October 15, 2023: 9:30 a.m.

"Good morning, class. I trust you all had a restful weekend. Today, we will be engaging in a rather simple discussion," Mr. Smith declared as he entered the classroom. "The topic for today is your thoughts about autumn."

“I don’t like autumn,” sighed Lydia Shipley as she leaned towards her closest friend, Victoria Otero.

“Ms. Shipley?” Mr. Smith raised his eyebrows. “Seems like you have an interesting opinion to share with the class.” 

Lydia, adjusting her posture, expressed her view with a thoughtful frown. “From my perspective, autumn is a rather disheartening season.”

Mr. Smith tilted his head, beckoning further explanation. Lydia hesitated before continuing, she didn't want people to think that she was dramatic. "It gives me a feeling of unease and sadness. Plants will be collected, the night sky alters so quickly, and leaves will fall from trees. It seems like a season of letting go."

Victoria, however, chose to respectfully challenge her friend’s stance. She turned to face Lydia, offering a counterpoint. "I respectfully disagree. Autumn, to me, is a season of abundance and harvest. The earth's bounty is celebrated during this time, and there is a unique beauty in the changing colors of the leaves. It’s a season of beauty and vitality."

Lydia rolled her eyes and clicked her pen to the pace of the ticking clock as she awaited the conclusion of the discussion. 

September 27, 2023: 1:00 p.m. 

Lydia's eyes fluttered open, transitioning from Mr. Smith's classroom to an unfamiliar rocky path, a wave of déjà vu washing over her. She realized that she traveled back to a scene that happened to her a few weeks ago.

Compelled by an unseen force, she walked toward the Otero farm. She passed through the farm fields full of crops and fruits yet to be harvested and noticed birds chirping on apple trees and golden canolas blooming.

“What a beautiful place. Too bad that after harvesting, no more apples and canolas will be left,” she grumbled. “Everything will be dead and bare within a few weeks.”

In the distance, she then saw Victoria, waving to her and smiling warmly, "Care to join us for the harvest?"

Lydia hesitated. She didn't want to contribute to diminishing the farm’s beauty by harvesting the crops, but sceneries of the farm on the way through today had left a profound impact on her, so she nodded. 

She followed Victoria to her farm, which bathed in the warm sunlight of autumn.  Lydia could smell the earthy scent of fallen leaves and the hint of pumpkins in the air. As they approached the heart of the farm, Lydia's attention was drawn to an elderly man, Victoria’s grandfather, who was carefully harvesting pumpkins. His hands moved with a practiced grace as he cut the roots of it and heaved them gracefully into a wooden crate. Victoria pushed a wagon beside the field and handed Lydia a sharp knife and said, "Here, you can help with the pumpkins. Harvesting it is a really meditative thing to do!" Lydia nodded, her heart filled with warmth. She joined her grandfather in the orchard, carefully selecting pumpkins, cutting them off, and placing them together with Victoria’s in the big wagon. 

As they worked side by side, Lydia chatted with them and listened to stories of the past, of the farm's history, and the generations of Oteros who had tended to the land. A century past, the Oteros arrived on this land, planting and harvesting alongside neighbors. What began as a shared joy blossomed into an annual tradition, uniting families and friends in the harvest festivities.

The stories she heard were so beautifully alive, with Grandfather portraying the beauty of autumn in vivid detail. 

"It is so beautiful, aren't you afraid of losing it? The crops, the plants, the field…" She couldn't help but articulate the question that had been troubling her for a long time. "Once autumn is gone, the farm becomes an entirely different landscape. Winter comes and it won’t be as lively and vital as it is anymore; it's a season of letting go!"

"Just enjoy the present," Grandpa said. "Plants need to be harvested in order to create beautiful sceneries next year. Have the courage to face changes; it isn't always a bad thing. Look, we had a wonderful time today! New crops will grow not long from now!"

In that autumn afternoon, amidst the golden canolas and the fruitful pumpkins, Lydia found herself embracing the beauty of the harvest season and the cherished conversations with her friends, escaping her busy school life, and relaxing in the harvesting.

Autumn is the season of harvesting, the season of people gathering and bonding together, and the season of joy and content.

Lydia turned and looked at Victoria.

“Welcome to the harvesting of autumn: enjoy the present, anticipate the future!” Victoria beamed  under the sunshine.

October 8, 2023: 8:00 p.m.  

