Walking through piles of colorful fallen leaves, Harrison wondered why the air was so...

...still. At this time of the afternoon, there should have been a breeze blowing from the southwest. A breeze not strong enough to make the air feel cold, but enough to make you happy that you were wearing at least a light sweater. He was glad he had chosen this day to walk through the increasingly leafless forest, but he was also profoundly sad, that his long time companion could not enjoy this wonderful day strolling through the woods, a place she always found enjoyable and entertaining. Marilyn, his twenty-six year old golden lab, had succombed to old age just days before, and he knew that this day would have been one of her favorites. As he reached a small clearing, Harrison paused, and with a tear rolling down his cheek and a lump building in his throat exclaimed, "I wish you were with me right now, baby, this day was made just for you."

by Stewart Lindsay, Buffalo, NY

...well, so smelly! He looked over across the park towards the courthouse; the morning sun shining brightly as it rose between the two bell towers. The smell didn't seem to come from that direction; and over to his right was Main Street, with maple and oak trees lining both sides of the street. Nope, no visible source of the smell from there, either. Harrison then turned completely around, looking back from where he had just walked. On the ground was the trail of smashed maple and oak leaves he and Tiger had just walked through. Nothing back there, either, he thought. Suddenly, he looked down at Tiger and said, "Tiger, was that you?"

Poor Tiger, he just sat there, and thought: No use in trying to lie out of this one!

by Joseph L. Rose, Fairfield, CA

...thick and watery.

"Hey, stupid!" a voice shouted from above. "It's easier to stand outside the pool and scoop the leaves, rather than drowning yourself trying to get them while in the pool!"

Great, Harrison thought, there goes my perfect score on the intelligence test. I'll never land this job.

by Phillip Lynne, Knoxville, TN