Joseph Stephens and the Hallows End part 1 of 4

               The evening was cool and damp, trees rustled in the wind and the full moon hung up high in the sky. Joseph Stephens and his best friend Jaye Williams layed on the cold earth, sprawled out and surrounded by piles of fallen leaves.

      Previously Joseph Stephens and Jaye Williams had an adventure to save the magical Autumn Forest from the destruction caused by the ice and fire brothers, Ignitious and Glacius. They accomplished their task and set out to return home but before they could go home, they were whisked away by a mysterious force. The two friends vanished in a gust of wind and brightly colored leaves.
Joseph and Jaye found themselves on the outskirts of the brightly colored Autumn Forest and on the border of the sickly gray and green colored Haunted forest. The Haunted Forest came to be when a necromancer used his foul magic to in an attempt to become immortal. The evil magic cursed the surrounding section of Autumn forest, changing it into the dangerous Haunted Forest.
Joseph stood up and brushed the dirt from his pants. Jaye stayed on the ground and stared up at the break in trees that separated the beautiful Fall foliage and the reaching, menacing branches of the Haunted forest. “Two very IN tourist destinations. But which to choose?” Smirked Jaye as he moved his arms and legs to make snow angels in the dense layer of leaves on the ground.
“Well I’d say we could go back to the Autumn Forest but this spooky looking forest looks neat” Joseph said as he stretched out his back. “Yeah and maybe I’ll get lucky and you will die from a monster attack” Jaye said smiling and still laying in the leaves. “Luckily for me, you aren’t lucky” Joseph said giving Jaye the side eye.

     The two friends began to investigate the edge of the Haunted Forest. Joseph was looking at the gnarled trees, each one had bark so twisted that it looked like a screaming face. Jaye was filling his pockets with leaves from the Autumn Forest.

    As each friend carried on their somewhat important tasks, a figure emerged from the Haunted Forest. The figure approached Joseph and Jaye with a brisk stride. Joseph turned around to see a skeleton with a mustache, wearing a suit.

   “Don’t be scared, I come in peace” The skeleton quickly declared. Joseph stood unflintching. “I’m not scared, you aren’t very intimidating. You are also shorter than me and are wearing a fake mustache” Joseph pointed at the skeletons face. “It’s real! Ok, it is a real mustache. Skeletons can grow mustaches, I shouldn’t have to keep explaining this” the skeleton replied suddenly flustered. The skeleton then collected himself, straightened his suit and tie, rubbed his skeletal hands together and decided to start over.

   “Hello, my name is Bob. I am a skeleton, I live in the Haunted Forest. I run many very successful skeleton related clubs and I used to be an accountant for a successful tavern in the Autumn Forest. I am also responsible for summoning the two of you here, and I apologies” Said Bob the long winded skeleton. Joseph sighed “I need to get a second phone dedicated to all the magical creatures, elementals, seasonal entities and humans that need my help on a regular basis. Right Jaye?” Joseph said then called over to Jaye Williams.

   At this point Jaye was very busy not paying attention. Instead he was crushing Autumn Forest leaves into a powder. He then used the end of a knife to form lines of crushed leaf powder and proceeded to snort each line of autumn leaf powder. Jaye’s head shot back “Ohhh, shhhhii...Ok, ok ok” He muttered then reached into his bag and pulled out an amber colored glass jug of pure uncut maple syrup. Jaye took a long healthy swig of his maple syrup jug, then closed it back up and stashed it away.

   Joseph sighed “are we ready yet?”. Jaye bobbed his head and fidgeted with his clothes. “Yeah, yeah yeah, lets do this” He said, not knowing or caring what he agreed to. Bob was horrified.
“So whats the problem Bobert” Joseph asked casually. “Just Bob if you please” Bob said as he absent mindedly touched his mustache then straightened his tie.
“So, I heard you helped Patches with a band of ruffians and now I need you to help me. This is a nasty band of skeleton thugs that don’t care about rule OR order! I can reward you for your efforts of course” Bob explained as the thought of disorderly skeletons gave him a nervous fit.
Joseph Stephens reached into his bag and pulled from it a sword with a pumpkin on the pommel. “Just point the way and we will instill law and order”. “At least as long as its fun” Jaye commented. “Yes, as long as its fun” Joseph agreed. Bob’s concern grew.
“Ok, well. Follow me gentlemen…” Bob trailed off as he watched Jaye wipe crushed leaf powder from his nose. “Follow me, uh, comrades” Bob walked forward into the Haunted Forest with Joseph and Jaye in tow.

