Own a farm in Virginia for just US$200 and a well-written essay

Hustle, Virginia

ON his first Halloween at Rock Spring Farm, Randy Silvers sat in his blue Chevy pickup surveying the open pastures. Suddenly, he noticed a yellow light twinkling in the night sky. Faint at first, the blip grew brighter. When it began moving in tight circles amid the constellations, Mr Silvers grew tense. "I thought, 'Oh wow,' " he said. "Aliens!"

It turned out to be a distant helicopter. But in the eerie solitude of a farm "in the middle of nowhere", the mind can start racing.

Mr Silvers has called the 35-acre horse farm, two hours south of Washington, home for nearly 20 years. It dates to the 18th century, and it was nearly barren when he took it over. Now it boasts a three-storey, four-bedroom home, a two-bedroom cottage, a five-stall barn and an…