Alicia had lived in the beautiful mansion for as long as she could remember.  She had been raised by nannies, maids, butlers, and on occassion her father.  All along the walls were portaits of Alicia, always done in the garden.  I watched her grow up on the walls of that mansion and also within my domain, the garden.  Now she was eighteen, and my days of watching her were coming to an end.

As a small girl she used to run through the garden playing hide-and-seek with various members of the staff.  I would stop and watch her as I pulled the weeds, keeping the garden enchanted for my little princess.  Alicia would hide behind the trees, or shrubs or in the flower patch.  I could watch her play all day, but my favorite part of the day was when she would search the garden, examining the exotic and unique statues that completed the fantasy of the magical garden.

I sculpted all the statues myself and would set a new one into the landscape during the night.  She would search and search the grounds until she found the newest addition, and then she would sit by the base and study every inch of the voluptous body until she knew every inch of marble by heart.  Occasionally she would stand up and run her hand over a smooth, perfectly propotioned thigh, or her hand would roam over the hard globes of the beauty's breasts.  Alicia would run her hands over the sleek marble of a cheek, then sigh softly and sit back on the ground.  She would stay there the rest of the day until the shadows grew long and she would lay back on the grass and sing softly to herself.  Her silent revery would be broken by the sounds of her nanny calling her to dinner.

As the years passed, Alicia never lost those feelings of peace and comfort that her beloved garden provided her.  She was quiet, shy, and gorgeous, yet always alone in that garden.  Over time I had to move out some of the older statues to make room for the newer ones, but I never really let any of them go.

I had fixed up a special room that each of them were "retired" to, and one day soon I will let Alicia into that room and reveal all of my secrets to her.  She has asked me every day since she was 12 years old what I did with them.  "Did I sell them?"  "Did I give them away?"  Her luscious lips would quiver as she would look up at me with her wide eyes and ask, "Do you destroy them?"

Each day I would give her the same reply, "Darling, when you are older I will tell you.  Why do you care so much anyway?"

She would never satisfy me with an answer.

I had finally chosen a day to reveal everything to her, the day her latest portrait was to be completed.  I would demand an answer to my question, of course, before I would tell her any of the answers to the secrets she longed to have revealed.

Alicia held a somber look of loss on her face as she posed for the artist. She knew this could be the last time she would be in the garden, her special garden.  The artist had put the final touches on Alicia's portrait, so Alicia wandered off again in search of my latest work of art.  I watched her from my apartment over the garage, waiting for dusk to settle in.

I met her in the middle of the garden near the reflecting pond and waited for her inevitable question.  When she looked up at me she didn't ask anything though, she just looked very sad.   "What's wrong?  Aren't you going to hit me with your usual questions?"   She just shook her head.

"I'm leaving soon," she said in a quiet whisper.  "I'm going to miss this place."  I decided now was the time to tell her, but I had to know why she cared so much first.  Before I could open my mouth she said, "They are my friends."

"What if you never had to leave them?  What if you could stay here forever, just as you are now, never getting older, or having to leave?  If you were like them, where would you want to be?  Near the pool here or somewhere else?"

Alicia laughed softly and said, "I wish I could stay forever." Without any hesitation she pointed to a spot nearby.  "That's where I want to be."  She had chosen the perfect spot.  A small alcove with roses and ivy winding around, forming a luscious canopy.  Yes, it would be the perfect place to illuminate her beauty.

I took her hand and led her though the garden and up the stairs to my apartment.  I brought her to the locked room at the back and opened the door.  She gasped when she saw them all.  They had the best room in the house, with a view overlooking the garden.  All of them were well cared for and dusted and polished to a high glossy shine.

Alicia turned to me, threw her arms around my neck and exclaimed, "I knew you kept them!"  She quickly toured the room, reaquinting herself with friends from her past.  "Can you help me stay here?"  Her eyes imploring me.

To her suprise I replied, "Yes."

She never hesitated at all as she announced, "Okay, let's do it."

I grabbed an empty pedestal and the small sack that was on top of it and walked back towards the door.  We went back to the garden and her spot.  I placed the pedestal in the alcove and she carefully stood on top of it.  I posed her with her left leg slightly in front of her right.  I gently nudged her hips forward and placed her left hand on her hip.  Next I raised her right arm in front of her with her palm facing towards the night sky.  Then I turned her head slightly to the right and lifted her chin up.  She was stunning!

I picked up the small sack and removed a handheld mirror from inside.  I stood to her right and instructed her to look directly into the mirror.  She did as I instructed and was instantly frozen where she stood on her new pedestal. Not one finger, facial muscle or eyelash budged from her graceful pose. Even her long gown and jewelry appeared to be frozen in time. "This is your immortal moment, young Alicia. You will forever transcend both life and beauty." A wave of alabastor began to crawl up Alicia's feet. Her high-heeled shoes fused to the pedestal while her feet became fused within her shoes. This petrifying shockwave quickly embossed Alicia's ornate gown into solid stone, while under that lovely dress Alicia felt her very flesh crystalize. As the wave approached her lovely face, I watched in amazement as every dimpel and detail became flawlessly rendered in pure marble. My precious Alicia stood before me, forever changed into a gorgeous, marble being.  My finest work yet.

Now each day I wait for the dusk to come and I go to the garden.  I sit on the ground in front of Alicia and take in every inch of her transformed beauty.  Her long, thin legs, the slight thrust of her hips, and her taunt flat stomach.  My eyes move up and over her firm breasts, over her long neck and finally to her face.  Her sensuous face.  Alicia's eyes staring blankly off into the distance, her petite nose, her full pouty lips, and her finely chiseled chin.

I run my hand over her smooth, cool flesh.  Alicia is here to stay forever, in our garden.  I sit back and drink in her beauty until her shadow completely engulfs me.  I adore Alicia, my eternal princess of the shadow garden.