   The forest was dense and gray, twisted branches grew together, blocking out the sunlight above. Skeletons could see in the dark but Joseph and Jaye needed to light a torch.
The forest floor was made of dark gray and black dirt, green moss and pieces of previously alive creatures. Tree branches slowly reached out to grab Joseph and Jaye as they walked. One branch snagged Joseph, so he retaliated with a slice from his sword. “I forgot to mention, the Haunted Forest is super dangerous to anyone who isn’t already dead. A safe path opens on the eve of Halloween, but it isn’t Halloween yet so stay close and hopefully the forest will leave you alone” Bob said calmly.
“We should have asked for half of our reward up front” Joseph muttered.

   The route was covered in blocked passages, improvised short cuts, walking in circles and the occasional near death experience. As they walked they came across a Jack-o-Lantern sitting on a rock. A warm glow was emtted from the holes carved in the shape of a face. Joseph’s first reaction was to touch it and admire. Bob turned around and saw his new companions interacting with the mysterious pumpkin. “Please don’t touch that!” Bob shouted.

   Joseph touched the Jack-o-Lantern and nothing happened at first. “It’s just a pumpkin” Joseph said. “This is the Haunted Forest. Everything is Haunted, nothing is safe” Bob explained. Just as he finished speaking the Jack-o-Lantern’s light began to glow brighter and brighter. The light changed a sickly green and howling laughter could be heard echoing through the air. Then the laughing suddenly stopped and the light from the pumpkin went completely dark.
Joseph and Jaye stared at each other in silence as the now lifeless, Jack-o-Lantern sat. “Lets try not to think about that too much” Joseph said. “I am pretty sure you’re cursed for life now” Jaye said. “More cursed than your normal bad luck” He added.
After an hour of walking and great effort to forget about the laughing Jack-o-Lantern, the group finally arrived at Hallows End. This was a town for monsters, humans, undead and any creature who didn’t fit in anywhere else. It was also the number one best place for a Halloween party and at that moment was being plagued with a crime wave from unruly skeletons.

  Joseph Stephens and Jaye Williams looked in awe at the wonderfully spooky town before them. It was here that their adventure began.

Mountain Air

Mountain air flows through me. I breath it in through my nose, in cycles through my veins and I breath it gently from my mouth. The cold air clings to me like skin, wood smoke of the village is my natural scent. I cut my arm and autumn leaves flow out, leaving my body and floating gently through the sky. The leaves float across from the highest mountain tops, they shake loose from the trees like water shakes from a dogs fur.

            From the highest peak the leaves drift down, gently dancing as they go. They travel over the peaks and over the trees. They float down to the roads built by man and visit the lively villages where music rang. The leaves glide on the breeze, ever into the distance and ever downward. The autumn leaves find their way into the stream below. They pluck against the water and that is where they stay. Then the leaves start to move again as they are rushed away by the flowing stream.

            The mountain breaths a sigh of relief as the days grow shorter. Each breath sends a chilly wind down across the land. The people of the village feel the mountain's breath first but the cold breath warms as it travels down, so when the people of the city finally feel the breath of the mountain, it is no colder than a spring day. This is why it is always colder in the mountains.

            The cold air settles on the land, the sun drifts off to sleep and lights flicker in the village. Warm fires are lit in hearth and home. Fire, which was stolen from the gods and given to human kind, is used to help humans fight the dark and cold of night. The relaxing sound of flames burning at the wood mixes with the gentle noise of the wind blowing against the houses.

            The sun is down and the fires are lit. the mountain sleeps, the people sleep and I too, shall sleep.

Autumn Carnival part 4 - The Clock struck 12

            The night rolled on as the family of three continued their adventure in the Autumn Carnival. Wyatt and Felix enjoyed their time so far, the grand opening of the carnival, reflecting back on their childhood, winning the cider drinking contest, getting delicious snack and then their father got them the coolest souvenir of them all, a seed from the Carnival tree. The large Autumn tree that had green, yellow, orange and red leaves evenly throughout its branches, the tree that towered over almost every ride. That tree had produced a seed and now Wyatt’s family owned that seed. Wyatt could just picture the tree in his back yard, towering over their house with every autumn color on its branches.