"Lydia!" Tyler's urgent tone cut through the air, "Want to stargaze? I need someone to enjoy the beauty of the sky with me tonight! There's a Draconid meteor shower!"

Lydia, disoriented by the sudden shift in time and space, hesitated at her classmate’s invitation. Thoughts of the enjoyable harvest crossed her mind. "Stargazing? Meteor showers?" she pondered. She had always disliked the process of looking for shooting stars– spending all that time searching just for a flash of light that would be gone in the blink of an eye. But the words of Victoria’s grandfather rang in her mind, telling her to enjoy the present.

“Sure,” she replied.

They walked together to the field. Under the clear, crisp autumn sky, Lydia and Tyler gazed upward as the Draconid meteor shower painted streaks of celestial brilliance through the darkness. The air was cool, and the scent of fallen leaves lingered. 

As the first shooting star flashed across the sky, Lydia closed her eyes. She was uncomfortable knowing it would be gone in just a few seconds. But then, a steady stream of shooting stars lit up the sky, so that when one disappears, another quickly appears, as if a never-ending dance in the vast openness above. Lydia couldn't help but gasp in wonder. It was as if the heavens themselves were putting on a dazzling fireworks show just for them. Tyler smiled, his eyes reflecting the shimmering stars above, and whispered, "Welcome to the night sky in autumn. It changes a lot, but every time I see it, I fall even deeper in love.”

“Autumn, this is beautiful,” Lydia thought, “I didn’t look up before at night in autumn because everything disappears too quickly, but there are so many stars that fill this sky. I enjoy the sky this season.”

Lydia counted the meteor showers that streaked across the sky. One, Two, Seven, Twelve, until she could no longer keep track of the number.  The stars began striking like celestial arrows blazing across the dark canvas of the night, leaving brilliant trails behind.

“Make a wish!” Tyler whispered.

Lydia closed her eyes and smiled.

“It disappears within a few seconds, and that’s a reason that I love it,” she heard Tyler say, “Bask in the present, and anticipate future night skies!”

October 13, 2023: 11:30 a.m.

She opened her eyes, and before her stood a tree adorned with fiery red maple leaves.

Looking around, she realized she was in a forest, where the path was completely covered in leaves of all colors – like a big, natural rainbow on the ground.

Fluttering like delicate confetti, the maple leaves descended with the breeze, landing on the soil, drifting to the pond's edge, and gracing a distant wheat field before sinking into the earth, vanishing from sight.

Lydia walked to the maple tree and picked up a leaf that had an ombre from red to yellow. "So beautiful," she thought with a gentle smile. 

She raised her hand, fully embracing the essence of autumn. The gentle wind caressed her cheeks, leaves delicately settled in her palm, and the cheerful melody of birdsong filled her ears. 

Turning around, she saw some newborn green leaves emerging among branches of trees. She saw yellow leaves swaying precariously on the branches. She saw red leaves drifting through the wind. She saw brown leaves spreading on the ground, embedding into the soil, providing nourishment for trees. Together they form the life cycle of the leaves.

"This must be autumn," she thought. The initial notion of autumn as a season of letting go faded away, replaced by a deeper understanding. "The falling leaves mark not an end but a beginning," she realized.

The leaves may fall now, but next year, they will grow anew, all because of what is happening now.

In a few weeks, these fallen leaves will merge with the earth, becoming the nourishment that fuels the growth of new life. It's a constant rhythm of change, a cycle that brings forth the promise of another glorious autumn. Enjoy the present, anticipate the future. That's what autumn is meant to be.

October 15th, 2023:  9:30 a.m.

Lydia blinked, and as if in a fleeting dream. She found herself transported back through time, sitting once again at her desk. 

"Good morning, class. I hope you all had a great weekend," Mr. Smith greeted as he entered the classroom. "Let's delve into a discussion about autumn."

Lydia realized that it was the same discussion as before, and she knew for sure this time she would have a different answer.

Glancing toward Lydia, Mr. Smith invited her to initiate the conversation. "Ms. Shipley, would you like to start?"

"Sure," Lydia responded with a smile. "I used to dislike autumn because it represented a sense of letting go and saying goodbye. But after harvesting on the farm, gazing at meteor showers, and walking through falling leaves, I’ve started to enjoy the beauty of autumn."

Victoria and Tyler nodded and gave each other a knowing smile.

I used to fear the fact that autumn is the season of change, and things would be different after it. But now I know that I should enjoy the present and look forward to the future,” Lydia grinned, “I like autumn.”

“Actually, I love autumn.”