A woman hurries down the street, her pale hands pulling a coat tighter against the cold. Her long auburn hair tumbles down her back in loose waves. The brisk air bites at her nose and cheeks, turning them a rosy pink. The red scarf she wears around her neck pops against her paling skin and dark coat. Her tan, freckled skin and blonde hair from summer are gone, along with the glowing, golden-brown hair from spring. The tips of her hair are already fading into a muddy brown color, for winter is coming.
Her breath puffs out through crimson lips, wafting like a cloud of smoke in the cold air. Her shoes click-clack loudly on the cracked pavement, drawing the attention of others. She walks with purpose, shoulders squared and head high. She pops in a sea of people, all in different stages of transformation. Red, orange, yellow and brown hues surround her on all sides – a rush of warm bodies, pumping hearts and hurried strides. All are going different directions, with different destinations, in a bustling city.
The woman crosses the busy street and enters a park. She walks over to a big, colorful tree that looms over her small form. She sits beneath it, back against the trunk. She leans her head back, eyes shutting, and takes a deep breath of clean air. Slowly she exhales and opens her eyes, staring up past the quickly thinning leaves to the cloudless blue sky. A gust of wind blows through the tree, and a single leaf drifts down into her open hand. She smiles and blows it gently to the ground, watching as it floats on the wind and lands softly on a tuft of grass.
Her eyes glimmer as she looks around at the colors of fall drifting in the wind, and smiles at the beauty of the world.
