Preparations had gone well so far. Xian had bought the property without any real problems. The neighboring plots were also available and she decided to buy them as well so that there would be room for expansion. There were some prime commercial spots nearby and she wouldn't be shy about leasing them out. This would be a moneymaker, she felt very certain.

The construction was very straightforward. The Wind Chime Garden would be the simplest of the Wonders in the contest. She had some worry that it lacked the sheer size of her competitors. Maybe it wouldn’t be as impressive as the others. Certainly it wasn’t on the same scale.

She planned to make up for this with attention to detail. Each path and resting spot would be lovingly crafted to create peace and harmony. This would be a garden that your soul would feel at home in. Every effort would be made to create something contemplative.

Xian felt that there really should be some ‘wow’ factor, though. She commissioned a set of very large chimes. They would be made of copper and each one would be almost thirty feet tall. She had scouted for a spot where the natural wind would make these useful. Near the outer edge of the garden where the natural rock overhang existed was ideal.

The large chimes created an incredibly deep tone. You could feel it more than hear. It would create very primal feelings. They would be an attraction all by themselves. Xian was curious how far their sound would travel. Could you hear them all over the garden?

Not that they would overpower everything else. There would be chimes near all of the shrines. She had even found a spot where the trees could be filled from branch to branch. They’d call it the Bamboo Forest and she imagined that it would be very popular.

There were experts to consult and defer to. She called in monks and priests to help with the shrines. They looked things over and had suggestions for improving the Feng Shui. Sometimes they tried to balance her chi. Xian had long ago decided that all of their pretension was nothing more than superstition but she knew it was important to other people.

After long and hard thought, she invited a leading spiritualist from L.A. to come up and look the place over. He had some nit-picky suggestions but overall was clearly impressed. Xian hoped this would help her build up credibility. Part of her felt like she was selling out but this was the type of thing where contacts mattered.

It was a tough line to tread between spiritual and tacky. She felt that the trick was to always stay serious. There would be no gift shop with hokey t-shirts and shot glasses. Maybe the areas across the street would cater to that but she wanted everything within the garden to be just right. The tone was vitally important and she would make certain it was perfect.

The opening went off with only one hitch. The week before had been a busy one. Each important spot was inspected by three people, one of them being Xian herself. She wanted to see from each bench, to approach each shrine from all permitted angles. All of them passed her rigorous standards.

The media had been allowed in so that they could cover the opening. She had arranged for a camera crew to be on hands for a full daily cycle. In the morning they got sumptuous video of fog filled gardens. Their audio clearly picked up the faint gong of the giant chimes. The results were alien and exotic and intensely mystical.

Throughout the day, there were other highlights to be recorded and broadcast out as a giant tease. The Bamboo Forest would be popular, they could tell. A nice breeze would send out an other worldly clicking and clacking. There had been some fear that it would sound almost insect like but that wasn’t the case. It was light enough that it had a welcoming feel.

The koi would also have a large cheering section. It still needed tweaking but it was on it’s way to being a must see part of the garden. The trick seemed to be in finding the right number for their pond. Too many and they seemed competitive and worrying. Too few and you couldn’t ever see them to enjoy.

Each shrine was set up so that it would have some particular theme. There was one with candles and another with a waterfall. One of the shrines had bells that had been carefully selected to create runs and chords as the wind blew through them. An earthy one had been created with carefully tended moss gardens and dark flowers.

The garden attendants were outfitted with rich saffron colored robes. Each one was chosen because of their patience. They had been instructed on Eastern philosophy and were expected to enhance the spiritual feel of the setting. One young lady had her picture taken while she was lovingly tending a single flower. That shot graced the style pages of scores of newspapers across the country. It even made the front page for some of them.

The final event of ‘media day’ was an interview with Xian that would air the following day on a popular morning news program. They set up a couple of chairs at a spot with a particularly scenic background. She wanted a spot that emphasized the nature of the area, so she didn’t want anyone in the background of the shot. Xian insisted on seeing the camera view before she would allow the filming to go on. When she was satisfied that it was perfect, they continued.

The questions were the expected ones and Xian was well prepared. Why did she create this? She took the bet as an opportunity to create something eternal and spiritual. What went into the design choices? She listed the various people that had helped her, both to show how careful she was and also to pull their fans in. Was she pleased with the result? Of course, just look at what they’d achieved. This response was certain to be replayed over a montage of scenic footage from earlier in the day.

Only the last question surprised her. It was about her mother and how her unexpected passing had effected her. She faltered slightly and her smile failed. Then said that it had taken her by surprise and there had been some debate over using the garden to honor her mother. In the end they decided not to use her name anywhere. Instead they would keep her in mind as they designed the place. She hoped that her mother would have been proud of what they had achieved.

After the interview wrapped up, Xian shot a dagger of a glare at the woman and left the set as quickly as she could. Even now on the eve of a great thing, her mother’s ghost was taking the spotlight. It was unbelievable!

The production crew was taken completely by surprise. No one had expected that she would take a question like that badly. The whole thing had been soft focus, pitched so that Xian could sell her garden. Her relationship with her mother must have been a very bad one indeed.

As they watched the film, they noticed something. As the last question came up, a figure dressed in white slowly wandered distantly in the background. When Xian finished her answer, it disappeared.