Morning mist dampened the curtains, still dismal, so she pressed her face into the pillow and slept again.
The kettle steamed as she sat down to a late breakfast, late enough for lunch. Outside, the sun shone dazzlingly bright. It cut through the layers of cherry leaves shading the house.
She turned off the stove and put on her shoes.
No wind. Heat kindled on her skin where the sunlight fell. As intense as it was, it did not sink deep enough to burn off the damp.
Crickets jumped though the grass at her feet. They were everywhere. Still singing. Night and day singing. Could they feel the first frost coming?
She wondered.
Weeds bent in her garden in every direction. Seeds lined the stems. Next year's work by the thousands. Yet, a few of the flowers pushed into the September air with new buds. She knelt by the Marigolds and tickled the petals to make them dance.
She squinted. The sun was wrong. The angles too hot. In summer, the world glowed with clear colors and short shadows. Now, the noon sun hung tilted in the sky.
She closed her eyes and drank the straining light like the tired plants.
Then, she let go. The door closed again behind her, and the shadows felt right.
(A little Monday fun: can you find yourself a little friend in one of the Marigolds? Hint: It has 8 legs.)
22 comments:
A friend in flowers. Sounds delightful. As is your little tale. Wonderfully evocatice. Vivid!
Lovely tale, Jason - I'm often struck how as the seasons shift and change things seem out of whack until they find their balance and settle into being what they are - and we, in turn are equally affected by the changing seasons.
And yes, I found a little friend in the flowers - but then I usually do :-)
Gorgeous Jason! But FYI, NOTHING with eight legs is my friend.
Beautiful pictures. And I found the friend. I spotted his web first. Nice story!
Saaleha, thanks for the visit and kind words! :)
Atyllah, I really feel the pull between summer and fall right now. Summer still holds sway, but it's losing grip quickly.
Normiekins, thank you! The light had that brilliant, almost painful quality, yesterday.
Joni, hehe, re the spider. I only noticed it through the camera lens. I thought it was a seed or something, and I reached out to brush it away before I realized what it was. I wonder if that species is always yellow or if it has the ability to match its surroundings.
Fringes, thanks, my friend. :) Yes, after I viewed the pictures on the computer, I saw the webs strung around.
I can feel the longing for summer to last. I am glad she is able to let go. I love the way the seasons and her mood are one, even after the tug-of-war.
I'm always quite ready to let go of summer and welcome autumn. ;-)
Beautiful pics, Jason!
Bring on the autumn! I see the 8 legged friend. Very pretty the marigolds and the spider.
I can only see the web. Where's my friend? (Actually, I have way too many of them around my house...:)
That was really good Jason, especially with the aweful weather we've been having. No Sun!
Thanks for a great read.
Very inspiring...
At first it looked like there was a fairy sitting on the flower and I wonder if maybe you'd photoshopped it to have some fun.
But then I clicked on the picture to make it bigger. After that, it was easy to see it was indeed a spider. :o)
My sister found a baby bird when we were little. Naked, helpless, and hungry in a flower pot of marigolds.
Her name, of course, had to be "Marigold."
We brought her up, a little female sparrow. Pablum for breakfast, and then we had to clean her beak or the pablum cemented it shut. She grew feathers, learned to hop around. Finally spontaneously flew across the living room.
We let her go. And she came back every afternoon for lunch.
As always, thank you for the memories. :)
Mermaid, I love the way the seasons and her mood are one, even after the tug-of-war. Thanks, my ever-perceptive friend. :)
Melissa, thanks! I hope you've been well. Sounds like we're both welcoming the coming change.
Beady, isn't that spider rather sneaky in there? Such a little guy too.
Melly, it's a pure yellow spider tucked in the petals of the Marigold on the right. ** Glad you enjoyed the bright colors. :)
Angela, thanks so much for stopping by and for the kind words. =)
Susan, I love the comment about the fairy! My young daughters would have been all over that. :) Yeah, that spider is pretty strange.
Bekbek, what a wonderful memory!! Thanks so much for sharing it. It's very sweet that the bird came back each day. :)
This is why I come here :)
Beautiful photos and such a gentle tale, what a lovely way to ease into today.
I'm with Joni.
I am always amazed by critter camophlage and a good story to boot. Thanks.
Yes, I saw it. How cute. Beautiful prose, Jason as always. And the pics are great too.
Great photos and words to match, Jason. Fall approaches with such spectacular colors. I love to take walks this time of year. :)
Terri, such a wonderful thing to say! Thank you. :)
Bernita, duly noted. I'll keep the spiders to a minimum. ;)
Marcail, I was pretty blown away by the yellow. I really can't recall seeing one like it. Thanks. :)
Tanya, thanks, my friend. :)
Jeff, I'm looking forward to October very much! I agree. Such a spectacular time of year.
A spider to behold -
hidden in gold!
I love it.
You even captured the gossamer filaments spun by the little creature. I love to look in on micro-worlds.
Your story is the perfect accompaniment!
I found the web and than had sweaty hands until I could locate the...creature.
Marvelous! I'd love to read what comes before and after this little snippit!
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