My Neighbors Dug A Two-Acre Lake On My Land While I Was Out Of State—Then Told Me Their Contractor Said It Was Theirs, And That Was The Day I Learned How Expensive Arrogance Can Be

me for a moment.

It extended over the water from the south bank, neat and expensive, with treated lumber stacked nearby. Stakes marked a future seating area. Laurel stood farther back with a tablet in her hands, showing something to a landscaper. She looked up when she saw me and did not smile.

Brent waved. “Daniel. You get the letter?”

“I did.”

“Then you understand where we stand.”

I walked past him to the edge of the water. The lake had risen another foot. The spring pipe fed it steadily,