Ten Trees And A Truffle Dog

the long version

There is a moment every morning when the countryside takes a pause. The birds stop singing, the dogs choke back their barks, and cats pause mid-stride. Everything waits. It's in this vacuum that a man working alone has the best chance of finding truffles. The plot of land was perfect, just what they'd been looking for, offering expansive views across the valley and within walking distance of the local village. There was only one small problem - there was no house. And yet the land was affordable and came, the agent promised, with a possible income from a copse of truffle oaks.