Time of Fall

Winter was a cold time, spring a time of hope, summer had been full of fun and adventure but now came fall. Bren gazed at the colors she had pulled aside for this next painting. The shades of brown, yellow, and orange were so playful and promising. Fall itself meant the coming of death and loss but she didn’t want to paint that. Staring at the empty canvas she pondered what else could shine through. The colors of the season had so much potential and she wanted to get it right. Bren went to the window, the trees still deep green and the sun shining bright. She closed her eyes and imagined the leaves losing their color and the sun sinking out of sight. This sight still showed how much is lost. Bren opening her eyes again and just let the colors of the scene in the window entertain her mind. The earth looked so full and bountiful. Green covered almost everything like a blanket. The flowers sprinkled the colors of the rainbow everywhere you looked. The deep brown of tree bark acted like a frame edge to the many sights to be seen.

The peacefulness of nature was interrupted by a crash behind her. Bren turned to see a streak of fur fleeing away from the cup of brushes now scattered on the ground. Bren rolled her eyes a bit as she went to clean up the mess. As she picked up each brush she examined it for damage. She had only replaced a few back to their cup before feeling a two small paws on her foot. She ignored it until she had picked up the last brush. Turning to the creature she glared a little bit and stated, “These are not for you”. She couldn’t be upset at the innocent face for long but she tried to be stern. The dark eyes just stared back at her. Bren finally smiled and moved her had to stroke the soft fur. “Now see here, Ebony, you are being too cute, I need you to take it back a few notches.” Ebony responded to Bren’s touch by settling into a loaf-shaped ball of fur and slowing her ever-twitching nose. The furry bun seemed to brush off her owner’s accusation and request with the attitude of the carefree creature she was. Bren appreciated the relaxing energy Ebony shared as she enjoyed the attention provided by her human companion. As she began to close her tiny eyes, Bren’s thoughts went back to her painting dilemma. She had the canvas in place, the colors assembled, and the brushes ready to begin the first stroke, but still she could not settle of the idea of what fall is; the feeling behind it, the moods of the season. She let out a sigh and let her fingers come to a stop on top of bunny ears. Ebony seemed to take the hint and hopped away to sit under a nearby chair. Bren looked over and studied the bunny as she started to clean her face with her furry paws. She was sitting on a blanket covered in yellow flowers that Bren had purchased for her previous pet a few years earlier. Her beloved cat had passed away a few months before Ebony was born. Bren had been heartsick and tried to throw out everything that reminded her of what she lost. Her mother had managed to save a few mementos and hid them until her uncle showed up with a baby bunny that needed a home. Bren remembered the sight of her uncle’s smug grin and her mom holding Ebony in the same flower blanket. There was no way she could refuse that little face even then. “Endings and beginnings” Bren said softly “not easy but one of life’s essentials. She smiled as she stood and walked to the waiting canvas. Each color was poured into her palette. She began with the shades of yellow and orange creating a fiery background.

As she worked and added each color the picture became clearer. Soon dark mountains could be seen covering part of a bright sun. The grass she also painted dark to contrast the bright flowers of every shade of yellow. Some flowers were full of life while others were missing petals and turning brown. In the center, under the setting sun, she painted a large yellow marigold to match the ones that covered the blanket. There were three petals falling from it to the field of flowers below. With a few more strokes, an array of seeds where added blowing in the wind. They continued getting smaller and smaller till passing the mountains and going out of sight. Bren finally took a step back and smiled. She could feel the endings the in the picture before her but also the promise of new beginnings.