All Leaves Fall

  Whispers. The gentle wind was whispering in her ear. Secrets. Secrets of the
trees around her. Secrets she can’t hear but feel.  It kissed her rosy cheeks and
teased her curly blonde pig tails.
 
  Her large blue eyes widened in childlike glee at the wonders around her. A
canvas of mile high trees circled above her head. A small feathered robin landed on
an overhead branch with the tiniest of tweets.  Even the small bird’s slight weight
caused the autumn colored leaves to brake off. They danced their way down to the
earth with style and grace.
 
  She giggled revealing that she was missing her two front teeth.  With raised
hands above her head, she closed her eyes while jumping in attempt to catch the
stray leaves that were ever so slowly falling. 
 
  A sudden burst of wind caused her to let out a gasp and to turn her head against
the breeze. Her tiny pudgy hand clutched air until she caught her target.  An aging
hand gently clasped the tinier one that was flailing in the air. She gave another
innocent childlike grin up to her whiskery grandfather. In return, he gave her hand a
squeeze while giving her his own admiring smile.
 
  “Grandpa? What are we doing?” her chime like voice questioned.
 
  “Patience Emma darling, patience” his wizened whispered voice answered. 
 
  Walking hand and hand he gently guided her up a tattered dirt path.  His slightly
wrinkled lips puckered while releasing a low sweetened whistle.  He grinned when
his granddaughter attempted to mimic his actions.  Emma’s pouted lips pressed
together while sucking in her cheeks only to make a buzzing hum.

  When the pair finally rested, what stood before them was a magnificent maple
tree.  Splashes of color spread across the branches like an artist’s masterpiece.
Emma’s jaw dropped in pure amazement. Branches splintered off in several
different directions like a spider’s web.

  “Emma dear, what do you see here?” her grandfather’s whispered breath tickled
in her ear.

  “A tree Grandpa?”

  “Yes of course, but there are trees everywhere. There is something special about
this tree.  Can’t you feel it?” his voice lingering in promise.

  Emma lifted her head up toward the great maple tree again. At that moment a
wind blew through the branches allowing the sun to shine through the open gaps. 
This allowed the tree to look as if it was momentarily glowing.  The light reflected off
the different colored leaves causing the surrounding air to bask in their glow.

  She sucked in a breath in pure wonder, and her grandfather knew she understood
his message.

  “So it’s a special tree?” she gasped in a type of innocence only Emma could
produce.

  He nodded in response, and then pointed to the ground beneath their feet.

  “See these roots child? They are what hold this tree down, what is keeping it from
blowing away, understand?”

  Emma knelt down on her knees running her thick fingers over the stubby wood
emerging from the ground. She closed one hand around a smaller root and pulled,
then quickly turned and covered her head, like she was anticipating the root to
come out and make the whole tree tip. Seeing this was not the case, Emma grinned
and nodded.

  “Every person has their own roots too, don’t you see?  Morals, values and
traditions hold you as a person.  If you keep a hold to your roots, you shall never
completely fall,” his captivating whisper seemed to even travel through the wind and
up and beyond. This received another nod.

  “Can you name something else about this tree Emma?” he questioned. 

  Almost immediately Emma answered, “Tall, very tall Grandpa”.

  Her grandfather let out a low chuckle. 

  “Of course it is tall dear, life is as tall and long as you make it, but to reach it you
need to climb your way up.”

  “But Grandpa, how do you get up?”

  “Branches darling, braches,” he answered, while tilting his head upwards allowing
Emma to follow his example. They watched the many arms of the great tree before
them as they stretched to the heavens above. The thinner fingerlike twigs grasped
the sky as if reaching for the clouds themselves.

  “To climb, you need to trust the branches, no matter how large or small. You use
them to pull yourself up, and to stand on for support,” his keen voice whispered.

  “Every person you ever meet is an individual branch. Some play a small part in
your life, therefore are a tiny twig. But others are large and important like branches
there.” He said while pointing with one of his long, boney fingers along the outline of
one of the finer branches.

  Emma titled her head in concentration. She squinted her blue eyes almost as if
she was putting her own pictures to her grandfather’s words.

  “But remember Emma, branches can break no matter how strong,” he
warned. “But there will always be a branch beneath to catch you as you fall. You
just need to hold on and pull yourself up again”.

  “Am I an important branch on your tree Grandpa?” she questioned not once
stopping her in-depth gaze over the tree.

  “One of my largest,”

  His answer received the immediate response of a huge grin upon her young face.

  “Then you are one of mine Grandpa!” Emma announced proudly while placing her
two pudgy hands on her waist. Her grandfather chuckled appreciatively allowing his
whiskered grin to grow even more on his wrinkled face.

  Then without warning a gust of dry wind began to whistle among the olden forest.
This time Emma did not get frightened, but instead hungrily sucked in the breeze,
breathing in deeply. Her blonde curls swept across her face and the wind danced
with the edge of her sundress.

  All around the pair, leaves of several different colors began to unattach
themselves from their branches.  They waltzed and tangoed with each other while
unwarily circling the two.

  “Grandpa, what about the leaves?” Emma questioned in such a low murmur that
her grandfather could barely hear her.

  “Honey, all leaves fall when the time is right.”

  “But Grandpa!” Emma gasped “do they die?” Her voice cracked and her eyes
widened at the question.

  “Sweetie, all things die, people included, and in the winter time, these trees look
so bare and lifeless that the future seems so bleak for them,” he said quietly in a
low soft voice.

  “But what happens to them then?” her voice lingering in anguish.

  “Spring.” His familiar whispered voice answered, “And in spring the trees grow
new leaves. And they bring new hope and new dreams of the future.”

  The remorse that had momentarily appeared in Emma’s eyes had now
completely disappeared. Instead they began to dance and a toothy grin graced her
face. Realization began to seep into her skin along with the setting sun’s lingering
rays. Her grandfather stepped back while watching his granddaughter adoringly. A
proud smile stretched his wearied skin, knowing he had gotten the meaning across.

  “Do you want to climb it dear?”

  His question got Emma’s instantaneous response.

  “Of course Grandpa! But… but what if I fall? And the other branches don’t catch
me?” she asked her voice climaxing with importance.

  “It’s rather simple Emma,” he answered, “Just never be afraid to climb back up.”

  Emma nodded slowly in understanding. She began to lick her lips in anticipation.

Her eyes began to sparkle and an excited squeal escaped her mouth.

  “Oh please! Oh please Grandpa?!” she pleaded.

  A cry from the distance interrupted her grandfather’s reply.

  “Dad! Emma! Dinner!”

  Emma’s grin faded and a slow sigh escaped her lips.

  “That’s Mommy,” she explained up to her grandfather, her voice filled with bitter
disappointment.

  “No worries dear, there will always be other days to climb.”

  “Promise?” Emma questioned while narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

  “With all my heart,” he promised back while swinging his hand over to cover his
chest.

  Emma’s smile then grew so large that her grandfather worried it might just tear
her precious face.

  “Race you back to the house Grandpa!” Emma squealed while tearing off in to a dead run, laughing and giggling along the way.

  A low chuckle escaped her grandfather’s lips and he grinned in thought. Slowly,
he began to whistle a low sweet tune and set off in his granddaughter’s footsteps.



                                            *  *  *  *  *  *  *
                                                    Epilogue

         A prestigious young woman quietly walked down the narrow path with
her black healed shoes briskly clicking and stirring up dirt. The gentle breeze
playfully swept at the ends of her shoulder length blonde tresses.

         Her young elegant face was set deep in thought. Her normal sparkling
and lively blue eyes were now red and puffy. Silent tears clung to her long, dark
lashes until they became too heavy and fell and began to stream down her cheeks.

         When she finally rested at her destination, her throat tightened and she
was having trouble swallowing. Before her, was a tall, gorgeous maple tree.

         While fighting back more tears, she slowly made her way up to the
tree’s giant trunk. She closed her eyes while gently tracing her long, slender fingers
over the coarse tree bark.

         Moving even closer to the tree, she could make an outline of all the
cracks and wrinkles that were set deep into the wood.

         A cry from a bird made her attention turn upwards. She could make out
what appeared to be a small sparrow weaving its way through the oaks many
branches.

         A swift breeze swayed, dancing with the sparrow causing a fall colored
leaf to gently unattach itself from its branch.

         The young woman never left her gaze from the declining leaf until it
gently rested on the nearby grass.

         “All leaves fall…” her whispered statement caused her throat to burn and
for her to blink back more tears.

         “I miss you Grandpa…” she hoarsely whispered while turning her gaze
towards the heavens, which seemed to be intermixing with the maple itself.

         The branches twisted and tangled stretching and relaxing from every
direction.

         A brief thought passed her eyes that made her step back and ponder on
it. A tiny smile tugged at the ends of her lips and she extended one of her slender
arms out and grasped one of the lower limbs of the glorious tree.

         A low sweetened whistle began to play from her lips and with that, she
began to climb…