The Old Dude

                               
Name: John Grandfield

Age: Stopped counting after 70th birthday.

Family: Wife Emily Grandfield and a daughter Ann-Rose

Profession: Gardener of an old and grand mansion Thornrose.
                                       
                                 
                       

John Grandfield was born to a gardener's family and like every man in this family, he too became a gardener. For over two centuries, this family had served the great mansion of Thornrose. It is said that the mansion itself got his name after the beautiful roses that the Grandfield family raised around their magnificent garden.

Unfortunately there were days that The Thornrose was only a shadow of what it used to be and the landlord needed to rent the halls of The Thornrose for weddings and other events. People in the town gossip that the day when the roses of the garden suddenly started to topple, a curse that seems to surround The Thornrose habitants and the house.

Also, our character and the gardener John seemed to have lost his joyfulness and richness of nature with the roses and he always escaped the life to his little gardener's cottage. He was very rarely seen in the village and on those rare days, he didn't bring to the lovely ladies of the village any roses as he used to. 

Such horrible things happened in the territory of The Thornrose:

 Gardener's lovely wife, beautiful as rose, suddenly lost all her hair and the next day lost her ability to talk. No one knows what happened, no one knows exactly why.

The gardener's daughter, Ann-Rose, fell from her favorite tree and broke many parts of her body when out of nowhere, from a clear blue sky, lightning hit the tree. 

One very early morning the gardener woke up to strange voices from outside. He found a mommy bear with her cub eating and destroying all the the hundreds juicy berry bushes and the honey from the wasp farm. Unfortunately the son of the mansion Lord was at the same time returning from his hunting trip from the forest. He got attacked, and as a brave man the gardener tried to save his life with bare fists and sticks. This is how the mansion lost its heir. Since that horrible morning, the gardener withdrew the outside world even more, now with a halting walk and nasty scars.

I could tell even more stories, there would be one with the wasps size of the fists and puffed bride. 

But I won't.

But I can tell that the more superstitious couples searching for a place for wedding certainly will not say their vows in The Thornrose territory.

John Grandfield

So what the F happened? Why is this picture-perfect domain cursed?

The rumor blamed Miss Pinebranch. 

Miss Pinebranch was a lonely old maid with a weird reputation and a large number of cats.

She lived in the neighbor area of The Thornrose and she often visited their land for getting vegetables, berries and the famous honey.

They said that the gardener and she got together very well and there was a spark between them. They said that it was only around him, when she looked almost like beautiful and glowing.

One warm july evening Miss Pinebranch was seen walking from the village towards the Thornrose pond with our gardener. The young gang of kids followed these friends with curious reputation. What they witnessed, was a heartbreaking scene, where Miss Pinebranch confessed her love, tried to kiss our gardener and begged him to leave his wife, but as a faithful and respectful man, he refused her kiss and love.

The young kids escaped back to the village when the crying and cursing of Miss Pinebranch became too embarrassing and loud to watch. But one of the boys told that last thing he saw, was a green glowing light towards the gardener and a punch of words he did not understand. 

For some reason, people of the village believe that Miss Pinebranch has supernatural powers. 

Miss Pinebranch

They believe Miss Pinebranch being a witch.

Yes, it was after this curious and heartbreaking night that everything started going wrong in Thornrose, as Miss Pinebranch vanished from the village for good. This blue season continued over a decade. 

Until one autumn evening she returned, walking through the village with many cats following her. She looked no-one in the eyes, stopped talking to everybody. Her eyes were fixated in the direction of Thornrose.

The village's life and habits stopped for that evening. Everybody felt that something is going to happen and chance, hoping for the best to Thornrose people.

Nothing happened for many hours, until suddenly the same glowing green light stroke to the sky above the Thornrose land. Many people swore seeing a woman flying with a broom towards the moon.

The next day our gardener came down to the village with her lovely wife Emily, whose thick, luscious colored hair moved in the wind beautifully. They carried roses, giving them to everybody, and they placed grand flower-settings around the marketplace. And oh boy, Emily had so many stories to tell. But when asked about Miss Pinebranch, they both suddenly became implied, but gave each other a secret warm and knowing smile. 

Want to show your friends how they will look like as a 254-year-old? Here is how.