Autumn Tale

The autumn sun shone warmly on his face. He stood in the park, watching a group of young boys trying to knock chestnuts from a large tree. He smiled when a plump, green-husked chestnut fell on one of them. Unfortunately, the smile quickly faded as questions swirled in his head, to which he had no answers.

Who am I? Where do I come from? What am I doing here?

Each question brought with it pain. The pain of forgetfulness. Pain that reached every nerve in his body, which brought with it something else. Fear. Panic. His brother.

Who am I? Where do I come from? What am I doing here?

The autumn sun shone warmly on his face, and he couldn't remember anything from his past.

Suddenly, he felt a tug on the sleeve of his coat. He looked down and saw a girl wearing a green fleece jacket.

"Sir, you've lost something," she said, extending her hand toward him, holding a black scarf.

He took it from the girl and unwrapped it. The scent of flowers instantly hit him. He felt as if he were in a spring meadow. He closed his eyes.

The boy in a gray coat, with a school bag on his back, was slowly descending the stone steps toward the street. He turned when he heard a woman's voice.

"Wait. Autumn is already cool. I'll tie my scarf around your neck so you don't get a sore throat," the woman said, taking the black scarf from around her neck and placing it on the boy's. She kissed him on the cheek.

"Now you can go to school."

The boy looked deep into her eyes.

"This scarf smells of your perfume, the floral one. I'll always wear it because this scent will remind me that you're always with me. Thank you, Mom.

" "It's me..." he whispered. Everything came back to him. His childhood, his school years, law school, and his work at a thriving law firm. He even remembered why he was in the park. He wanted to escape the constant phone calls, meetings, and trials; From the rush and lack of time. He wanted to find the answer to the question of why he did what he truly disliked.

He never wanted to be a lawyer; he wanted to be a writer. Since childhood, he had written short stories and novels, which always ended up in his desk drawer. He simply felt he wasn't ready to show them to anyone yet, to reveal his thoughts and feelings to anyone. However, he knew that one day people would learn the truth about him and that he would make a name for himself on the writing scene. Unfortunately, his parents quickly dashed his writing dreams. They told him he couldn't make a living from writing and that law was his calling. Well, they only wanted his well-being...

He tore himself away from his thoughts about the past. He noticed the girl still standing before him. He reached into his pocket, searching for a coin to give the girl for finding and returning his scarf. She noticed the movement.

"No need... just don't lose the past anymore." She winked at him and ran off, skipping merrily as she did so...

Don't lose the past. He decided that sentence would become his life motto. He looked around; the boys knocking down the chestnuts were gone. However, he noticed a hunched old woman kneeling among the multicolored leaves.

On the impulse that something was wrong with the woman, he approached her. Only when he was close did he notice her sifting through the leaves, selecting the prettiest ones and setting them aside.

She noticed him and lifted her head, wrapped in a green scarf with red roses, towards him. Unruly strands of gray hair peeked out from under her scarf, and the glasses she wore perched on her nose were tilted slightly to the right. Wise, sparkling green eyes stared at him.

"Are you wondering what I'm doing here?" she asked, and he nodded truthfully.

The old woman smiled slightly.

"Autumn is my favorite season. It's full of color... Have you noticed how the trees are literally bursting with red, yellow, and here and there green? Have you noticed these cascades of color? There are many people, so busy, so caught up in their careers, who don't see it. Or maybe they see it but pretend it's not there. They don't allow the cheerful colors to enter their gray lives, they don't allow for revolution, for change... I was that kind of person once too... I was part of this mad race, fighting for power, for money, for influence. Until I met a little boy in a gray coat and a black scarf. The same one you're holding in your hand. I remember the day I had a car accident and ended up in the hospital. That's where I met this boy. He was visiting my sick mother, who was in the ward with me. He sat by her bedside, writing in a green, squared notebook. He was so focused… It was funny to me that he always stuck out the tip of his tongue when he was thinking about something…

He remembered. His mother, who smelled of flowers, had badly broken her leg and had to stay in the hospital for several days. He visited her with his father. He didn't like that place. So he took his notebook with him, where he wrote his stories, and while his parents talked about things he didn't understand, he would sit in a chair next to his mother's bed and work on another piece… A story about a lonely dog ​​looking for a friend…

"One day I was suffering terribly from pain; no medication helped. The only thing that helped me was a boy who came to my bedside and, seeing my tears, asked if he could read me his new story. I agreed. Then he sat down next to me and read me the most beautiful story I'd ever heard. About a lonely dog ​​who was looking for a friend and found one in the person of a small, equally lonely and lost boy. He became such a close friend that one beautiful autumn day, the boy decided to give him a rose made of the most beautiful and colorful leaves and take him home with him. I remember that when the little boy finished reading, I felt that nothing hurt anymore, that the pain had gone, and I was the happiest woman on earth. I promised him that one day he would receive a rose made of autumn leaves from me. Unfortunately, this never happened, because the next day his mother was released from the hospital, and I, in my foolishness, didn't ask her for the address or name of my little friend." I never saw him again. But I remembered him, and I still remember him, because thanks to him, I understood a lot. I realized that I was that lonely dog, lost in the big, money-hungry world… And I decided to change that. I quit my job and devoted myself to what I love most in life… flowers. Together with my husband, I opened a small flower shop, bringing joy to other flower lovers… However, I always remembered my promise to the boy that I would give him a flower made from autumn leaves. Every year I come to this park, collect the most colorful leaves, and make roses from them, hoping that one day I will meet him again and be able to keep my word. And I know one thing: I won't die until I do…

He smiled, for he already knew what to do.

"Please come back tomorrow. I promise you, you will meet this boy tomorrow," he said and left.

The woman looked after him, tears dancing in her eyes.

"I found you… I will thank you and leave in peace."

The next day, he came to the park carrying a green notebook under his arm. He wanted to read the woman the story about the lonely dog ​​again. When he reached the meeting place, he noticed the old woman was gone, and where she had been kneeling the day before, a cardboard box stood. He looked inside and saw a puppy holding in its tiny mouth a beautiful multicolored rose made of autumn leaves. Next to the puppy was a folded piece of paper. He opened it and read:

"Thank you for changing my life. I recognized you immediately, my little friend. Accept this autumn flower as my thanks, and take the dog home as your friend. You won't be so lost anymore, because I believe that from now on, your whole life will change. You'll understand that the world of business, money, fame, and career is not for you. I know you'll find fulfillment as a writer. I wish you luck. I'll support you from wherever I'm going..."

He felt someone watching him. He looked up and saw an old woman in a green scarf and crooked glasses among the trees. She was smiling. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a strong wind sprang up, and leaves rose from the ground and began to swirl around her. It looked as if they were dancing, inviting you to dance with them. It lasted a moment, and when the leaves fell, the woman was gone.

He smiled because he knew she would be happy. He hugged his new friend tightly, who licked his cheek with a warm tongue, and set off into the bright future that lay before him. Full of warm autumn colors…