its prime, his mind remained sharp, at least he hoped it would be sharper in the morning when the fog cleared away. He got to his home and his wife, Norma, greeted him.

“You look awful, hon,” she said.

“It’s this case, every time I get close, it just slips away from me, I’m trying everything I can.” “Shh,” she kissed him. “I made you a casserole, it’s in the oven, why don’t you have dinner and a beer and meet me in bed?”

“I don’t think beer is the best idea right now, but thank you, I don’t know how I’d remain sane without you.”

“Never you mind, hon.” She gave him another hug and headed off the small bedroom in their modest house.

After dinner he peeped into the door next to his room, his son, Caleb, was now nearly thirteen. He was long and lanky and snoring soundly. Rupert thought about all the time he lost, he was out looking for drug dealers while Norma took him to recitals for school plays, he made a note that he was going to take a day off for the next show, and quietly shut the door.

He curled next to Norma and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep

Rupert got up at 5 am in the morning to the sound of his neighbors’ rooster. He walked out of bed quietly and took a quick shower. He saw Caleb in the kitchen next to the coffee pot.

“You’re up early,” said Rupert.

“School starts early, Pa,” said Caleb. “I made you some coffee.”

Caleb fixed him a large thermos of blonde coffee. “I can make you some oatmeal if you like, Pa, I learned a magic trick with cards, look, I can show you,” said Caleb.

“I wish I had time, but I have to be at the station early, DEA stuff; look, Caleb, when this is over, I promise, well I won’t promise, but I’ll try to be there for you, I know you have a game next Tuesday.”

“It’s all right,” said Caleb, “you’re out there catching the bad guys, and trying to catch whoever is making Spun Golden, one of my friend’s brother died from an O.D.”

“Hang on there, what was your friend’s name?”

“Paul Willeck.”

“His brother would be Tom Willeck Jr.”

“Yes sir,” said Caleb.

“Dad, just don’t tell them I told you, ok?”

Rupert frowned. “I understand” Rupert kissed his son on the cheek and grabbed his coffee and a donut from the box on the counter.

He made his way down a winding mountain road into the town of Castle. The mountains divided Pennsylvania from Maryland. Criminals would often get away by crossing through using Ball Road as a way to jump the state line before being caught. The federal government called in the Washington Division of the DEA to cover this case in the tri-state area. Rupert started as a deputy in Castle and applied to be a DEA agent when he saw the small mountain towns being torn asunder by the opioid crises, many of the drugs legally prescribed by doctors and being sold by the patients on the black market. Spun Gold only exacerbated this existing problem.

The thick green trees and winding roads cleared to farmhouses, then to shopping centers, then to the colonial row houses, brick and pavement of the town proper. He made his way downtown to the Sheriff’s office, parked his car in the small lot, and entered the building.

Ralston was manning the front desk. Ralston was a young African American man of a wiry disposition. He had left his precinct from Baltimore to live in peace and quiet, only to be landed in the middle of a drug epidemic. In Baltimore, he had to deal with gang war fair, in Castle, and the land outside of it, it was more grow houses and vicious rednecks. Families that hoarded guns and prepped for the end of the world. Men who hated him for his skin color and would call their hounds on him in a moment’s second. They thought of themselves as nobility, and why not, a drug Barron was still a Barron and turf was still turf city or county. Ralston resolved that people sucked everywhere, city or country and he had enough of it all.

“How you doin’ Rupert?” asked Ralston.

“Doin’ ok, Rawls, here to see the boss, I got a lead.”

“On the Spun case?”

“Yeah, back at the middle and high school.”

“Damn, kids, that’s a shame, they get them hooked young they have a customer for life.”

“Sad but true, but I got a tip of an overdose from Dalton High School.”

“Yeah, the Willeck case?” asked Ralston.

“Exactly, that might be the lead that we need to investigate.”

Rupert went to the back office and grabbed some over-brewed coffee in a Styrofoam cup. He waited for Chief Ellis at his desk. Chief Ellis was in his 50s with salt and pepper hair, an athletic build, and a gruff disposition.

“Stiltskin, you’re on your last legs with this investigation, the raid last night was a fiasco, another grow house but no one left alive and no leads to the source of Spun.”

“I found another lead, Sir, Tom Willeck overdosed on Spun a week ago.”

