Arboreal Fire

The cool crisp breeze tussles my hair. The forest blazes in arboreal fire, blood-red crimson and resplendent gold litters the canopy and the earth. Here in this sylvan bliss, I am most at peace.

Water rushes softly beneath me. The wooden slats of the bridge creak in feigning protest as I walk to the apex of its arch. I tug my flannel back over my shoulders, pull up my sleeves, and crouch down. I let my two first fingers gently caress the cold mountain stream.

I close my eyes and let the welcome bite of wind and cold gnaw futilely on my hardened skin. Autumn is the most serene of infernos.

***

I hope you enjoyed this tiny written portrait. The micro-fiction itself was born largely from my love of nature and my home state of New Hampshire, renowned for its landscape and autumn foliage. Besides, autumn is my favorite season (largely due to stable-ish temperatures, less pollen, and Halloween).

I must of course thank my friend Ashley Lima for this challenge. What you must do is type your first name into the Unsplash generator and turn one of the first resulting images into a story, now how exactly that story takes shape (Short story, verse, etc.) is up to you. Now, back to the old grindstone for me!