Flash Fiction

Samantha Alcala

12/5/19

As I stepped out of my apartment and into the warm sunlight, I inhaled the crisp autumn air that seemed to burn my nose. I sat down on the steps for a minute and took in the colors. Red, orange, yellow and evergreen trees were sprinkled around the street and the leaves that had fallen from their branches crinkled and turned crunchy. I put on a pair of gray leather gloves and , and wandered towards the dirt trail located across the roadway, my camera and picnic basket swinging beside me.

It was 9:35 a.m. and as I strolled down the beaten pathway, the forest seemed to come alive with magic. The trees that ordinarily would have been green and bursting with leaves soon faded further and further into the deep rich colors of fall. The branches were bare but not empty, because perched on them were tiny speckled robin birds. Below the trees were the piles of pine cones and needles; inside a mound was a tiny squirrel. He was vigorously chewing on a kernel, but when we made eye contact, he whisked away into the trees.

I wandered further along the trail and made it to a fork in the road, one way led to a playground, the other led to a river. I headed towards the stream. On the way, I saw other creatures, rabbits in shades of grey and one rare deer. Her spots a fine shade of silver that seemed to glimmer in the morning light. I had grabbed my camera before I left, and as I bowed down on the forest floor to snap a shot, she dashed elsewhere. It was better that way, I would relive the memory more now than if I had taken the picture.

Soon enough, I made it to the river. It was like a diamond, for you could see the pebbles tumbling around at the bottom, or the salmon that swam upstream. The sounds of the brook were louder than normal and as I sat on the ground near a large oak tree, I noticed little details I hadn’t seen before. The trees overhead created patterns on the forest floor, leaves made little tornados when the wind blew, or the ripples of the water as it flowed over big rocks. I closed my eyes and sighed; It was a nice morning to take a nap, and I fell asleep in an instant.

When I awoke, my stomach felt hollow, but I had my lunch already prepared. The scent of pumpkin filled my nose as I spread out my meal before me. There was a jug of milk, mashed potatoes, a ham sandwich, two biscuits, and a slice of pumpkin pie. It was strikingly similar to Thanksgiving dinner, but it had only been last week right? Before long it was past 2 o’clock, and I wrapped up my basket and rose to stretch. I hadn’t spoken since I had left my apartment, but I repressed myself from saying anything in fear that the forest would lose its tranquility. As I strode down the path again, I watched the small squirrels and robins and plucked up a few crunchy leaves. In half and hour, I was back at the beginning of the trail.

I approached my front door and set down the basket beside me as I reached for my keys. My hand grasped the doorknob right before everything went black.

I opened my eyes and heard car horns. Rain tapped on the roof, and the blare of my alarm clock came into earshot. I rubbed my eyes and knew that when I went back outside, I wouldn’t discover orange colored trees or white speckled deer. Resting there for a moment, I reached for my robe and got out of bed.

School wouldn’t be perfect like the autumn dream I had just had. I sighed.

Two weeks til break.