In a thriving coastal metropolis, a real estate development corporation had an ambitious idea: to build a series of high rises off the coast. They would be constructed like offshore oil platforms, rising out of the water, accessible only by bridge or boat. Even with a team of renowned engineers, unforeseen structural issues began to hinder construction. The technical difficulties of building over water had not been adequately planned for. On top of that there was a public backlash, people protested the project calling it environmentally unsound and an eyesore besides. Millions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule, the project was eventually scrapped and development halted. But they are still there. Out in the waters concrete skeletons stand, crumbling and overgrown. There have been reports of lights in the towers. Some say it’s safety officials, or the odd curious explorer. Others say that people live there, scratching out a hard living in the damp stone solitude above the pounding waves.