“And we investigated, sent moles into the High school, no one’s talkin’.”

“I have a lead, my son, he was friends with his little brother, Paul, I can interview his family, as a family man myself.”

Cheif Ellis shook his head and sighed, “Go ahead, if we can just find a good lead, we have plenty of evidence from the grow rooms but not a lead on how it’s getting from the houses to the community, the growers all OD before we can ask them anything.”

“I think we might be able to find something from Willeck’s, I’ll interview them as soon as I can.”

Rupert looked up the address for the Willeck house before he left the station. He went to the local flower shop and bought a bouquet of white roses with a card that read: “Our condolences.” He drove from downtown to a newer housing development on the outside of Castle. It was upon a small hill that overlooked the town. The Willeck’s lived in a gray two-story house with white shutters, the house was in a cul-de-sac near the woods. He remembered how Caleb would talk of how he and Paul had built a fort in the woods and how Tom would sometimes have paintball gun battles with them, much to Norma’s chagrin.

Rupert nervously rang the doorbell and a middle-aged woman answered. She had blonde hair cut at bob and was wearing leggings and a long tee-shirt. She looked very tired.

“Hi, I’m Rupert Stiltskin, an investigator with the DEA’s office,” he said.

“I’ve already spoken with the DEA, I’ve told them everything I know,” sighed the woman.

“Ma’am, I understand, I’m also a parent myself, I’m Caleb’s father, he’s friends with Paul. If you don’t want to talk, I get it. I just thought I’d leave you these before I left.” He gave Mrs. Willeck the bouquet.

“Come in,” she said wearily, “can I get you some coffee?”

“No ma’am, the stuff from the station already burnt the hair off my tongue.”

“Caleb is a good kid, he got Paul to get off his computer and leave the house. Those two would play in the woods for hours, king of the hill, capture the flag.”

“Paintball?”

“That too, I’m Sharon, nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, when… when we lost Tom that hit Paul hard, if I can do anything to help catch whoever gave him this poison I’ll help, but I’ve already said everything.”

“That’s alright, the boys, they played a lot out back, Caleb said that there was a fort back there.”

“Yeah,” said Sharon, “and a treehouse, you know, they never thought to search there.”

“May I?”

“Of course, anything to help, I’ll go with you and show you where it is.”

Rupert followed Sharon on a footpath through the woods. About a quarter-mile back there was a wooden structure and above that a small treehouse with a rope ladder. Rupert gingerly climbed the ladder followed by Sharron. On one of the walls, there was a heart carved into the wood. It read Tom + Mazzy surrounded by a heart.

“Did Tom have a girlfriend?”

Sharron touched the heart, “Not one that I knew of, I never met Mazzy, the police are still going through his cell phone records, they might have found something.”

“I’ll check back with them and see if I can find anything, do you remember his behavior changing suddenly.”

“A couple of weeks ago he became more distant, more withdrawn. He was away from the house more, I thought he was going to work.”

“Where did he work?”

“Just at the local barbeque place, Up in Smoke, at the other side of town.”

“Great place,” said Rupert, his stomach growling at the prospect of ribs, “I might have enough to go on here. You’ve been a great help.”

“Thank you,” said Sharon.

Rupert left the house and went back to the station to Ellis’ office.

“I need to have Tom Willeck’s phone records, we may have found a lead, he had a girlfriend.”

“Lots of teenage boys have girlfriends, doesn’t mean it’s a lead.”

“His family didn’t know anything about her, he had no reason to keep a relationship secret.”

“Maybe the kid just wanted privacy.”

“If I could just look at the records, I might be able to find out, his parents signed over permission.”

“Fair point, Ralston, take him to the evidence room.”

Rupert had to sign some paperwork and found the phone in the evidence locker, it was barely charged, he plugged it in and opened it. He checked the photos there was girl with bright pink hair and heavy makeup next to him in most of them. Under the photo was the name Mazzy.

He then checked the high school yearbook and found a similar picture; the name underneath was Chrystal Miller.

Chief Ellis had already had a mole sent out to Dalton High school to look for Chrystal Miller, she had stopped attendance nearly a week ago, they checked with her father, Silas Miller, and he said that she had run away from home.

Rupert was familiar with Silas Miller, when he was deputy police for Castle, he was called out on separate occurrences of domestic abuse. His wife, Ruby Miller, eventually had the courage to leave and was somewhere in upstate New York. They had two daughters, Chrystal and Goldie.

