I’m Leo Logan. If you’re looking for the sentry of Shale Mountain, you found him, though I'd prefer you turn around and head back down the ridge.

I didn't ask for this title, it was more of a burden I woke up to. Ten years ago, I was adrift. Just a shadow of a man looking for a place to disappear. But then I felt it. Not a voice, exactly, but something that pulled me deep into the North Georgia woods, right to this precise spot. When I first stood at the base of this ridge, looking up at that ancient forest, I felt at peace. It felt like the mountain recognized me. I knew right then that I belonged to it.

I thought that was the end of my story. Just the mountain, its sentry, and the quiet. Then I met Austin. He was working shifts at the diner down in town. I’d go in, sit at his counter, and just let his presence ground me. He thought he was just pouring coffee for a lonely mountain man, but to me, he was a pocket of calm in a world that always felt like it was waiting to storm. I didn't talk much back then, and he didn't push. I just kept coming back to hear his laugh, to feel human for an hour. Now, he's my husband, and my job is simple, keep the woods quiet, keep the threats out, and keep him safe.

People in town have their stories about this mountain, and I let them talk. Fear is a better fence than barbed wire anyway. Most of my days are spent with grease under my fingernails from keeping our old 1989 Ford F-250 running, or out patrolling the tree line with our pit bull, Orion. It’s an isolated life, but it's exactly what we wanted.

When the sun goes down and I’ve got Austin safe at home, the rest of the world stops mattering. I am the wall between him and whatever is waiting out there in the dark.

If you've got business in my woods, leave a message below. Otherwise, let us be.

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