Amber's Autumn Piece

This was the first piece I wrote, a narration of autumn, before we were told it wasn't supposed to be a narration, but enjoy!


I button the very top of my black pea coat as I continue walking down the back road to my house. With my head bowed towards the ground and hands back in my pockets, I shrug my shoulders in hopes to shield my neck from the soft chill of the wind. When I realize my shoe feels a bit loose, I bend down to tie it. The wind gradually picks up allowing my hair to sway in front of my face. I pull the dancing strands clear of my eyes revealing the red leaf caught under my right shoe. It looks frightened, like a mouse trembling under the paw of a cat. Standing up straight again, I allow it to escape. The wind continues to move through my hair and the trees on both sides of me. My eyes follow the leaf, moving up and down, twisting and somersaulting through the air. Mother Nature’s very own gymnast, I think to myself. When the red leaf reaches the other side of the road I can no longer see it among the collage of red, orange, yellow, and brown leaves. I take a deep breath and allow the cool air to cleanse my nose and lungs. The wind dies down and I kick the small pile of leaves lying next to me off the side of the road. I hoped that they would perform for me just like the red leaf had. But my intentions fail and the frozen ground arrests my bliss. My only notion left? These leaves forever remain on the floor. And with that I slay any hint of theatrics remaining. I shake my head in utter disappointment. No true loveliness can come about this season. Because no matter how gorgeously vibrant the red leaf of the oak tree, no matter if that oak leaf danced for you, the return of fall, the loss of color, means loss of chlorophyll, the loss of food, and ultimately, the loss of life. A shiver runs through my spine. Looking away from the pile of leaves on the floor, the purple sky warns me of the time. I check my phone. Five O’clock. I hurriedly continued my walk home, hoping that I might make it in time before the sky stretched to black and trapped me in despair.