Autumn Leaving

As you know Flash Fiction is a fun thing we do over on Anna Spargo-Ryan’s Blog.. Today the writing prompt was a soundbite (and I have no idea how to copy it over to here for you) but to me, it sounded like someone walking through crispy Autumn leaves.. Anyway, here you go:

They walked down the wide street, hand in hand.  He was holding a little tighter, but that was alright, she was used to that.  He didn’t want her flitting off anywhere.  He could tell her heart wasn’t one that could be subdued by responsibility or convention.

The anaemic Melbourne light tried to scare away the chill that always came with April, but it was too depressed to make much imprint.  Her heart had more weight than it should have for this time of year.  Usually she had until at least June until it became too heavy to hold up, but this year it had come early.

To send the feeling scurrying, she ran to the gutter where the Autumn leaves were thick and crisp, and started kicking them up.  They flew into the air like Monarch butterflies on their first flight.  Orange-yellow wings flapping, trying to lift the heaviness.  Some of the wings caught the light.  Some were just covered in gutter-sludge.  She giggled.  She felt some extra room in her chest.

“Don’t do that”, he said.

She looked at him, eyes a question-mark.

“You’ll get that gloop everywhere.”

She looked at him, eyes a question-mark.

“And you don’t know what’s underneath all those leaves, there could be a rock or something.  You could hurt your toe.”

She looked at him, her eyes a sagging question-mark.

They walked on.  Her in the leaves, him on the road.  They didn’t hold hands.  She sighed with her mind.  It was time for an Autumn leaving.