Autumn Stories-- Day 3 and Day 4

Day three:

I love this poem and the picture it paints. I also adore the author.

An Autumn Evening

by

L.M. Montgomery

Dark hills against a hollow crocus sky

Scarfed with its crimson pennons, and below 

The dome of sunset long, hushed valleys lie

Cradling the twilight, where the lone winds blow 

And wake among the harps of leafless trees 

Fantastic runes and mournful melodies. 

The chilly purple air is threaded through

With silver from the rising moon afar, 

And from a gulf of clear, unfathomed blue

In the southwest glimmers a great gold star 

Above the darkening druid glens of fir 

Where beckoning boughs and elfin voices stir. 

And so I wander through the shadows still,

And look and listen with a rapt delight, 

Pausing again and yet again at will

To drink the elusive beauty of the night, 

Until my soul is filled, as some deep cup, 

That with divine enchantment is brimmed up.

 

 

 

Day Four

This is more of a journal entry than fiction. This happened yesterday at lunch:

 

Like many autumn mornings, it was a sleepy day. It was forty-five minutes past ten, and most of us had already been up for five hours. We were drooping over our lunches before us on the table. The cafeteria buzzed with conversation, but it was nowhere near as loud as usual. We were all too sleepy to be loud.

"It must be Monday," sighed my friend beside me.

"It is," I replied, playing with the button on my sweater. I gazed out the window. It was peaceful outside, with a sky bluer than I've ever seen before. Leaves fluttered by in the breeze. Inside, it was pretty quiet, too. The sign-ups for different clubs-- the chess club, the karate club, etc.-- was going on in the corner. All the club members were standing by their table with displays, practically begging for new members.

Suddenly two boys who had been standing near the table gave a shout. One was a lanky boy with blonde hair and dark, thick eyebrows. He had been shoved in the chest by the other, a thicker boy with a crew cut. The blonde one lunged back at him, knocking him to the ground. They rolled across the floor, snarling and clawing at each other like dogs. Fists and feet flew, and didn't seem like they were even touching the ground as they both struggled to gain the upper hand. My friends and I watched wide-eyed.

At first I thought it was acting-- probably they were part of the theatre club, looking to attract new members. Wait-- there's blood-- that's not acting-- there's no blood when there's acting--

"Hey!" It was Coach T., bellowing and running at the same time. "Break it up, boys, break it up!" They did not "break it up." Coach pulled them apart with some difficulty, shoving the blonde one backward and yanking the other up by his shirt collar.

"John!" a girl screamed, rushing between them. I learned later that she was the reason they were fighting-- it was ex-boyfriend drama, or something of the sort. She had been standing over them while they were attacking each other, yelling for them to stop. Now she ran to the darker, shorter one and stood facing Blondie with a glare.

"What happened here?" asked Coach.

"It was him-- he shoved him first-- it was all him!" she pointed at the blonde one, who gazed back defiantly. His dark eyes flashed like lightning, moving back and forth between the coach and his opponent.

"To the office, all of you." Blondie turned and stalked out, unashamed. The other two followed. The silent cafeteria became abuzz with conversation once again. Three of my friends returned to our table with their lunch tables.

"Did you see that?" I asked.

"No, what'd we miss!?"

So. I've seen my first real fight. It was very exciting!

Got to go. I'll do Day 5 tonight!

--Rebecca

 

Autumn Stories-- Day Two

Phew! I got down to the bus stop just in time. :)

All right, here is day two-- a short, fractured fairytale:

We had been counting the days since the first leaf on the Great Maple had turned orange. Twenty days after the first leaf meant the official start of the season of Leafchange, which was the quick breath between Leafgreen and Tree-bare. This year, it was also the day my friends and I would gather in the town square and be shown the Secret Door.
The Secret Door was something spoken of in hushed tones by elders around campfires. Many would try their luck at entering, but only the one with the Pure Heart-- the one destined since before birth-- could go through the door. Whoever could enter through the door would be the next King or Queen.
We had been training for months now, ever since the coming of age ceremony last year when the Queen fainted and fell down the steps. She had been unwell ever since, and the search for a new Leader has been being prepared. On the first official day of Leafchange, all the young men and women aged sixteen must come to the Town Square, regardless or rank, gender, or race.
The anticipation throughout the city made the very air tremble. By this time tonight, we would know the new Leader.
I sighed deeply as my cousin finished twisting my hair up on top of my head. It was a pretty hairstyle, I thought, turning this way and that to see myself in the mirror. The looking glass was small, the kind of mirror that you can't see your whole face in at once unless you tilt your head just right. I looked at my reflection, unsatisfied at the pale, grey-eyed, freckled face that stared back to me. My hair was red, carrot-red, lightened by many years spent out-of-doors.
"What is it, Marigold?" asked my cousin. I looked up into her face earnestly. I loved my cousin. We had grown up side by side, closer than sisters.
"Nothing. It's just that... I don't want to be the next Queen," I said, gazing out through the shutters. It was a beautiful autumn day, with chilly breezes sweeping the leaves past and the last traces of yesterdays fog rolling away. It was just right for the opening of the Secret Door. It hadn't been disturbed since the Queen herself had stepped through many years ago. I wondered what it was like inside. Was everything covered in a layer of dust, untouched since the Queen's Choosing Day? Was time inside the Secret Door the same as it was here? Was it another world, or merely a hallucination? I was full of questions, and unanswered questions can make a person uneasy.
"Nonsense," said Mabel, putting her hand on my shoulder. "You must go. It's the law. And besides-- it's an honor to be Chosen."
"I'd rather be reading," I muttered, shaking her hand away.
"Hush, Marigold! Someone might hear you! You know it's not legal for a girl to read," Mabel's voice was sharp. But then she softened. "I would gladly go in your place, Marigold, but I'm a year too old." She sighed. Suddenly I realized how much Mabel must have wanted to have a chance at being the Leader. But the Queen's illness had come just after Mabel's sixteenth year,
"I don't know what to do," I said. Part of me shrunk back from the thought of being the Chosen One. My freedom would be gone-- no more horseback riding, no more reading in secret, no more running free. But another part of me knew the shame and embarrassment of those who were not the Chosen. They would have to go home ordinary, just as they'd come. "I don't know." I said again.
"Just believe," said Mabel. "Like we used to do as children. You were good at make-believe. You had a better imagination than any of us. Just trust that you can do it, and if it doesn't happen, know that we're waiting for you here at home." She smiled brightly at me. I hugged her tightly. I knew-- for Mabel's sake-- I must attend the ceremony.
My turn came. The door was more like a big mirror. There was no handle, it was simply a large looking glass in an intricately carved silver frame.
Drawing a deep breath, I pressed my hand against the mirror. I imagined my hand pushing through the glass the way I would the surface of a still pond. I believe, I believe, I believe.
And I stepped through.

Autumn Stories-- Day 1

Day 1: A simple paragraph about the time of year

 

The leaves grew brighter at the top of the mountain, developing fiery hues of red and russet and gold. The change of color swept down the mountain like a fire, changing everything in its path, until the entire ridge is enveloped in the flames. Branches bend and sway as passionate winds sweep through the trees. A pixie perching on a branch shivers, pulling on her dainty leaf coat. "It's autumn," she whispers, a smile spreading across her lips. "It's finally here."

 

I will do day 2 and 3 tonight, as I have just realized the school has changed its schedule to start nine minutes earlier and if I don't run right now, I will miss the bus! Gotta run!

 

-- xx Rebecca