Goldie had been accepted with a full scholarship into the University of West Virginia, Morgantown, as a biology major and had not been seen in Castle for the last couple of years. Chrystal was still in high school, and had instances of truancy, drinking underage and shoplifting. She had spent six months in Abraxis detention center. She had missed her last parole hearing and had disappeared two weeks ago; the same time frame Tom Willeck had overdosed on Spun.

Rupert searched further into Chrystal Miller’s case; they found her parked car by a lookout near the Appellation Trail. Her cell phone was in the car but wiped clean and after a few footsteps on the trail, all traces of her were gone. He decided to drive up to the lookout and do another brief investigation.

He drove up the winding road to the lookout and it was dusk by the time he got there. There were a few hikers perched on a large flat Cliffside. They were eating their trail mix and enjoying the sunset. Among the hikers, he saw a slight young woman with piercings, magenta hair, and a stocking cap. She was wearing jeans and a gray W.V. State sweatshirt. She was quietly watching the sunset but sat by herself, away from the other hikers. Rupert sat by the young woman.

“Chrystal Miller?” He asked.

“I don’t know who you’re referring to,” she said, “did you lose your hiking party?”

“Would it be better if I called you Mazzy then?”

“I think it would be best if you stop asking questions,” she replied warily.

Rupert took out his badge, “I think you owe us some information.” Mazzy started to tremble and tears poured from her jade green eyes, “Please sir, don’t make me go back there, don’t make me go back home, he’ll kill me or worse, I can’t go back!”

“Shhh,” said Rupert calmly. “It’s all right, who are you in danger from?”

“I can’t say, I really can’t, please, can I just go.”

“Look, I just need to ask you a few questions about Tom Willeck.”

“I don’t know nothin’ about Tom.”

“Look, you can go with me and ask a few questions, if you work with us we might even be able to get you some safety or I can bring you in on a parole violation.”

Her shoulders slumped and she started crying but obliged. Her face looked thin and she was shivering as she entered the back of the squad car. Rupert decided not to cuff her and on the way down he stopped by Up In Smoke.

“They’ll see me here!” She said.

“I’m just going for the drive-through.”

He pulled the squad car through the drive-through and Mazzy shrank up into a ball to avoid being noticed. He ordered two pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw and two large cups of cherry coke. He then rode back to the station. He brought Mazzy back to a room with a long table and gave her the coke and sandwich. She ate it ravenously and her shivering stopped.

“Are you feeling better Miss Miller?’

“Is this some good cop bad cop act?”

“There’s no bad cop here unless you count the Chief, but even he’s not so bad, just a hard ass. Look, I’m DEA, an older investigator, not really into the raids and stuff. I’m just trying to find a lead on the Spun Gold case, if you have any information that lead to Tom’s death it would help greatly, I could even work a deal with the courts and have your parole violation mitigated. Hell, if you fear for your safety, I might even work out a deal to get you into a group home. You might even be old enough to qualify as an emancipated minor.”

“The only way I’ll say anything to you is if I can be put in the witness protection program, they’ll find me and kill me and make it look like an accident.”

“Who will find you?”

She started shivering and crying again. Rupert removed the badge in his pocket and draped his jacket over Mazzy. She was only a few years older than Caleb and clearly afraid for her safety, he wondered how far down the rabbit hole this young woman was.

“My father, Silas, he’s a grower for the Kingpin, look he has my sister and my nephew, I can’t have you putting them in trouble.”

“So, he has your sister, Goldie, he took him from your father and is holding her for ransom?”

Mazzy started sobbing, “No sir, my daddy sold my sister to him. She was checking in on him after the divorce, the king took her son when she last visited and is holding him ransom so Goldie works for him. She was going to school for science or some stuff, she knows about genetic coding, CRISPER technology, she invented Spun to get her son back.”

“Do you know who the Kingpin is?”

Mazzy shook her head. “Daddy never talked about him in name.”

“How did your father come into contact with him.”

“Promise you’ll help me, not let anybody know that I’m here?”

“I’ll do what I can, but you’ll have to work with me.”

