The Gardener

Written 9-28-2025

            In a suburb not too far away, lived a dirty family that neglected their home and lawn. The Father abused the family for not being as perfect as the neighbors, envying their bright houses and healthy, green lawns. The Mother tended to their two sons, who would destroy everything they came in contact with. On multiple occasions, they would play fight and damage furniture, tables, plates, and eventually fight outside, where they kicked up flowers, grass, and any piece of green trying to bloom.

            The Father would yell and shout at his boys, but would take his frustrations out on the lawn. He would dump hot oil and grease on the grass and slam the dirt with a hoe. After a tantrum, he would get angry at how ugly his lawn looked in comparison to his neighbors. In his anger, he would throw seeds, weed killer, and all manner of pesticides, hoping the chemicals would make his lawn grow.

            One day, the Mother purchased a gardening product for her husband. “Look here honey,” she said lovingly. “It’s called Garden Sage. The product says ‘Guaranteed to bring your yard to life.’ Perhaps you can use this for the lawn.”

            The Father grumbles before saying, “Thank you dear. That lawn is such an eyesore that even thinking of it makes me angry.” Taking the bottle, he sprinkled the chemicals onto the dead lawn and stood waiting. After an hour of monitoring with no changes, he shouted, “Damn woman, this product is useless!” Spiking the bottle into the ground and storming off inside where muffled shouts echo through the walls.

            The night, budding grass blades twitch. The dirt crumbles together and stacks on top of itself. Water leaking from the nearby hose is pulled toward the growing dirt mound. Within minutes, it contorts its mass to form arms, then legs. With some strain, the head takes shape. Lurching forward, he enters the house, each step muffled by moss underneath its feet.

            The figure stalks through the house as flowers bloom in its left hand. It enters the boys' room first, watching as they share a bed and continue fighting in their sleep. Weak punches and kicks on autopilot as they dream of only they know what. The creature sprinkles pollen from the flowers over their faces, causing their bodies to go limp while deep breathing.

            Next, it enters the parents' room, where it sprinkles the pollen over the Mother’s eyes. She too goes limp before rolling over with deep breaths. The figure extends its right arm, morphing it to cover the father in dirt, vines, and moss. Feeling something crawling up his legs, he grumbles before waking up and seeing the figure looming over him. Screaming, he flails trying to remove the dirt encasing his body.

            “Honey, wake up!” He screams, but his wife remains asleep.

            “Boys,” he shouts, “wake up and help your father!” But his sons remain asleep.

            Vines wrap around his mouth, thorns prick into his body, cutting deeper into his skin as he fails to wriggle free. Within minutes, he is completely entombed in dirt. The figure drags the husband through the house and outside, his screams muffled by layers of moss.

            The figure absorbs several rocks from its surroundings and shifts them into its arm. Tightening its grip, the figure twists and contorts the dirt like a blender. The sound of the rocks, dirt, and screams combine to mimic that of a lawnmower running over rocks as blood seeps through the cracks. The figure sprinkles blood across the lawn before mulching his bones for fertilizer. The figure stands at the center of the lawn, releasing its body and reintegrating itself back to the ground.

            That morning, the family wakes up, questioning where their Father vanished to. They searched around the house, suspicious of a trail of dirt leading outside. They follow the trail and are awestruck by the beautiful, lush, green lawn before them. The mother shouts louder, “Honey, come out, the grass is beautiful!” The family marvels at their healthy lawn, as the boy roll in the soft grass pressing their Father's wedding ring deeper into the dirt.