            Nathan yawned loudly. It was getting close to midnight had he had been walking around with his family since sundown. His kids, Wyatt and Felix still had plenty of energy. “whose excited to ride the Ferris Wheel?” Nathan said trying to sound more enthusiastic than tired. “ME!!” Both children said at once. Nathan chuckled and then yawned again. He took a small flask out of his pocket and took a swig. The flask had jack-o-lantern on it with a devilish grin. Under the grinning pumpkin symbol the words “Grinning Jack” was inscribed. Grinning Jack was a specialty liquor store that stayed in business thanks to Nathan and a few other loyal costumers. Normally the flask had maple scotch or pumpkin rum in it, but since he was out with his children, Nathan was filling the flask with the apple cider that Wyatt won.  The sugar from the cider and the maple candies was keeping him awake.

            The family slowly approached the North root. They could see the giant Ferris wheel towering over everything else in the carnival. It was not only giant but also covered in lights that twinkled like stars. As soon as Nathan, Wyatt, and Felix got the North Root entrance they noticed the Ferris wheel before anything else. As they walked more into the North root, that is when they saw all of the adult rides. Wyatt and Felix were in their late teens so they could ride any ride in the North Root. Nathan missed having little adorable children but was happy he didn’t have to go to the East Root anymore, if he had to spend another night watching small children slowly circle around a plastic tree he would need something stronger than apple cider.

            Nathan saw a ride called the cake mixer, which looked like a giant cake mixer, but instead of blades there were seats. “You kids wanna ride the cake mixer?!” Nathan said in his most excited voice. He loved the ride because it spun you around and scrambled your guts, also Nathan liked to pretend he was being mixed into cake batter.

“No thanks, We are going to keep looking around” Said Wyatt. “Alright, just don’t ride the Ferris wheel without me. Remember it’s the last thing we do before we leave” Nathan said then ran toward the cake mixer ride, child like excitement in his eyes.

            As Wyatt and Felix walked around they saw many new and exciting rides, like the screaming pumpkin. a giant pumpkin shaped ball that people would climb into, trap themselves in and then the pumpkin would spin incredibly fast. The sounds of the screaming people came from within the pumpkin shape, thus the name. Wyatt wanted to go on the battle boats ride, like Bumper cars but on water and the sides of your boat could fire water jets. That ride was sadly taken away, maybe the cool autumn air discouraged people from enjoying water rides.

           

            Wyatt and Felix decided on riding the Balloon ride. Wyatt and Felix excitedly ran toward the ride, Wyatt remembered this was a new installment from last year and it must have been popular enough to stay. The ‘balloons’ were solid plastic and shaped like hot air Balloons. The basket part had four seats. Two on either side of the basket, so if four people got into this ride they would be facing each other. The balloon part was just sculpted plastic and painted a bright color. There was a blue, purple, red, orange and yellow balloon. Wyatt and Felix chose the orange Balloon and were buckled into their seats. Each balloon was attached to a flexible metal arm, which was hidden as much as possible to give the illusion of riding in a hot air balloon. The ride started and all of the balloons were lunged into the air. The balloons shot straight up into the air one at a time, as if being thrown by an invisible giant hand.  Wyatt and Felix felt a rush as they were thrown straight up and wind rushed over them. The rush of moving quickly upward and the cool autumn air was exhilarating. When the balloons reached their highest point they stopped and began to gently drift to the ground. The sudden and exciting rush mixed with the slow and peaceful descent was a surprisingly fun combination. The Balloons did this three times in total. Quick and sharp rocketing skyward, then a nice drifting pace as they sailed toward the ground.

            Wyatt and Felix enjoyed their ride but couldn’t wait to go up even higher when they rode the Ferris Wheel. It was a higher height but much slower and steadier pace. It was perfect for a relaxing end to a beautiful evening.

            Wyatt and Felix decided to go find their dad before it got much later. The Carnival closed at 1am but the night was considered over at midnight. That gave the workers an hour to close everything up properly. It was almost midnight and Wyatt couldn’t find his father. Felix spotted him talking to a familiar looking man. Nathan and the man were grinning and shaking hands. When Nathan spotted his kids he introduced them to the man. “Oh Wyatt, there you are. Wyatt, Felix, this is Mr. Orchard, the Carnival owner. We were just discussing the new seed and how to raise it carefully” Nathan said. Mr. Orchard was a pale, slightly plump man with a big smile and a white hair. He wore a black suit with a white shirt and an old fashioned bowtie, which was orange. He held his top hat in his hands and fiddled with the brim as he spoke. “Good evening Young Sirs. It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Mr. Stephen Orchard. It is nice to meet you. Mr. Orchard said with a kind smile. Wyatt and Felix smiled and both shook his hand. The family had a nice chat with Mr. Orchard but had to cut the conversation short as it was getting late. “Well I had lots of fun taking with you, but I should go. I believe you kids have a Ferris Wheel to ride before the night is over, right?” Mr. Orchard said knowingly. Old people often spoke in such way that was mysterious to Wyatt, as if they were always hinting at something that Wyatt couldn’t understand yet.

