Leaves - Day 6
The old man, in an almost friendly voice turned to Jeremiah.
“I was going to offer you a seat up here on the porch, but it now looks as if you might want to be standing for a spell. I ain’t ever see anyone put Smokey down like that, have you Rusty?”
The cat didn’t even raise an eye in acknowledgement.
“Molly, what should be do with our little visitor here?” asked the old man.
“He wants to be rich Grandpa. I don’t see no gold around here we can give him,” answered Molly. She was talking to the old man, but looking straight at Jeremiah, and smiling.
“She’s right, kid, we ain’t got no gold. Just this old cabin, a lazy cat, and that good-for-nothing goat.”
“We got the leaf, Grandpa.”
“Yep, reckon we do.”
Jeremiah was still a bit confused by all the happenings. A cat and a goat that could talk. Moving from going to die to being talked to as a household guest in the span of a few minutes left him a bit dizzy. And every time Molly talked, or even just looked at him, the world would sparkle like a giant firecracker.
“Tell you what, kid. You bested ol’ Smokey there, so you earned the right to the leaf. I don’t know about it making you rich or not, but its all yours.”
Rusty’s head rose from Molly’s lap, first looking at the old man and then to the Jeremiah. Smokey dropped his head to the ground, as if in shame for losing the fight.
Jeremiah thought for a few minutes. During this thinking time, no one else said a word.
“Sir, what does that leaf mean to you and your family here?”
The old man looked a bit shocked. He put his pipe down, smiled, and explained:
“Well boy, that there leaf is something special all right. It doesn’t have anything to do with riches are you know it, but each day of Fall, it gets prettier and prettier. Each and every day during this season, when we wake up and go out on this porch, that leaf is prettier than the day before. You just can’t believe how much joy that brings this little family.
“But you won it fair and square, so its yours.”
Jeremiah thought for a few minutes more. Once again, all were silent while they waited.
Molly interrupted the silence:
“I used to live in this cabin with my parents. We had a garden. Dad hunted and Mom sewed and cooked. We were really happy. One especially cold winter when I was five, a pack of wolves attacked our cabin. They killed both Mom and Dad and left me crippled. Grandpa came up here to take care of me. That winter was really hard, me missing my parents and healing from the attack, but the spring came fresh and up popped that little tree.
“It only had one leaf and Grandpa thought it would not survive the summer, but it did. And in the fall, its one leaf turned that glorious shade of purple. I figured it was a sign that Mom and Dad were still around, watching out for me.
“It has been four years now and that one leaf has come back every spring, and turned purple every fall. Each day that Grandpa carries me out on this porch, I look over and see that leaf, and I feel like they are holding me.”
Jeremiah knew what he should do.
“So the leaf is mine now Sir?”
“Yes it is boy.”
“Then I give it to you, Molly.”
He then turned around and ran back through the bushes he had first come. He ran all the way back to his school, and then walked back to his house.
He never told Frederick what had happened, even though he was asked many times. He told his mom that he had climbed a tree and ripped his pants. Each day that Fall, as he walked to school, he stopped and stared at the woods and the changing leaves, and wondered how beautiful the leaf was that day, and if Molly was happy.
One of the last days of Fall, when all the leaves had made their journey from branch to ground, Jeremiah walked to school as he normally did. He pulled his coat tightly around him and the wind was a bit strong today. His stocking cap was pulled low over his eyes. His feet knew the way without much direction.
But this morning, he bumped into something. Jeremiah mumbled “sorry” and took a step to the side. Once again, he bumped into something. He raised his hat off his eyes and was startled to see Smokey, the goat, standing in his way, with a glorious purple leaf in his mouth.
Smokey put the leaf into Jeremiah’s gloved hand and said, “It fell last night.” As the goat walked away, back towards the woods, he said, “Oh yeah, Molly says thank you.”
Jeremiah stared at the leaf until he could stare no more. He gently put it in-between page 52 and 53 of his Math book and continued onto school.
Every year, for the next 5 years, in late fall, after the last leaves had left their branchy home, the goat would show up on Jeremiah’s walk to school, holding a new purple leaf. Each leaf was as glorious as the last.
