LEROY THE LEAF
All summer long, Leroy
the Leaf had lived at the top of the tree next to the river. It was a great place to live
because he could see for miles across the countryside. Each morning when the sun came up,
Leroy would catch the very first rays of light.
During those early spring days, everything was new and exciting. Each
time a bird landed near him, Leroy would shake with joy. They were such amazing creatures,
being able to fly where ever they wanted! The little leaf wished he could do the same.
Just down the branch from him, a pair of cardinals made a nest and
Leroy watched for weeks as the eggs hatched and the babies began to cry. The mother and
the father brought bugs and worms to the young birds and soon the hatchlings were flying
on their own.
And then the heat of summer came. Being at the very top of that maple
tree wasn’t so great. Oh, the mornings were nice and evenings were enjoyable, but
that hot sun just wouldn’t give up throughout the day. When the odd cloud came over,
Leroy was as thankful as he’d ever been. And on the days when it would rain, the
little leaf was in ecstasy. Except for the lightning. And the thunder. And the wind.
Now, the weather was cooler and the nights were getting longer and
again the first rays of the sun were a big deal. And some of the other leaves were
beginning to talk. The talk made Leroy feel a little uneasy.
"It’s going to happen," one of them said.
"Oh, how do you know that?" another leaf asked.
"One old boy near the trunk made it through the winter last year
and he told Samson, and Samson told Jewel and she told another leaf a little higher up the
branch and then it eventually got to me."
"And we’re supposed to believe that?"
"Do what you want, but pretty soon everything is going to change.
You’ll see."
"What are you guys talking about?" Leroy asked.
"Why don’t you pay attention, Leroy? You’ve always got
your head up in the clouds, being the highest leaf and all. You’d be better off
listening to us once in awhile instead of dreaming all the time."
"Sorry," the little leaf said.
"Oh, right," another leaf said. "We’re talking
about fall—autumn. How all the leaves are going to fall off the tree soon. We’re
done for. Finished! The end is near."
"What?" Leroy cried.
"Now we’ve got his attention," the second leaf said.
"Rumor has it that we’re all going to fall off the tree soon. Frankly I
don’t believe it."
"Suit yourself," the first leaf said. "You’ll
see."
It wasn’t unusual for a leaf, now and then, to come fluttering
down from the tree. It happened all the time. They were mostly the leaves that complained
or didn’t get along with the others. Nobody really paid much attention to those
fellas because they were trouble to start with.
So when Leroy and the others heard about the leaves beginning to fall,
well, it didn’t seem so important. Still, the idea of a bird sounded so good to
little Leroy. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like the wing of a bird
anyway. And suddenly one day, Leroy looked around him and noticed that some leaves were
missing. A lot of them were missing. And something didn’t feel quite right. It was
where he was attached to the limb. It felt loose for some weird reason.
That morning, while he was watching, the leaf right next to him, the
leaf he had known all summer, suddenly began to fall.
"What’s happening?" Leroy called after his friend.
"I don’t know, but I’m falling. I’ll see you later!
Wheee!"
And just like that, he was gone.
It felt weird for Leroy the Leaf to suddenly be alone. Now the sunlight
was strong and clear with no other leaves near him to block it. About that time, a gentle
breeze picked up. It was nothing Leroy couldn’t handle. He had held on through bigger
winds than that but this time it was different. This time he didn’t feel so strong.
This time he could feel himself tipping more than usual, tearing a little at his stem. Was
this it for him? Was this the end?
And then the wind stopped and Leroy straightened himself a little,
looked at the morning sun and felt himself let go.
That’s really what was happening, he told himself. He was free of
the tree, wasn’t he? Suddenly everything looked so different to the little leaf. He
was moving and floating and flipping over and over as he floated. Another breezed kicked
up and this time Leroy was pushed higher than the tree. He could look down on the very
place he had lived all summer. It was such an odd feeling.
And then he began to float again from side to side, slipping down a
little each time with nothing to boost him back up again. He was falling. Leroy resigned
himself to the fact that he was going to fall off the tree for good and never be able to
see the sunrise again. For just a few seconds, Leroy couldn’t breath. He was too
scared. He was so frightened, it hurt him to think beyond where he was.
And then he relaxed and felt himself floating again. It was such an
amazing feeling to be floating in the autumn air, down, down, down.
That’s when Leroy caught a glimpse of the forest floor. It was
thick with fallen leaves. All of his friends were waiting for him down there. That’s
all. It wasn’t so frightening. He was going somewhere after all and he wasn’t
scared anymore and this was just one more exciting journey for the little leaf.
After another moment, Leroy settled down on the ground with all the
others and the sun shine felt warm all around him. Looking up, the tree was almost empty
of leaves and ready for whatever came next.
The End |