            It was eleven forty-five and the family stood in line for the Ferris wheel. The night was almost over, which was both exciting and sad at the same time. Wyatt, Felix climbed into a ferris wheel seat and Nathan sat in the one right behind them. Instead of letting a stranger sit with him, he stretched out to get more comfortable.

            The ride started. Soft music played but Wyatt couldn’t figure out from where. Ferris wheel slowly climbed higher and higher. Wyatt and Felix scaled upward, passed the people, over than the food stands, above the adult rides and then finally, higher than the wall.  For the first time in hours Wyatt was looking outside the Autumn Carnival and for the first time in a year he was looking at it from such a soaring height.

            The blanket of night covered the autumn forest. Cold air rushed through Wyatts hair and passed his face. Everything was dark out there in the wilderness and the small towns. Everyone was either at the autumn carnival tonight or home asleep so the only light for miles was the carnival. The carnival shone bright like a beacon, like a burning star alone in the sky. Autumn trees, which were once such vibrant red and orange, were now veiled in darkness, making each tree look the same. The view from the top was extraordinary as well as peaceful. Wyatt enjoyed the Ferris wheel but he would have loved to just stay at the top for hours, gazing out into the distance, feeling the cold air on his face, being above everything even the tallest walls of the Autumn Carnival.

            Wyatt and Felix reached the very top of the Ferris Wheel and as they started to descend Wyatt saw something in the distance. Over by the haunted woods, where light never glows, where only the dead walk and no one ever goes. Wyatt saw a light, a bright orange light burned brightly and something was being raised up passed the treetops. Something, like a spire was raised up out of the Haunted Forest near Hallows End, light glowed brilliantly around it and then something began to move on the spire. Something large and dangerous looking, spiked and moving was on the spire. Wyatt only saw this for a few seconds before the Autumn Carnival wall blocked his vision. Wyatt tried to sit up or even stand up to see better but knew he couldn’t and didn’t want to fall out of his seat. He went lower than the wall, under the adult rides, down to the food stands and eye level with the people. Everyone on the Ferris wheel was smiling and having a good time, but what Wyatt saw was so strange he was upset that he didn’t get a better look.

            Then the Ferris wheel started to go back up again. Wyatt remembered that he only went around once and the Ferris wheel usually goes around a few times before stopping. Wyatt and Felix were lifted up again, higher and higher till they got to the very top. Felix had a large smile on his face and was enjoying the view just as much the second time as he did the first time. Wyatt was busy scanning the landscape for any sign of that glowing spire. He looked toward the Halloween city of Hallows End but it was dark. No lights, no orange glow, no spire. In the short time it took for the ferris wheel to go down and come back up around the spire was either taken down or vanished. Wyatt knew he wasn’t imagining things but he also knew no one would believe him. He decided to not let this bother him. He would enjoy his night and worry about Hallows End another time.

            The Ferris wheel went around a few more times and by the end Wyatt was already feeling better. The cool air, the gentle rocking of the ferris wheel cabin and the view all put his mind at ease. The ride stopped and the people slowly were let off. When Wyatt, Felix and Nathan finally met up again they was talk about how much fun they had, how cool the Ferris wheel was but no mention of spires or strange lights. Wyatt decided to forget it and figured he was the only one who saw it.

            The family began to leave the park. They slowly walked toward the center tree as the clock struck twelve. A clock tower bell rang out twelve times. Nathan looked all around for a bell and finally spotted one. A large clock tower with a bell attached to it was hiding behind the giant Ferris wheel. Nathan, Wyatt and Felix both started to laugh, they had all heard the bell and no one knew were the sound was coming from.

            After the bell stopped ringing the Carnival was silent. People had either left of were leaving. Only low murmurs could be heard as people talked quietly amongst themselves. Wyatt and Felix pretended to whisper to eachother to mimic the people around them. “Psst pssstssst” They both made these noises at each other and then began to laugh.