“My daddy is a Proud Boy, I don’t believe in that stuff, never did, part of the reason I left, but that’s how he met him,” she sighed and rolled her eyes, “they met online, the kingpin was running guns, my daddy said that Goldie knew science was really good with plants. She was into Four H and horticulture growing up, that stuff. Anyway, dad said that he was really upset with mom and he just wanted to see Goldie and his grandson. Goldie knows where mom is, she told me when I got out of Abraxis that we could all go there and be safe, then dad found the conversation between us. He gave Goldie’s son to the kingpin and sold her to him, I thought he was going to make her do things, like sell her body,” she broke down and started sobbing, “but Goldie is smart, real smart, instead of her body she offered her mind, said she could create something that would make them all rich if she could just have her son and leave, but she’s still there, she’s been there nearly a year.”

Rupert gently patted her shoulder, “what you told me was very brave, and I’m gonna do everything in my power to make sure you stay safe. Do you know where the kingpin is?”

“Daddy wanted to take me up there to party with the king, I told him I had a boyfriend and I wasn’t that kind of girl. He found out who Tom was and now he’s gone, it’s my fault Tom’s dead, I should have just left and not said anything.” “It’s not your fault, it’s not your fault that bad people take advantage of kids, what’s important is you told us this now, we have a lead to catch the bad people. You sit tight, we’ll find a place for you to go.”

Rupert left the room and went to the back room on the other side of the glass. Chief Ellis was sitting there with a note pad.

“Poor kid, but I think we have enough information to get a stakeout, if the stakeout works, we’ll get a warrant,” said Ellis.

“What about the girl?” asked Rupert.

“Well, Stiltskin, I can work with juvenile services to make sure she stays safe if she agrees to testify. There’s a retreat called Mountain Manor that can keep her safe until it’s all over, then she can stay with her mother and older sister.”

“Mountain Manor is a psychiatric facility.”

“She’ll be safe, and get the treatment she needs, I’m sure the petty crimes were from stress. It’s an optional choice, but it’s safe and they treat their patients well there.”

“We should leave the choice to her.”

“True, but she’ll take the Manor given the choice, it’s a safe place until this all blows over, anyway it’s “Girl Interrupted” not Trans -Allegheny asylum. She’ll be well cared for, have talk therapy, treatment for PTSD, hell they even have horseback riding and camping trips for the less troubled patients. She hangs out for a few weeks, sings Kumbaya around a campfire, we raid, get the kingpin she and Goldie to testify in court and bam, no more Spun issue.”

“Is the state at least going to take care of the bill?”

“It’ll be part of the witness protection program; she won’t have anything to worry about.”

Chief Ellis went into the room and Rupert to could see him talking to her. Instead of the intimidating police chief, he seemed gentle, even fatherly toward Mazzy. Rupert saw the girl nodding profusely and even hug him. A few hours of paperwork later a car with a middle-aged woman came and took the girl away.

Chief Ellis then assigned both Ralston and Stiltskin to run a stakeout of Silas Miller’s house.

“Chief,” said Ralston, “Silas Miller is a Proud Boy, a White Supremacist, do really think it’s the best idea to put me on surveillance detail?” “It’s a stakeout, you just have to observe and remain inconspicuous.”

“In all due respect Chief, it’s not exactly easy to remain inconspicuous when you’re a brother heading up the Grand Dragon’s house.”

“We’ll have a mole from Dalton High School, his name is Carson, he was caught dealing on campus a few weeks ago, we cut him a deal if with the court if he would help us out.”

Rupert remembered Carson as the source of the raid a few nights ago, he was surprised the kid was still alive at this point.

“We need you to start at 2100 tonight,” said Chief Ellis.

“All I ask is that I go home to my family and get some shut-eye, it’s gone to be a long night.”

Rupert came home and held Norma close, he apologized for not calling and explained the incident with Mazzy, he trusted that Norma would not say a word to anyone.

“I was just worried about you, hon, these are dangerous people.”

“I understand, I’ll try to keep in touch more.”

“And the girl, is she going to be all right, she’s not much older than Caleb.”

“She’s going to be just fine, she’s in good hands.” He kissed her, “after this is over I’ll spend more time with you and Caleb, I have some leave I can take.”

“Caleb’s school is premiering Frankenstein vs the Horrendous Goo, Caleb got the part of the chemistry teacher. He’d be happy if you could come and see it.”

“I think we might be raising the next James Dean.”

