We don’t know what’s buried underneath
or what’s below the water
the history is gone,
now all that’s left
are these bones made of stone.
But something lingers here
where the soft moss grows.
And for a split second
white faces with black eyes
stare up from spoiled water
that smells so unnatural,
and no bird wants to drink.
Figures travel through the mist
but only for one glance
then they are gone;
old, ancient, but they keep coming.
What could they have done
in this space we now call home
to bring out all these ghosts
that wander here still.
————————————————————-
This is the patio in my backyard. Thank you, Rochelle, for choosing my photo this week 🙂
Interestingly, the house in front of this patio is a little tiny farmhouse with all kinds of weird things in/around it. There’s a vault in the basement with a six inch thick metal door that opens into a small room (my nephew uses it as his bedroom now). The rest of the basement is one big room with a huge bar in it… we kind of suspect they did some bootlegging here (and it’s rumored that Al Capone stayed here…though that’s hard to believe, since we live in Oregon). There’s also the big barn with smaller than usual horse stalls, and a small overgrown horse race track in the back pasture. And everything about the place is elaborate and ornate (besides the tiny house), I mean, just look at that patio. It has a big stone bar with a sink and electric lights around the counter (just out of range in the picture) and that huge fountain!
We have no idea what went on here,  but it seems like it was a hoppin’ place back in the day. Now it’s just a sleepy little farm. And thankfully, no ghost’s linger here… that we know of. Farmhouse photo here
Friday Fictioneers: 100 word stories prompted by a picture that  Rochelle Wisoff-Fields posts every Wednesday. Around 100 people participate, their stories and poems are brilliant; check them out here.
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nice take on the prompt. by the way, i can’t believe this is your backyard patio. it reminds me of yorkshire. it has an old english hamlet feel.
Thank you so much! Yes, it does have a definite English feel, though I’ve never been to Yorkshire. I have to say the photo was taken in December, it’s usually more cleaned up and cheery than what it looks like in the picture!
Cool photo. I can tell by your story, its very inspiring where you live.
Thank you so much, Dawn!
bones made of stone. This line is so chilling – as is the rest of your story, in a very good way. Thanks for providing such a great picture. Never would have guessed it’s your back yard.
Thank you so much, Alicia!
Nice! Thanks for sharing the history of the photo…was curious where it was taken
It’s about 20 minutes away from Portland Oregon.
Thank you for reading the story 🙂
Cracking photo has inspired some very interesting pieces: congrats.
Thank you so much 🙂
Sounds like you live in an incredible place with tons of history. Lovely photo, and a great story to go with it Rachel.
Thank you, Sandra! I get a lot of story ideas from this old place 😉
Dear Rachel,
What a lovely patio. I hope nothing dead is really floating in that water. 😉 Funny, I saw it as my friend’s patio so I wasn’t far off. Thank you for sharing the photo.
Shalom,
Rochelle
I hope there’s nothing really floating in that water too!
Thank you, Rochelle!!
Dear Rachel,
I love the tone and timbre of your piece and the melancholy it inspired. Only one item derailed my train of thought and ti was that if something is below the water it is not floating. Another word might help add to the already rich descriptions you’ve filled your tale with. Well done.
Aloha,
Doug
Thanks for pointing that out, Doug… When I write poetry, I sometimes get too involved in the rhythm of the words instead of the meaning of them.
Thank you for reading the story 🙂
One complaint from writer to writer, Bjerke the beautiful :
I’m bothered by the last word!
…all these ghosts … alone?
Of course, thy could visit at exclusive times but still?
Not a big thing, I just can’t scratch that itch though,
had to tell you.
Good day, Tay.
It’s funny you should point that out, I struggled with that word too. I had re-written it with ‘still’ instead of ‘alone’ but then changed it back to alone because I thought it sounded better in the cadence of the poem (thinking the ghosts could have come back by themselves at separate times). But you’re right, it just doesn’t really work. I changed it back to ‘still.’
Thank you, Tay!
Lots of very visual and sensory content here. A great read.
And thanks for the pic – it’s evoked so many different different stories.
Thank you, Patrick!
I really liked this! Some great descriptions and very intriguing. I can’t believe this scene is right next to your house 🙂 Very nice.
Thank you!! 🙂
I like the mysterious feel of your poem, it fits the image perfectly. And I envy you your patio, LOL. Thanks for linking to these other pictures, you have a lovely and inspiring home. (I’m not envious, I’m not envious… 😉 ) This was a great picture for a prompt.
Oh thank you so much! If it makes you feel better, this farm is a whole lot of sweaty, not-so-fun, work. It took nearly four hours just to rake all those leaves on the patio (on top of all the regular chores for that day)! So, it’s not all sunshine and roses 🙂
Thank you for reading the story !!
I can imagine… I have a large garden, not a farm, but still enough work . But it isn’t so pretty…
I would love to see a photo of it on a sunny day, although the overcast sky added to the mystique. When visiting a place like this, it’s always fun to imagine what went there 100 years ago. Thanks for supplying the photo. I had fun with it.
You’re welcome and thank you!! 🙂
What a great and odd place to live. And you write a poem of mystery about a mysterious place. I’m reminded of Walter de la Mare’s poem, The Listeners. Do you think the small horse stalls could have been for dogs and the horse track, a dog racing track? And for certain, it IS haunted. 🙂
Thank you so much! It could have been for dog racing, we have no idea!! The history of this place (or rather what happened at this place) is long gone, sadly. But it is certainly fun to speculate 🙂
It’s a pity there are no records. I suppose you have checked the usual places. 🙂
I could see a fountain, but not that this was once a patio. There’s moss covering everything. It was quite a turn of perspective to go from possibly buried bodies to the fact that this photo is actually part of your property! 🙂
…scene in this photo, rather.
Yeah, moss and leaves cover the whole thing in winter. It’s a much different scene in the summer.
Thank you for reading the story 🙂
Somehow after writing this piece I am surprised you dare to sleep there at night.. eerie with those rocks and bones.
Ha, thanks Björn!!
Wow, that picture of white faces and black eyes really stock. Really nice writing!
Thank you so much!
i like the style of your prose
Thank you 🙂
Rachel, I love the photo. It’s so evocative What a wonderful patio – even though I might be a bit spooked after reading what everyone’s written this week…
“Bones made of stone” is a beautiful line. Good job 🙂
Thank you so much, Sonya! Let’s just say I won’t be able to go outside at night for a while 😉
Your prose was lyrical and thank you for the description of the property and the photo prompt.
Tracey
You’re welcome, and Thank You 🙂
An ode to the lingering ghosts, very well crafted. Loved your photo and the stories it inspired this week. And thank you for sharing the other pictures of your home, showing us the original in true light 🙂
That’s part of your backyard? Christ it’s huge. Good piece of poetry, is has a nice flow to it
Very spooky. I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. That’s an amazing back yard you have. Thanks for the lovely photo. It has inspired a lot of fantastic stories.
Thanks for the great picture, Rachel. That was a perfect “spooky” story to go with it. I followed the links. Thanks for explaining the picture so thoroughly. I often wonder about the prompts. Well done. 🙂 — Suzanne
I love how your poem has this wondering tone, it goes so well with the back story you gave us – who was there before, what stories are hidden in your backyard? Thank you for a very inspiring photo.