            The walk home was nice, quiet and peaceful. They were all tired and couldn’t wait to go to bed. Excitement still buzzed in their minds as their bodies slowly walked home. The autumn forest was dark but lit up in spot by people holding lanterns as they made their way home. Nathan held his lantern up so his kids could see the trail home. As they approached the town they smelled wood smoke. The delicate and rustic smell lingered and mixed with the cold autumn air. Nathan took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled. It was the perfect ending for a perfect night in the Autumn Carnival.

Pumpkin Coffee

It has been a while since I posted a true short story. So here it is. Autumn is here (sort of) and that always gets my creative mind flowing.
I recommend when you get to the part about Jon taking a sip of coffee, play this music. It is what I listened to when I wrote this. into the song at 3:19 it goes into this fast almost metal version. it can be jarring if you don't expect it and that is where i stopped. Just FYI. anyway, enjoy the story!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4HfzwgUbcw


   

It was the beginning of September and Jon rolled out of bed. It was the kind of morning were he didn’t even bother landing on his feet. Jon opened his eyes, let out an annoyed sigh that he was awake and then rolled his body to the edge of the bed, then let gravity take over. Jon fell to the ground in a heap of sheets and didn’t bother moving right away. He stayed there for about ten seconds before stirring.

The birds chirped happily outside and the air conditioner hummed quietly in the next room. Jon slowly got to his feet, picked his sheets off of the floor and then threw them against the wall. The sheets hit the wall and landed on the bed in a messy pile.

For the last four months it had been summer. Heat day in and day out. Jon hated it. He hated the heat and the only thing he hated more than summer, was the people who loved the summer. School and college were over and Jon had a job now. Summer meant nothing to him except scorching weather, sweating, and feeling nauseous every day he had to spend in the direct sunlight. His pale skin burned and he got heat stroke very easily. He had to wear a hat all the time and carry a water bottle. He was not made to live like this. He was made to live somewhere cloudy and cool. Where the rain refreshes your spirit and the occasional sunshine is welcomed and not scorned.

Jon ate breakfast and dressed for work. He moved sluggishly up to the door, slowly opened it, then suddenly a burst of cool air hit him. It wasn’t chilly autumn air, but it was the first relief he had in months. Jon took a deep breath in and suddenly his blood started to pump again. Instead of blood moving sluggishly through his veins, it woke right up and surged through him. delivery oxygen and all the wonderful brain chemicals that we all enjoy.

Jon smiled for the first time in months and walked happily to his car. The trees were still green, but there was a slight overcast and the air was almost too cold for his short-sleeved work shirt. He got into his car and sped off down the road. He listened to his calming “autumn mix” CD. He found that chilly weather always put him in the mood to listen to slow music. Jon drove down the road toward his work, but decided to make a stop. He pulled into the parking lot of his ‘local’ big business chain coffee shops and strode into the store with a renewed sense of purpose. The line consisted of men and women of different ages all dressed in nice work clothes with faces that fit better at a funeral than a coffee shop. Jon was the only one smiling and everyone kept their distance. Because surely anyone that’s happy is truly insane, surely. So Jon waits his turn, he looks at the board to pass the time but doesn’t bother reading it. He knows exactly what he wants, a fresh hot pumpkin coffee to kick off the season. This location would have the privilege of serving his first cup, the first of many cups.

When it was his turn, Jon walked up to the lady at the counter and said “one pumpkin coffee please” He said this with a smile as he stood tall. The woman, who looked to be in her twenties, gave a tired, vacant look as a reply. “It sucks having my favorite flavor be a seasonal one” Jon said nervously as the cashier stared at him. The girl eventually said “We don’t have pumpkin. It’s not even on the board. Who even serves…” The woman said in a condescending tone, but was interrupted when Jon slammed his hands down on the counter. “September is autumn! Don’t give me shit!” Jon said angrily then regained his senses and left. He was tired of being treated like a weirdo for ordering pumpkin drinks as soon as summer ended. If Beer were season you bet people would be even more fanatical than he was about pumpkin. Jon also knew from experience that companies put pumpkin flavors out immediately to start the season as soon as they can and make lots of money on their seasonal flavors. Jon knew it was to make money, but he didn’t care. If he got the flavor he wanted, he didn’t mind spending upwards of four bucks for a cup.

