The Garden
The Garden
Operators Colette and Sable
Residents Koshka
Hours of Operation As Needed
Current Status Open for Refugees
People Come Here For… Shelter, hiding out

Situated in a copse several miles away from the nearest stretch of asphalt, the Garden is accessible via an old dirt road that winds snakelike through the woods and dead-ends at the property's perimeter, which is surrounded by stone wall plastered with wicked coils of rusty barbed wire to keep would-be intruders from attempting to scale it. Those with a key can gain entry via the front gate.

The safehouse itself is a three-story brickwork cottage over a century old and covered in moss and ivy. It slants to one side, suggesting that the foundation has been steadily sinking into the wet earth; incidentally, this may be one of the reasons why its prior occupants never returned to the island to reclaim their property when government officials lifted evacuation orders and re-opened the Verrazano-Narrows shortly before its eventual destruction.

Inside, the cottage is decorated in mismatched antique furniture including a couch in the living room and an armchair nestled in the corner closest to the fireplace that go well with the safehouse's hardwood floors and the wood-burning stoves in some of the spare bedrooms. A heavy wooden table designed to seat eight separates the dining area from the rest of the kitchen, which is defined by its aged oak cabinetry and the dried wildflowers hanging above them.

Trivia

  • The Garden has no land-line, cable, satellite dish, or newspaper subscription — it isn't even on the map.
  • The property and the surrounding area is home to a large feral cat population. When it can be spared, the cottage's proprietor often leaves food out for nursing queens and their kittens; unfortunately, this also attracts skunks, raccoons and a host of other rabies-carrying visitors. Approach the local wildlife at your own risk.
  • The Garden's electricity is provided by diesel generators used sparingly during the day. Hot water is provided by a wood-burning water heater.
  • Those staying at the Garden are expected to pitch in and help out around the property by watering the plants in the stand-alone greenhouse, preparing dinner for the safehouse's other residents, doing laundry by hand (there are no machines!), or making repairs to the cottage as required or requested by its present proprietor.
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