Growing up out in the middle of nowhere, I would often look out at the Garden near my home. It stood alone and did not come with a home and no caretaker that I ever saw. Our house the only one for miles.
Strange lights so bright would sometimes dance in … (read more)

Growing up out in the middle of nowhere, I would often look out at the Garden near my home. It stood alone and did not come with a home and no caretaker that I ever saw. Our house the only one for miles.
Strange lights so bright would sometimes dance in that garden. I was oddly unafraid and pulled towards it. I would ride my bike down the dirt path leading to the overgrown but lush garden, where I would hear whispers of many different voices. Throughout my childhood, I would write the whispers down in a diary I kept and many years later was able to piece together the stories from what I now call
The Ghost Garden
I never did, thankfully, meet the sole and apparently deceased gardener. Whispers said his name was Aaron, meaning high mountain, and he took the meaning of names quite seriously. So seriously in fact, that is how he chose his victims...
and his garden was the most lush you have ever laid eyes on.

- 3rd victim, Aelia
This name meaning The Sun
Aaron said this would be perfect for his garden and was thrilled when Aelia had called. It had been a very long year, waiting for just the right name.
The gardener chose his victims by their given names. For his father named him Aaron, and that meant high mountain. He grew to be 7 feet tall after all.
Aelia fought with all of her might and almost got away. She tore into Aaron's eye, blinding him, leaving blood to run down his face to where his chrysanthemums grew, ever so hearty. She left quite the mark before she caught a pitch fork to the top of her lovely head, blonde hair now crimson red. For answering a newspaper ad to visit for free flowers she had called. Blood washed tears turned black all dried up in the shadow of this giant blocking out the sun.
Aelia was given to the Garden of Ghosts to bring abundant sunshine and her spirit to roam the garden for all of eternity.

1620 x 2160 (1.5MB)
digital painting, photograph, and photo-sculpting was used to create this artwork