On Long Island there is a community that you won't find on any map.
During the summer, its residents are helicoptered into the compound. It was rumored that the President may have been a visitor.
Its entrance is nondescript with no indication of address but off the main road. The entrance is gated, of course. But there are plenty of gates all over Long Island.
If, by chance, your car passes muster to the security system those gates will open.
The road to the compound is fairly straight, bordered by trees, open land and a private golf course. There are few to no cars passing by you as you drive to the heart of the compound. As you near the shore of the Sound, your car will enter thick tree cover. But the road doesn't end yet. There will be an incline as you drive to the top of the sound cliff.
At the top of the cliff, you will suddenly notice that you have been passing houses for quite awhile. It is strange that you missed them but then you realize they are all painted black, the loamy color of fertile earth. They are big, silent, identical in the Craftsman style but stand ominously within the trees. All of them command a view of the sound and the surrounding forest. Most are empty with movement around only a few.
The road ends at the imposing stone clubhouse. The grey of the stone contrasts against the black homes. Clearly this meeting house is the most important building on the compound. It seems pretty enough. Until you realize the heavy gate you managed to enter off the main road, the long road, the black homes, the silence and then that stone building seems monstrous. The wind off the sound rips around the structure and a slight howl can be heard. It seems your imagination runs off with itself and it can imagine terrible things about that stone building. Strange ceremonies. Dark deeds. World takeovers. Crazy chanting.
During your accidental visit, if you see a resident, they ignore you. There are no guards or guard houses. And you leave without incident. But you are certain that whatever dwells in these homes command an enormous amount of power and wealth.Labels: culture, personal