“More like Jack Black, “Norma chucked, “He’s very funny, you’d see if you were around more, still thinks fart jokes are hilarious though.”

“Boys never grow out of that,” said Rupert, “just fair warning.” He kissed Norma and went to his bed. If crude humor was the worse that they’d have to worry about from Caleb, then he and Norma seemed to be doing pretty good.

At eight in the evening, he met Ralston and Carson at the station. Carson was wearing blue jeans a plain black tee-shirt and a beige jacket. He had long dark hair and was wearing jeans and a tee-shirt with a red and green marijuana plant printed on the front. Carson was on probation but smelled faintly of weed.

“You know marijuana isn’t legal in West Virginia, right kid?” said Rupert.

“Dude, relax, I’m going to go in and get the little golden flowers for you man, then you’ll have evidence to bring this asshole down. Marijuana never killed anyone, not like Spun man.”

“Kid has a point,” said Ralston, “in the city, I’ve seen deaths from Smack, Coke, Meth and all manner of street drugs cut with rat poison, I never really had an issue with pot. It’s been decriminalized in states around and will probably be legal eventually. We just need to pick our battles. Now you were caught selling pot and mushrooms at Dalton, and you knew Tom Willeck.”

“I knew him, and yeah, I sold some shrooms and pot, but nothing like that Golden shit, dude, I only sell natural stuff, nothing from a lab man.”

“Spun Gold is a plant,” said Rupert.

“Yeah, but like some GMO genetically hybridized bullshit, not anything that grows naturally.”

“Spun Gold is a poppy that was genetically modified to have the properties of Belladonna, making it hallucinogenic and extremely deadly. But both Belladonna and Poppies are plants that grow out of the ground, hell cyanide comes from peach pits,” said Rupert.

“Dude, I just want people to be relaxed and happy, I don’t want them to die or some shit, you’re not a good salesman if you kill your customers, man.”

Rupert shook his head.

“Anyway, are we about to run this?” said Ralston irritably. “I’ll be the driver, you get the evidence and Stiltskin will make the report and call the Calvary when we need it.”

“Sounds like a plan, dude,” said Carson as he got into the back seat. They were in Rawlston’s Black Range Rover. It was dark enough to remain undercover at night but nimble enough to keep up with suspects on winding mountain roads. Ralston drove out of town and to a field by the side of the mountain. He turned off on a dirt road and drove down sloping hills past an old red barn and cow pasture.

They then saw a mobile home the color of dust with small windows. On the front door hung a Rebel Flag. Ralston parked the Rover about a quarter-mile from the home, thankful for the cover of night.

“All right Carson, you know the drill,” said Rupert. He gave a small microphone to Carson, Carson then put the bug into one of his many pants pockets. “Now this is a dangerous person, give us a yell if you feel you’re in danger.”

“Dude, relax, I called Silas ahead of time and arranged a hangout, I would sell weed here all the time, yeah, he’s a crazy asshole but if you keep your mouth shut and just sell or buy from him he won’t cause trouble.”

“All I know is I ain’t going up there,” said Ralston.

“Probably for the best my dude. Guy’s a racist asshole and one of those preppers for the zombie apocalypse, he has all these crazy theories,” said Carson, rolling his eyes.

Carson then opened the back door and rolled out of the back seat. He walked down the dirt road into the darkness. Through the microphone, they heard dogs barking and a man yelling “Go on, git.”

“Do y’all have the stuff?” asked Silas.

“Yeah, I have a pound of Purple Kush man, will that work for two ounces of Spun?”

Rupert wondered where Carson had kept the pound of weed, probably in one of the hundred ding dang pockets on his pants.

“All right, let’s keep this quick,” said Silas, “there’s a lot of talk about how the feds are on this, you can’t be too careful, especially after Tom got himself killed.”

“Totally bro.”

There was a rustling sound and then the dogs started to act up again.

“I said, git!”

Then there was a sound of a gate slamming and then silence.

Ten minutes later the back door opened to the Rover and Carson piled in. He fished through his pockets and found a small bag of yellow powder.

“I stashed the bug in the house, Silas was a little too jumpy to notice,” said Carson.

“It looks like we got the evidence,” said Rupert, “now we just have to wait.”