Luckily coffee shops plagued the streets and spread out like a virus, a delicious virus. Jon drove ten feet and pulled into the next coffee shop. He waited in line and ordered a coffee, his good mood had waned slightly. “one pumpkin coffee please” Jon said, sounding more like the coffee zombies behind him than he cared to. “Sure here you go, honey” Said the cashier. This cashier was a woman in her forties who knew the coffee shop front and back. She was always friendly and helpful. So much so that if they didn’t have pumpkin flavor, this woman would know when exactly they would get it. Jon might have had a crush on her for that very reason. “Bless you, you are a constant ray of light in the morning” Jon said to her. He wasn’t flirting. Jon and the Cashier knew each other because Jon always stopped in for coffee. The first coffee shop girl should have known him too, but people in their early twenties don’t know what customer service is or what it sounds like. Jon was twenty-six, but disliked working with anyone under thirty. People in Jon’s age ground and younger seemed to just do the bare minimum, which made dealing with them a chore.

Jon pushed aside his inner monologue and walked swiftly to the car with his prize in hand. “Oh the things I am going to do to you!” Jon said excitedly. The absurd statement made him laugh. The older gentleman walking passed Jon just shook his head.

Jon got into his car and took his first sip. Sweetness and spice hit his tongue and his brain lit up like a Jack-o-lantern. Little red, yellow and orange autumn leaves floated around Jon’s head as he swallowed his first sip, then put his head back and let out a long satisfied sigh. The leaves danced as if being swept around by a tiny breeze and the colors glowed faintly as the leaves moved. The world seemed perfect for a moment.

The world did not change, but Jon’s imagination took over. Through his left eye he saw the fantasy and the dreams, through his right was the reality. He drove down the street. Green trees turned gold, bushes lit up with red and orange like they were on fire. Leaves floated through the air, drifting lightly on delicate a delicate breeze. The world seemed right and the air was fresh. All at once Jon could see Halloween on the horizon, pumpkins dotted the landscape but soon transformed into Jack-o-lanterns as the night sky rose up, covering the morning sun. Jon continued to drive. He could see trick-or-treaters running along the neighborhood wearing costumes and giggling frantically as they chased each other. He saw a beautiful afternoon of thanksgiving with his family and football to watch as he fell into a turkey coma. He saw a line up of delicious food that only Fall could provide. He saw it all in front of him, ready for the best part of the year. It was all right there for the taking. It might have only been September first, but time passes quicker than people realize. Tomorrow there will be autumn leaves and the next day there will be pumpkin flavored everything, feasts, and laughing, family and cool weather. This is why Jon loved fall, this is why he loved pumpkin coffee, not just the taste but the feeling. It meant so much to him, it was insulting to think of it as only “seasonal”. Seasonal was such a sterile word, so plain. It didn’t ring out with the million images that buzzed through his mind as the caffeine surged through his veins.

Jon eventually arrived at work and the world returned to normal. The trees were green and the autumn pushed back. Jon stood by his old car, he was just a man, holding a coffee, going to work. Before Jon went into his office building he took one long swig of pumpkin coffee. Autumn was just over the horizon and Jon could see it so clearly.

Autumns End

The wind blows and dry fall leaves rustle and rattle as they glide along the pavement. The air has gotten chilly and the trees have lost all of their color. The official end of autumn might not be till December, but by late November everyone is preparing for winter. Autumn is a strange time of the year, it’s the shortest and the most beautiful. The trees turn yellow, orange and red like a great glowing fire and like a flame they only last a short time before being snuffed out. Autumn’s beauty cannot last forever, though some of us wish it could. It is the same reason that autumn is so short as it is lovely. Autumn is just a transition between summer and winter. The leaves absorbed as much sun as they could in summer and for a month or so they release their leaves and let the wind blow them away as they prepare for a winter hibernation.

In the united states there are states that get warm weather all the time, there are some states were it feels like spring all the time, either early spring with its sunshine and mild weather, or late spring with cool weather and rain on a daily basis. There are places were it is cold and snowing constantly, yet there are no places that experience a longer autumn or a perpetual autumn. To keep a balance of chilly weather that’s not too cold and leaves always on the brink of loosing all of their leaves would be impossible. So even though the season is not officially over, we all know that by the end of thanksgiving, it will be Autumn’s end. So wish it good-bye and good luck and prepare for the winter ahead. It is ok to be sad when your favorite season passes, but don’t forget to enjoy the time you have in between as you wait for the Autumn to leaves to come around again.