Echoes Americana

So, I found this image after Googling “Forest Photography” (like you do), and the combination of “faceless woman in older-era clothes”. the luggage, and the mist/fog struck something.

Click the image for an interview with the photographer (Patty Maher), or click here to visit her site.*

The likely first, obvious, thought would the ghost story – man picks up a hitchhiking woman outside a graveyard, takes her home, only to discover she’s been dead for years. Or, it could turn much darker…

But let’s look and build beyond that…

Here’s the prompt:

That patch of white among the trees… is that snow? A discarded sheet or blanket? Shoulder of a fallen dog or horse (or unicorn, if you want some shade of fantasy)? Where is this? She has luggage – where is she going? How did she get here?  Is she waiting for someone? What is she – human, fae, demon, undead spirit?

Do you want to tell her story specifically, or explore the effects an encounter with her has on someone else? Is the story only about that encounter, or a piece of a larger narrative?

**I really do encourage you to check out the photographer’s site… or check out her Flickr stream.