Story 1065: The Bone Orchard

They say it only blooms in the dead of night.

On the outskirts of Marrow’s Hollow, nestled beyond the fog-drenched ravine and past the whispering trees, lies a place untouched by time. A garden that never withers, never changes—because it is not nourished by soil, but by bones.

They call it the Bone Orchard.

And it is alive.

The story begins with Brother Eckhart, an exorcist-turned-wanderer whose faith had cracked under the weight of what he’d seen in the Eldritch Wars. After losing his entire congregation to a plague that screamed through the walls, he sought solace in isolation. But dreams—red and writhing—dragged him to Marrow’s Hollow.

In his visions, a voice called:

“Return what was borrowed. Feed the root.”

The townsfolk had long since abandoned that part of the valley. Children vanished when they strayed too close. Graves refused to remain filled. Flowers bloomed from skulls.

Still, Eckhart went.