As a recent fall day too quickly became a fall night, I watched a little girl tenderly play at the edge of Jeffrey Woods while she waited for her mother to gather her siblings, toys and other playtime supplies.
Whimsically dressed in lovely ballerina attire with a flowing pink & purple crinoline skirt from an earlier dance class, this little girl looked more like a woodland sprite as she skipped through the cool evening grass, twirled around towering pines and ran under crinkly old trees shedding their summer leaves.
For a brief moment, the passage of time with summer collapsing into fall didn't seem quite as cruel as this fairy-like orb happily spread joy among ancient trees and the age-old memories within the woods.
Then tragedy struck and a scream pierced the fragrant fall air and echoed throughout the woods. She had fallen ripping her tights at the knee. A gnarly tree root jealous of her carefree dance had taken its revenge on yet another innocent.
“Mommy," she sobbed. And for that moment, the perfection of a perfect fall day was shattered.
The truth is, while the fallen leaves have created a beautiful patchwork quilt in the woodland canopy above and on the forest floor below, they have also hidden bumpy roots and woodland potholes in the process.
I watched as her mother kissed the little girl's pain away and tuck her into their car. I hoped they’d soon return so she could finish her lovely woodland dance for all to see.
The fall magic in Jeffrey Woods is both breathtaking and fleeting, making this time of year a treasured find.
Whimsically dressed in lovely ballerina attire with a flowing pink & purple crinoline skirt from an earlier dance class, this little girl looked more like a woodland sprite as she skipped through the cool evening grass, twirled around towering pines and ran under crinkly old trees shedding their summer leaves.
For a brief moment, the passage of time with summer collapsing into fall didn't seem quite as cruel as this fairy-like orb happily spread joy among ancient trees and the age-old memories within the woods.
Then tragedy struck and a scream pierced the fragrant fall air and echoed throughout the woods. She had fallen ripping her tights at the knee. A gnarly tree root jealous of her carefree dance had taken its revenge on yet another innocent.
“Mommy," she sobbed. And for that moment, the perfection of a perfect fall day was shattered.
The truth is, while the fallen leaves have created a beautiful patchwork quilt in the woodland canopy above and on the forest floor below, they have also hidden bumpy roots and woodland potholes in the process.
I watched as her mother kissed the little girl's pain away and tuck her into their car. I hoped they’d soon return so she could finish her lovely woodland dance for all to see.
The fall magic in Jeffrey Woods is both breathtaking and fleeting, making this time of year a treasured find.