And wait they did, Rupert and Ralston kept an eye on the house for any sort of activity but not much happened the rest of the night. During the next morning, they saw Silas feeding the chickens in the yard and yelling at the dogs under the porch, they were in a wooded area on top of the hill, enough to hide the Rover out of sight.

Over the radio, they heard various snoring and news broadcast. Closer to evening they heard a WWE match on the television. Rupert pulled some binoculars.

“Look there in the distance,” he said.

Ralston took the binoculars from Rupert and saw an old trans AM pulling on the dirt road toward Silas’ house. The door opened and a large bald man in a suit got out and went into the mobile house. There were several loud knocks.

“What in the hell do y’all want?” yelled Silas.

“Is that any way to address your boss?” asked a low, smooth voice on the other side.

“Sorry sir, be right there.”

Silas opened the door, he was a man with a potbelly, a mustache, and a red ball cap.

“Come on in,” said Silas.

“I’d rather not, have you found your other daughter, Crystal?”

“She’s out running around somewhere; she’ll be heading back sometime soon.”

“We can’t afford to have witnesses; we need to find her and employ her.”

“She’s not smart, not like Goldie.”

“There are other uses for her.”

“Look, she ran out, she probably headed to her mom’s house. She doesn’t have any friends and we took care of her little boyfriend; I will find my ex-wife and take care of them both.”

The bald man sighed, “the King needs you at the base, it’s about distribution into the area, we need to discuss expanding our market into I 81, down into D.C.”

“I don’t want to step on anyone’s turf, there’s a bunch of gangs down there that I don’t want to deal with, that and Baltimore, no thank you.”

“We’re missing on a huge market share, and the King wants bigger business Silas, if you’re considered a block to the market he will remove from the equation,” the bald man purred.

“All right, I’ll go, just let git my truck.”

The Grand AM took off, followed by an old F-150. Ralston waited a good minute or so and took off after. They followed them down a dirt road into the mountains, the dirt then turned into gravel and the road was pitted and uneven. They followed the F-150 up winding roads and steep inclines, the trucks stopped by a yellow gate and parked. Ralston parked the rover back towards the bottom of the hill undercover.

“I’ll get out here,” said Rupert. “You and Carson head back toward the station and present the evidence, I’ll follow on foot and report back.”

“You sure Ru?” asked Ralston. “It’s dangerous, really dangerous.”

“I grew up in these woods all my life, I know enough to stay out of the way. By the way, don’t call me Ru, it’s Rupert or Mr. Stiltskin, now I need y’all to call the Calvary, I’m going to try to find Goldie and make sure she’s safe.”

“Be careful my dude,” said Carson.

“You too, my dude, and stay out of trouble,” said Rupert.

Rupert got out of the rover and waited until the Silas and the bald man got out. Rupert followed behind enough to just see the silhouettes in the night. He walked softly trying to avoid making too much noise. A tree branch broke under his foot and he froze in fear. The two men in front looked behind and Rupert held his breath.

“It’s only a deer, they’re everywhere out here,” said Silas.

A light shone back and Rupert ducked behind a bush and stayed very still.

“I suppose you’re right.”

Rupert let out his breath as the two men started to walk forward again. He followed for about an hour when he saw an oblong house out of the side of the mountain. It was large and mostly windows, the floors cascaded under one another down the side of the mountain, and a large swimming pool was tiered over a large garage. The two men took off toward the mansion and Rupert gingerly followed them, they made their way to a gate in a large stone wall.

Rupert sighed and went further back into the woods, when he was out of earshot he called on his phone, the signal was very spotty and the call cut off. He managed to send a text to Ralson, stating the place was large, rich and had security. He looked around and saw cameras placed every few feet along the walls. In order to get a better vantage, he decided to climb a tree to see into the yard. Now it had been several years since he had climbed trees with Caleb in boy scouts, but not so long ago he forgot how.

He found a sturdy walnut tree and pulled his heft onto the larger branches. Catching his breath, he was now high up enough to see into the yard. There were cameras everywhere, except for one corner, in this corner was a large greenhouse, probably where the Spun Gold was grown. He climbed down off the walnut tree and looked for another tree closer to where the greenhouse would be. He found a maple, not quite as strong as the walnut but he would have to take his chances. He huffed and puffed but managed to find purchase on the lower branches. He pulled slowly climbed toward the higher branches when he heard a snap. He quickly found purchase on another branch and it slowly bent over the wall. He let go and tumbled the remaining five feet. He felt the ground skin his knee but that was the only damage he had, thank God.

