Strawberries
It was raining out today, not really a rain as much as it was a misting. The clouds were heavy and close to the ground. I imagined them parting a little as they faintly grazed across the tops of a few large trees. The dark gray sky made everything gloomy and mysterious. I never was used to how quiet it gets here.
Inside my mother stood back from the wall she just finished painting, admiring her work. A dark brick red complimented with a warm yellow. Made the house feel more like a home and less like temporary living quarters. I carelessly rapped a dark green scarf around my neck watching my reflection in the brass doorknob. When I touched it, it was cool, almost like a warning of what waited behind the door. Keeping my head down I turned the knob and stepped out into the silence.
Immediately encapsulated in silence, it much like holding sea shells to my ears. Although the faint ocean sound was replaced by the trees swaying with the wind. I'm still not used to it.
Two steps down and I made my way to the mouth of the garage. There was no wind where I stood. I could smell familiarity in the air. It was an October smell. The rain was a reminder that our sunny days are numbered.
One step forward and my hair was dancing, whipping my face. My heavy scarf picked up and joined the swaying of the trees. The wind was chilling, throwing small raindrops randomly in all directions. I pushed my hair back to survey the grounds. Not a single living object in sight. No birds. No bugs. No humans. Just wind and rain. A few leaves were being torn off their branches and thrown violently in the air where they wrestled with the wind as they flew out of sight.
I made my way over to the garden tip toeing when I reached the grass. I didn't want to break the silence with a casual rustling of weeds.
Beads of water held down leaves making it easy to see the bright ripe vegetables. Their colors were extremely contrasting against the threatening sky. I made my way around the garden bed and pushed some tall weeds to the ground with one foot, making it easier to see. I was leaning forward and pushing some plants around when I saw them.
Fresh strawberries. I'm sure it was the lighting that made them look a darker scarlet red, making them more appealing then usual. I picked the largest one first, right away I pulled back the green and bit off the scarlet. A rush of flavor and I had to have some more. After picking and feasting a little longer I figured the remainder were too small to even bother with. I stood up tall and searched the grounds for life. Not a single sign of life. I started walking with a bounce in my step, making sure to be as quiet as possible. Sooner or later I was skipping through the grass silently.
A dog barked from across the street just as I was leaping onto the concrete. The grass was suddenly as appealing as magma. I felt like I just won the school yard game Hot Lava. If I were to have missed that leap, I would have lost. Proud of myself I walked noiselessly into the house. Once the door shut my hair stopped dancing, my scarf hung limply, heat rushed over my cheeks and it became just another rainy day.
Inside my mother stood back from the wall she just finished painting, admiring her work. A dark brick red complimented with a warm yellow. Made the house feel more like a home and less like temporary living quarters. I carelessly rapped a dark green scarf around my neck watching my reflection in the brass doorknob. When I touched it, it was cool, almost like a warning of what waited behind the door. Keeping my head down I turned the knob and stepped out into the silence.
Immediately encapsulated in silence, it much like holding sea shells to my ears. Although the faint ocean sound was replaced by the trees swaying with the wind. I'm still not used to it.
Two steps down and I made my way to the mouth of the garage. There was no wind where I stood. I could smell familiarity in the air. It was an October smell. The rain was a reminder that our sunny days are numbered.
One step forward and my hair was dancing, whipping my face. My heavy scarf picked up and joined the swaying of the trees. The wind was chilling, throwing small raindrops randomly in all directions. I pushed my hair back to survey the grounds. Not a single living object in sight. No birds. No bugs. No humans. Just wind and rain. A few leaves were being torn off their branches and thrown violently in the air where they wrestled with the wind as they flew out of sight.
I made my way over to the garden tip toeing when I reached the grass. I didn't want to break the silence with a casual rustling of weeds.
Beads of water held down leaves making it easy to see the bright ripe vegetables. Their colors were extremely contrasting against the threatening sky. I made my way around the garden bed and pushed some tall weeds to the ground with one foot, making it easier to see. I was leaning forward and pushing some plants around when I saw them.
Fresh strawberries. I'm sure it was the lighting that made them look a darker scarlet red, making them more appealing then usual. I picked the largest one first, right away I pulled back the green and bit off the scarlet. A rush of flavor and I had to have some more. After picking and feasting a little longer I figured the remainder were too small to even bother with. I stood up tall and searched the grounds for life. Not a single sign of life. I started walking with a bounce in my step, making sure to be as quiet as possible. Sooner or later I was skipping through the grass silently.
A dog barked from across the street just as I was leaping onto the concrete. The grass was suddenly as appealing as magma. I felt like I just won the school yard game Hot Lava. If I were to have missed that leap, I would have lost. Proud of myself I walked noiselessly into the house. Once the door shut my hair stopped dancing, my scarf hung limply, heat rushed over my cheeks and it became just another rainy day.