Beneath the Wild Sycamore

Click for the full-resolution version.

About the Image

Setting the scene for this eerie cemetery adventure are the gorgeous Wild Sycamore Trees, a new creation by The Little Branch for Salem Macabre Market by Prism Events. These beautifully detailed, realistically animated trees come in three sizes—small, medium, and large—and feature stunning 2K textures without taking a big bite out of your land impact allowance. Even the largest tree is just 12 LI. The trees also feature gently falling autumn leaves, which you can turn off if you prefer a less windswept look.

The pack includes coordinating grass patches to help you create a natural, overgrown landscape. With their sprawling branches and rich autumn foliage, these sycamores are perfect for adding a touch of mystery to a forgotten cemetery, a haunted garden, or any spooky Halloween setting. Stop by Salem Macabre Market to pick up your own Wild Sycamore Trees and bring a little autumn magic to your Second Life landscape!

Complete credits are below the story. Store and event SLurls are available on the Store & Event Links page.

The Story

The photograph on Claire’s phone showed an enormous tree rising above a collection of weathered gravestones. Its branches stretched across the cemetery like skeletal fingers, their remaining autumn leaves glowing rusty orange against a gray sky.

“That’s the tree I was telling you about,” Claire said, sliding her phone across the kitchen table toward Serena. “A wild sycamore. Isn’t it magnificent?”

Serena studied the photograph. “It’s beautiful, Mom. A little creepy, but beautiful. Why were you wandering around an old cemetery, anyway?”

“Looking for your great-great-great-grandmother’s sister, Eleanor Whitcomb. I’ve been researching her for weeks. She died in 1887, and according to the burial register, she’s buried there. But I couldn’t find her grave.”

“Maybe the headstone is gone?”

“Possibly. But here’s the interesting part.” Claire leaned forward, clearly delighted to have an audience for her latest genealogical discovery. “I found an old newspaper article about Eleanor’s death. It mentioned that she was buried beneath a sycamore tree. And that’s the only sycamore I saw in the entire cemetery.”

“So, what’s the mystery?”

“The burial register places her grave in Section C. That tree is in Section A, the oldest part of the cemetery. I checked the plot numbers twice.”

Serena smiled. Her mother had only recently taken up genealogy, but she was already developing an impressive talent for finding mysteries where other people might see nothing more than a clerical error.

“Maybe someone made a mistake,” Serena suggested.

“That’s what I thought. But there’s something else. According to the newspaper, Eleanor’s funeral was held at sunset, and only three people attended. Her husband had died years earlier, and she had no children. The article doesn’t name the mourners.”

“That’s sad.”

“It is. And I’d really like to find her grave.”

The following afternoon, Serena drove to the cemetery with her camera, promising Claire that she’d photograph the old section and look for any overlooked markers. She arrived later than intended, with the autumn sun already sinking behind the surrounding hills.

The cemetery was quiet except for rustling leaves and the occasional crow’s call. A thin layer of mist drifted between the gravestones, gathering around the iron fence and curling along the narrow paths. Serena paused at the entrance, wondering whether she’d made a mistake coming alone.

Then she saw the sycamore.

It was even more impressive in person, its enormous trunk rising from a patch of uneven ground. The tree seemed ancient, its branches spreading over the surrounding graves as though protecting them. Serena lifted her camera and began taking photographs, moving slowly around the tree to capture its silhouette against the darkening sky.

Near the base of the trunk, something caught her attention.

A small stone lay almost completely buried beneath fallen leaves. Serena brushed them aside, revealing a grave marker so worn she could barely make out the lettering. She crouched beside it and angled her phone’s flashlight across the surface.

There was a name, or part of one.

ELEANOR W—

Serena’s heart gave a little jump.

“Well, I’ll be darned,” she whispered.

She took several photographs, making sure to capture the lettering from different angles. Claire would be thrilled. Perhaps the cemetery register was wrong after all.

A sudden gust of wind swept through the branches overhead, sending a shower of leaves swirling around her. Serena stood, brushing dirt from her jeans, and glanced toward the cemetery gate.

For just a moment, she thought she saw a woman standing beside the iron fence. The figure wore a long, dark dress, her face obscured by the deepening shadows.

“Hello?” Serena called.

There was no answer.

She blinked, and the figure was gone.

Serena laughed nervously. “Okay. That’s enough cemetery photography for one day.”

She hurried toward the gate, resisting the urge to look behind her. Only after reaching her car did she glance back at the enormous sycamore, its branches swaying gently against the evening sky.

Later that night, Serena emailed the photographs to Claire. Within minutes, her phone rang.

“You found her!” Claire exclaimed. “Oh, Serena, I can’t believe it!”

“Well, I found a stone with part of a name. You’ll still need to confirm it’s actually Eleanor.”

“Of course, of course. But this is wonderful! I’ll contact the cemetery office tomorrow and see whether they have any older plot maps.”

Serena hesitated. “Mom, can I ask you something? Do you have any pictures of Eleanor?”

“Not that I’ve found. Why?”

“No reason. Just curious.”

After they hung up, Serena returned to the photographs on her computer. She scrolled through the images of the sycamore, admiring the twisted branches and the beautiful, eerie light.

Then she stopped.

In one photograph, taken just before she discovered the marker, a faint shape appeared near the cemetery fence. It might have been a shadow, a trick of the mist, or perhaps someone passing along the path beyond the gate.

But it looked remarkably like a woman in a long dress.

Serena enlarged the image and studied the indistinct figure.

Then she closed the photograph.

Some mysteries, she decided, could wait until morning.

CREDITS

SCENE

The Little Branch Wild Sycamore Trees (NEW @ Salem)
The Little Branch Horn Beam Tree
Alirium Dwarf Forest
Alirium Itchy Grass
Dysfunctionality Creeping Fog
FANATIK Land Shapes Terrace
LOVE Eel Marsh Tombstones (includes crows)
LOVE Grave Watch Lanterns
LOVE Autumn Dove Grass
LOVE Weathered Grave Stone Wall
Studio Skye Zen Garden Steps
Trompe Loeil Octobertime Pumpkins
Trompe Loeil Gravestones
Vespertine Spooky Cemetery Garden Gate (group gift)
Battlescars Windlights Clouds Sinister: Lucent 6.0 (EEP / PBR)