“I was going to offer you a seat up here on the porch, but it now looks as if you might want to be standing for a spell. I ain’t ever see anyone put Smokey down like that, have you Rusty?”
The cat didn’t even raise an eye in acknowledgement.
“Molly, what should be do with our little visitor here?” asked the old man.
“He wants to be rich Grandpa. I don’t see no gold around here we can give him,” answered Molly. She was talking to the old man, but looking straight at Jeremiah, and smiling.
“She’s right, kid, we ain’t got no gold. Just this old cabin, a lazy cat, and that good-for-nothing goat.”
“We got the leaf, Grandpa.”
“Yep, reckon we do.”
Jeremiah was still a bit confused by all the happenings. A cat and a goat that could talk. Moving from going to die to being talked to as a household guest in the span of a few minutes left him a bit dizzy. And every time Molly talked, or even just looked at him, the world would sparkle like a giant firecracker.
“Tell you what, kid. You bested ol’ Smokey there, so you earned the right to the leaf. I don’t know about it making you rich or not, but its all yours.”
Rusty’s head rose from Molly’s lap, first looking at the old man and then to the Jeremiah. Smokey dropped his head to the ground, as if in shame for losing the fight.
Jeremiah thought for a few minutes. During this thinking time, no one else said a word.
“Sir, what does that leaf mean to you and your family here?”
The old man looked a bit shocked. He put his pipe down, smiled, and explained:
“Well boy, that there leaf is something special all right. It doesn’t have anything to do with riches are you know it, but each day of Fall, it gets prettier and prettier. Each and every day during this season, when we wake up and go out on this porch, that leaf is prettier than the day before. You just can’t believe how much joy that brings this little family.
“But you won it fair and square, so its yours.”
Jeremiah thought for a few minutes more. Once again, all were silent while they waited.
Molly interrupted the silence:
“I used to live in this cabin with my parents. We had a garden. Dad hunted and Mom sewed and cooked. We were really happy. One especially cold winter when I was five, a pack of wolves attacked our cabin. They killed both Mom and Dad and left me crippled. Grandpa came up here to take care of me. That winter was really hard, me missing my parents and healing from the attack, but the spring came fresh and up popped that little tree.
“It only had one leaf and Grandpa thought it would not survive the summer, but it did. And in the fall, its one leaf turned that glorious shade of purple. I figured it was a sign that Mom and Dad were still around, watching out for me.
“It has been four years now and that one leaf has come back every spring, and turned purple every fall. Each day that Grandpa carries me out on this porch, I look over and see that leaf, and I feel like they are holding me.”
Jeremiah knew what he should do.
“So the leaf is mine now Sir?”
“Yes it is boy.”
“Then I give it to you, Molly.”
He then turned around and ran back through the bushes he had first come. He ran all the way back to his school, and then walked back to his house.
He never told Frederick what had happened, even though he was asked many times. He told his mom that he had climbed a tree and ripped his pants. Each day that Fall, as he walked to school, he stopped and stared at the woods and the changing leaves, and wondered how beautiful the leaf was that day, and if Molly was happy.
One of the last days of Fall, when all the leaves had made their journey from branch to ground, Jeremiah walked to school as he normally did. He pulled his coat tightly around him and the wind was a bit strong today. His stocking cap was pulled low over his eyes. His feet knew the way without much direction.
But this morning, he bumped into something. Jeremiah mumbled “sorry” and took a step to the side. Once again, he bumped into something. He raised his hat off his eyes and was startled to see Smokey, the goat, standing in his way, with a glorious purple leaf in his mouth.
Smokey put the leaf into Jeremiah’s gloved hand and said, “It fell last night.” As the goat walked away, back towards the woods, he said, “Oh yeah, Molly says thank you.”
Jeremiah stared at the leaf until he could stare no more. He gently put it in-between page 52 and 53 of his Math book and continued onto school.
Every year, for the next 5 years, in late fall, after the last leaves had left their branchy home, the goat would show up on Jeremiah’s walk to school, holding a new purple leaf. Each leaf was as glorious as the last.
posted by Jimmie C. | 6:57 AM
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