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THE LONELY LEAF

   I am sad and lonely. I am sad because all my friends have left me. My world used to be full such of joy and exuberance. Then, something happened. I didn't know what it was and ignored it at the time. It began one day on a beautiful summer day. My friends and I were enjoying the cool breeze that relieved us from the harsh glare of the sun. We were dancing in the wind, preparing for the yearly Whirl Away. When suddenly an elderly lady leaf dancing nearby fell from her branch and slowly floated away, riding on the back of the breeze. Before she went I saw the hint of a smile on her green face. When I think back to that day, I cry, the tears rolling down my cheeks, filled with sadness. My friends and I became silent for a moment and waved goodbye in respect for the woman. Then, forgetting it within minutes, we went back to pirouetting and leaping in the air.
   Then, it happened again. It was after the Whirl Away. My best friend Bobbi had won the competition with her dance routine which included much twirling and somersaulting. It had been set to the songs: " A Whole New Tree", and "It's a Small Tree After All." After receiving the prize, Bobbi went home, her award gleaming brightly in her green hands. That was the last I ever saw of her. As we were talking, a wind came by. I covered my eyes as the wind blew dirt at us. When I opened them again, thirty seconds later, Bobbi was gone. I became desolate and wouldn't speak to anyone for the next two months. My Mom tried to encourage me by saying it was a normal thing. My Dad died last winter because of the same thing that happened to Bobbi and the old woman leaf. I knew it would happen to me too, and it did.
   A week late after I started talking again, I found myself thirsty. I always had to hurry back to the water source after drinking. As this happened, I also noticed that I was turning different colors. One day I was green, the next I was orange, then, the day after that I was yellow. At first, I loved my new look. After quite a while though, I grew worried as my color started getting darker and I started getting thirstier. Then, it happened to me. I never expected it to happen on my birthday.
   We were dancing to the wind, preparing for our traditional ritual for someone's birthday. When abruptly, a gust of wind carried off my branch and swooped me down on the grass. I sat there for a couple of weeks, turning drier and drier. One day, I saw a man walking by with some kind of rod with four curved hooks at the end. I ignored him for a while. I gazed towards the street, watching children play and cars honk by. When suddenly, I felt immense pain on my back. It was the man. I was carried into a garbage bag and sat there for the rest of my life. I never recovered from my injuries and died slowly with dehydration. Until one day, I looked up and saw my tree. The tree that I had lived on for all my life. The tree where I had made friends with Bobbi, the tree where I danced, the tree that I was home. When I looked up that day I didn't see just my tree, I saw heaven. With that last memory, I closed my brown eyes and fell asleep.... forever.

Pauline C.
Young Writer, Great Valley Writing Project
CSU-Stanislaus Campus

Posted by penbuddies550 on 2009-11-07 23:42:07 | Rating: