Red Leaves

It was a chilly day in October. The leaves on the trees had long since changed colour, and were now falling individually. Darky Glace looked up at one of the branches of the tree she was standing under. Her gray eyes took in the vivid red and yellows. The colours reminded Darky of Sparrow, the girl behind her visit to the grave yard.

She reached up and lightly struck the tree. Leaves scattered everywhere, one of the red ones got caught in the wind and drifted over to where Sparrow's body lay. Her friends and family stood around her, all of them teary eyed. The burial had just been completed. Each of them held a red rose in their hand, one-by-one placing them on her grave.

The crowd consisted of preppy cheerleaders and jocks. All of them now stood quiet. Darky was not one of them; like always she stood separate from the others. They were all bewildered, each one wondering why Sparrow had killed herself. Rich, smart, athletic and popular, everyone thought she was one of the happiest people in the world. They knew she didn't drown accidentally, for she was the best swimmer in the school.

Darky remembered Sparrow sitting by the river. They both went there when they wanted to be alone. They always sat apart from each other, barely acknowledging each others presence, since the difference between them was as vast as life and death. Darky would climb the maple tree while Sparrow sat on the ground. They stayed there in silence. It was probably the only thing they had in common.

Someone turned to Darky and asked if she felt any sorrow. Darky paused, wondering how to answer.

"Pain in my veins causes me to bleed black blood." Wide eyed, the girl edged away. Darky didn't care. Today they were just like her. All of them dressed in black and filled with sorrow.

That day Sparrow had been crying. Darky peered through the leaves of the tree, watching Sparrow's blond hair and reddish eyes blend in with the autumn colours. Isn't it a strange coincidence, Darky remembered thinking, that Sparrow's clothes are the actual colour of a real sparrow? The whole sight had mesmerized Darky. She then climbed down from her tree and made her way over to where Sparrow sat. Sparrow had looked up and their eyes locked.

Before long she was the only one left in the graveyard. Slowly she walked up to Sparrows grave and kneeled, her cloak falling elegantly behind her. Her gloved hand reached into the pocket of her cloak, pulling out a rose. Like everything else on her, this rose was black. She placed the rose amongst the other red ones and admired the way it stood out.

Her lips, freshly coated with black lipstick, formed a smile, revealing her sparkling white teeth. A sight no one had ever seen before, and now there was only Sparrow's spirit to watch it. It only lasted a quick moment. She closed her eyes and slowly tilted her head back. Once again she got lost in memory.

Sparrow's body was limp as it had floated down the river. Darky had stood in the water, shivering. The water had gently brushed her pale hands. She watched the corpse drift away with the fallen leaves. Darky then climbed out of the river and sprinted home, not once looking back. Sparrow's body was found later that day.

Darky opened her eyed and looked at the grave stone. She picked up a red leaf as she stood, not taking her eyes away from the grave. She tore the leaf and let the wind scatter the pieces over Sparrow's grave. She walked away singing "Don't let me die here, there must be something more..."