Stunning Shades Of Autumn

The sun was brimming above the far edge of the valley. The forest was beginning to come alive with noise. The sun, like a conductor, was stirring his choir into song, the birds, chirping and tweeting along to his instruction.

At the edge of the forest track, Sophia recognised that the harmonies were a bit off key, something had gotten the arrangement out of order, being a curious sort, she let her feet run her forward, down the path, which had only just begun to be visible, the sun’s light trickling down through the dense leaves above.

The smell of rotting vegetation filled Sophia’s nostrils, as she ventured further into the forest; the floor beneath her became a mash of reds and oranges, the stunning shades of autumn. It’s funny how a season can swing in one short week.

Then she saw what was to blame for the bird’s maladies. At first it had seemed like a vast slab of glass, a mirror, the light bounced off it in sharp rays. How unusual for autumn to bring with it so much water, there was at least ten inches deep of it, spreading out in a large pool, as far as the eye can see.

All the ground nesting birds were up in the lower branches, looking down, waiting for the water to subside. The valley flooded regularly, but never this early. She began to feel concerned for her grandmother, who lived in the forest, she was usually well prepared for flooding, but at this time of year, it wouldn’t have even crossed her mind.

Sophia pressed on, wading through the waters in her high wellington boots. As she glided through it, ripples raced out from her, turning the surface into a chaos of blinding glint.

Sophia loved the birds, she often sat at her window, listening to them, she had a longing fascination, as if she were a cat, and the birds her prey.

Presently, Sophia suddenly became aware of the calling of a bird that she had not heard before. It wailed so sadly, it’s cry laced with melancholy. The noise reverberated off the trunks of trees and skimmed off the surface of the groundwater, making it hard to tell from which direction it came.

Sophia pushed forward, through the middle of two trees, using a low branch to pull herself through. As she put her foot down she felt a branch break beneath it, and she found great swirls of water plunging down over the sides of her boot.

She let out a kind of half cry, half angry bear noise, and then she heard the tip-tapping of water being scattered. She turned to her right, near the base of a boulder, a white rabbit was shaking and looking straight at her.

“Aw hello bunny”

It glanced around, and then darted off, as if in great urgency.

Behind her, she heard the wailing again.

“That doesn’t sound...poultry, that sounds...human”

A way off in a shady clearing, Sophia saw the source of the sound. Atop of a large rock, in the middle of a large pool sat a girl. The girl was wearing a blue dress and a white apron. She was hunched over, with her head in her hands, crying.

She was crying so loudly, Sophia couldn’t even hear the birds over her; all the sounds of the forest were drowned out.

Sophia made her way closer to the girl. Despite the splashing she made, the girl didn’t look up.

“Hello?” Sophia said. The girl jumped, but seemed otherwise unperturbed by Sophia’s appearance.

As she looked up, Sophia noticed reams of tears flowing down the girls face.

“Are you okay?” Sophia asked

“No, I’m not alright, I want to go home, I’m terribly lost” the girl spluttered through cascades of tears.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. My name is Sophia, what’s yours?”

“Alice” 

“How did you come to be here Alice?” Sophia enquired

“I was curious to see how big the forest was, but I got so lost, I wish I could go home”

“Alice, listen, I live in the village over the hill there, Wolfscross, is that where you’re from?”

“No, that’s not it, I’m from a different place, I’m so lost!” she wailed, more tears pouring down. “I’m from Fernhill”

“Oh, well I know where that is...though it’s a might confusing with all this water everywhere, basically you need to head that way, you come out of the forest and there’ll be a sign-post and a dirt track”.

“Oh, really?” Alice replied, the tears drying up. “Perhaps I’ll even be back for tea” and without another word, she jump down, splashing in the pool of water, and headed in the direction Sophia had pointed.

“Bye” Sophia called out after her, but Alice seemed too preoccupied with the prospect of home, she didn’t hear her.

About a half an hour later, Sophia arrived at her grandmother’s little cottage, the waters had not reached it, and she was glad to see little tufts of smoke rising up from the moss covered chimney. She made her way up the small garden path, past the rows of flowers, pansies, roses and foxgloves, which all seemed to smile welcomingly at her and stepped inside the cottage.

“Oh hello dear, would you like some tea?” her grandmother asked, smiling.

“No thank-you grandmother, you know I’m no fan of tea”.

 

 

Reviews

[Samuel Dickens]

What a great little story. I wanted more of it, you know. It grabbed my attention immediately and I wanted to know more about that water. I wanted to know more about the crying girl, too. Think you might write more?