Greenbriar Sprite

    She sits upon her stump; the one the home owners placed in the garden just for her.
We wonder aloud every time we come to that garden what she is.  You see, we're contract gardeners. Every three weeks we weed, we cultivate, we edge, and we trim the shrubs. We are accustomed to all manner of gnome, plastic animal, iron works, even silk flowers in the gardens we tend. But this is unlike any other.
    First of all, none of the shrubs in her garden are healthy. Of flowers, there are none, just this big ass stump at the back of the patch of dirt, with this polyresin? little witch.
    She is almost child sized, grey, with torn wings and tunic. Her head tilts to the side, but I'm almost sure it was tilted the other direction last time we were there. Her thin lips are pulled back in an evil looking grin, that display rotted teeth.  Who puts rotted teeth on a polyresin statue? But it is her eyes, that creep me out the most. Crinkled at the corners, they practically dance with malicious mischief.
    Ashley touched her eye yesterday. She didn't flinch or move, but Ashley sure did when she stepped on the cultivator. She's not normally that careless with the tools.
    Yesterday I found a dead chipmunk in the garden.  Nothing overly unusual about that. There are cats in the neighbourhood and not everyone on the condo board follows the rules and keeps them indoors.  But last time we were there I burried a dead bird, and the time before that Tania uncovered small animal bones. Not enough to reveal the species, but it sticks in my memory.
Did I mention that those rotted little teeth look remarkably sharp and pointy?
    The other lady who works with us, Josie, a devout Catholic makes the sign of the cross every time we come to that house, and without fail, chooses to tackle the back gardens and stays there as long as possible.
    I can't help but wonder who designed such a garden ornament, and who in their right mnd would buy it? Are they gonna move that thing into their basement when the snow comes? If they do I hope they're wise enough to crate it.  Personally I don't think it would be a bad idea to set a crucifix on it. Not if they value their cat.  Come to think of it, I haven't seen their cat in the window since she showed up in the garden. Hmmm