He opened the door to the greenhouse and the pollen hit him immediately. He got out before the head rush would come. He then saw a woman with blonde curls and a gasmask holding him at gunpoint.

Rupert held his hands up.

“Goldie Miller?” The woman didn’t respond and still trained her gun on him. “I’m here to help, but only if you let me.”

The woman took off her gas mask, she had a pretty face, similar to Mazzy’s and jade green eyes.

“You a cop?” she asked.

“DEA,” said Rupert.

“You don’t have a warrant, or you wouldn’t be climbing trees to get in here.”

“Look, I’m here to help, I saw your sister, Mazzy, or Chrystal, she said you’re being held here against your will, I’m here to help.”

The woman lowered her gun. “You’re right, I’m Goldie, you saw Chrystal? Is she ok?”

“Yeah, she’s someplace safe, they can’t hurt her.”

“Thank God!”

“Look, she told me they have your son.”

Goldie looked tired and nodded. “Yeah, his names Bobby, he’s only two.” A tear left her eye. They said I could have him back when I filled this room with flowers. Of course, they told me that after I filled the first two. They keep asking for more and more and the houses they just keep getting bigger. They’re asking me to work with CRISPR and come up with other combinations to get people high. He’s working on designing GMO drugs to take over the market.” She was near sobbing.

“Who is this person?”

“The King, that’s all I know about him, my father had a debt to him and he wanted me and Chrystal to pay for it. I’m just glad she’s safe.”

Rupert texted on the phone that he found Goldie. A few minutes later a helicopter flew overhead and squad cars moved up and surrounded the mansion. Flash grenades went off blowing in the windows and agents dressed in black raided the mansion. There was the sound of gunfire exchanged when the King came out with a small blond boy as a sheild.

“No!” yelled Goldie.

The King was just an average looking middle-aged man in a suit, nothing remarkable. The large bald man stood beside him; a semi-automatic aimed at the troops.

“Come out with your hands up!” Chief Ellis’ voice boomed over a megaphone.

“One step closer and I’ll kill the boy,” said the King.

“Enough is enough, you ain’t killin’ my grandson,” said Silas.

“I own you and your family, Silas,” said the King.

Suddenly Ralston came behind Silas, he was wearing full tactical gear, he gave Silas a hard shove.

“Never forget I was the man that saved your sorry redneck ass!” said Ralston.

Ralston then pulled the pin on a flash grenade and threw it towards the King rolling back with the toddler in arms. The flash grenade went off, setting the King ablaze along with the straw in the greenhouse, burning it all down to the ground.

Rupert, Ralston, Goldie, and the child ran away from the chaos and made it to a nearby ambulance. An EMT took her and the child as well as looked over Rupert. He had some minor burns but would survive. The squad took both Silas, the bald man, and several goons out in zip ties, stuffed them in a large, black police van, and took off.

News of the raid traveled through the town of Castle quickly. The King was actually named Albert Kingston and was a former engineer for a chemical plant until he got involved in the drug trade, he made his living through the opioid crisis and managed to stay hidden, most of his sales came from rural areas and he used white supremacist groups as his lackeys and guard dogs. In his memoirs, he said, “hate makes men easy to control.” Silas got sentenced thirty years to federal prison but was knocked down to fifteen when he crowed like a stool pigeon on the trade.

Goldie Miller was let free by the courts as she was held under duress. She retrieved custody of her son Bobby and went back to Morgantown University. She married a professor a year later, presumably Bobby’s father, and later became the head of the biology department.

Mazzy aka Crystal Miller testified by the courts and received full treatment at Mountain Manor, she recovered and graduated high school, after which she moved to Hilton New York to live with her mother, Ruby Miller.

Ralston decided to become a federal agent and travel, seeing everywhere he went there was always going to be some sort of drama, so he might as well go everywhere.

Carson moved to Colorado and was doing quite well working for a legal dispensary.

Rupert Stiltskin took leave after the paperwork and court hearings were done with. He and Norma went to the theater of Dalton Middle school to see Frankenstein vs the Horrendous Goo, featuring Caleb Stiltskin, and it was the greatest show he ever did see.

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