The Garden of Reflection

A Reflecting pool

You walk down a well manicured lawn along the bank of a long shallow pool. The water deathly still, it reflects the sky above so perfectly that standing at its bank feels like standing at the edge of the world. The pool sits in the center of a bucolic lawn, itself surrounded by a tall, dense hedge.

On the horizon to the north, you see the angular shapes of buildings silhouetted against the sky. To the east, low arches of unknown purpose. To the west, the crenulations of a long square building. And between them, the turrets of a tall, ornate tower.

There are two arches cut into the hedge at the far end of the lawn, each opening onto a graveled path leading deeper into the garden. One leads to the east, one leads to the west.