Autumn In The Form Of Character

Today I created Katherine. I didn’t know anything about her until I cranked her out on the computer in the early morning on this beautiful, fall day.

Katherine woke up early, earlier than usual actually, for no specific reason at all. Sleep had eluded her for some time, so she gave in to the insomnia that often plagued her. She thought too much. That was the problem, she surmised. With so many years behind her, she had issues to consider, plans to make, and memories that would not give her peace. They weren’t bad memories particularly; in fact, some were quite sweet, but they all pestered her enough to make sound sleep a luxury she had not been able to enjoy for some time now.

Crawling from bed, she wandered slowly to the window to watch as the night slipped away giving way to morning. Though the sky began to lighten, the sun was hidden behind a mantle of dark clouds. It would rain. She was sure of it. Her body told her. At seventy-eight, she had become acutely aware of aches, twinges, and niggling pains that had become her constant companions. The onset of fall made her even more cognizant of her plight.

Cooling weather, harsher breezes, and intermittent precipitation were the culprits that exacerbated her persistent discomfort. Yet Katherine loved autumn with falling leaves that skittered randomly along with the wind, and filled her world with such a range of colors -- oranges, reds, purples, and shades of green and brown -- that it almost took her breath away. She relished the smell of acrid smoke issuing from fireplaces across the valley, the crunch of leaves beneath her feet when she walked the crooked path next to Bear Creek, and the angles of light that created shadows and obscure shades that did not exist when the summer sun was high in the sky.

This was a spectacular time of year. Now, on this misty morning, she realized for the first time perhaps why it was her season. She was autumn herself, tired and fading a bit, but still lovely, for she had created a life that mirrored the seasons themselves. She always was ready for spring’s new beginnings, adored basking in bright, summer sunlight, found satisfaction in her beautiful and present fall, and would patiently wait for winter that surely would come, taking her along with it.