Day One: Jumping in a pile of Autumn Leaves
It was a warm Autumn day of the year 1956 in a little town known as Dustville, the trees in town where brightly colored as there leaves hanged color, and everyone was getting ready for the upcoming Halloween celebration. In school the kids were learning about fall time as well as making Halloween decorations, once school was out Onceler and his two brothers started to walk home.
"Hey Oncie!" Brett said happily, "Ya think mama let us go trick or treatin this year?"
"Maybe," the oldest replied, "But we don have costumes" Chet said sadly, "I can help you guys make them" Onceler said with a smile and the twins cheered happily. "hey, look it!" the younger twin said pointing to the moving van in front of a house that had been vacant for awhile now. The people who build it left Duskville years ago, it was a big two story house with a wide porch and a big oak tree in the front yard, which was surrounded by a faded white picket fence.
The old oak stood grand and tall with a tire swing hanging from one of its strong branches, and it was surrounded by tall green grass with small flowers scattered about. As the movers unloaded the van Onceler, his brothers and a few other kids watched as the furniture was moved about and into the house, and the tall boy couldn't help but wonder what kind of people were moving into they're small town.
As the boy wondered a truck drove up to the house and out stepped the family, the mother was a lovely woman with long wavy hair, and lightly tanned skin, the father was a tall man with long black hair woven into a braid, the oldest daughter had lightly tanned skin and brown hair, unlike her adopted parents, who was fallowed by a fluffy black puppy, lastly was the younger daughter, but she didn't seem to want to get out of the truck just yet.
As the family went inside to leave they're youngest to pout, Onceler walked up the truck and peeked inside the window, the daughter was a thin girl with long black hair, she wore a pink shirt that was tucked under an overall dress. She had yet to notice Onceler looking at her, since she was too busy petting a fluffy orange kitten that sat in her lap.
Onceler frowned and tapped on the glass, the girl flinched and looked out the window, her dark bang just above her big green eyes. The boy tried to be friendly and waved to her, but the girl didn't wave back, but she did roll down the window, "My names Onceler! Its nice to meet you!" he greeted with a big smile. It took her a moment, but the little girl replied, "I'm Desi..." she said meekly, with a shy smile.
"Do ya wanna come and play?" Brett and Chet said insink. But Desi shook her head, "No..." she said softly and she went back to petting her kitten. Onceler frowned, "Oh... ok... some other time then..." Onceler gave her one more smile before he turned to take his brothers home.
And after dropping is brother off, he returned to town to do a few odd jobs, as usual, he would help a few mothers in the town with laundry, raking the falling leaves, or cutting the grass to earn few coins, along with milk and cookies for his hard work, he was only 11 after all.
After his small jobs were done the by managed to make $2.21 and had a few cookies in his pockets for the twins, and like always he hitched a ride with Mr. Smith so he could get home, and once home the boy went up to his room to put his money is a safe spot.
He had tried to put in in a jar once, but one day he had come back to find that it was gone, he later found out his mother had taken it, but it wasn't like he could confront her about it, so he decided to hide it. Oncie opened a small loose floor board under his bed and took out a small box which he used to keep his money in, and then hid it again.
The boy put the cookies he had save in a cookie jar for after dinner that night. "Oncie" his mama said entering the kitchen, "Yes Mama" he said turning to her. "What how much money have you saved up from your little jobs?" she asked sweetly, "I haven't counted yet," he answered. "Well mama, needs you to give her the money you earned." she said sweetly. "Why?"
"Because, you don't need it, so tell mama where it is" she said a little more sternly, but Oncie shook his head, "I earned it, and I wanna buy something I want" he told her, the woman raised her hand and smacked the boy hard, Onceler cried out as he was hit more then once, and when it was over he was on the ground crying, the twins where at the door of the kitchen, and when they tried to walk over to him, they're mother dragged them back out.
Onceler was locked i his room that night with out dinner, luckily he was smart enough to keep a few cookies hidden under his pillow.
The next day he got dressed and ready for school, and just encase put his box of money in is school bag, he needed to hide it again, and as he waked down the roads of the town with his brothers, he saw her again, the new girl. The school bell rang and the children went to class, Desi sat in the back by the window, and feeling a little sorry for her, Oncie sat with her so she wouldn't me lonely.
She looked at him and he smiled, Desi blushed and looked back at her paper and kept drawing. The teacher, a woman by the name of Ms. Algoode, wrote the class assignment on the board. To day they would be reading their story of Sleepy Hollow out loud.
Few days pasted since then, it was only one more week till Holloween, it was the last day of the week and after each class session ended up until lunch Onceler stayed by the girl's side, Oncie had tried to talk to Desi all the time, but she would hardly say a word to him, but she never told him to eave her alone, nor was she mean to him, she just seemed sad. During lunch time, since the school was just outside of the town, the children were aloud to go into town for lunch hour.
"Hey Desi!" Onceler said excitingly as he walked over to the girl, "Wanna go to Dairy Queen for lunch?" Desi, who was sitting on the swings with her sister stayed quiet for a moment,"Can my sister come with me?" She asked softly, and Oncie nodded happily.
After grabbing they're backpacks, Oncie showed them the way to the burger house and even bough them each a burger. Desi didn't really talk during the lunch, but she made more eye contact with the other. Oncie just kept smiling, he wanted to see her smile too. After they finished the three played at the schools playground, Desi really like the merry-go-round, and with the twins' help, Oncie spun her and Rosa around fast. And for the first time all day, the green eyed girl smiled and laughed happily.
School ended a few hours later, and the boys walked home together as always, but this time they were joined by the Evergreen girls, since they were walking the same way anyways. The girls entered the gate, Desi seemed different, her face seemed to light up as soon as she was inside the gate, Oncie spoke up, as Brett an Chet kept walking,"H-Hey is it ok if I come over tomarrow?" he asked hopefully, "Sure!" Rosa answered, and Desi stayed quiet.
The next day Oncie, walked into town, he had tried to bring Brett an Chet along, but his mother wouldn't let them. The skinny boy walked up to the Evergreen house, and in the front yard John, the father, was finishing up raking up the leaves, and it wasn't long before the man noticed the boy waiting by the gate, "And who might you be?" he asked gently. "Our new friend! Can he come to play?" Rosa asked hopefully as she pushed Desi on the tire swing. "I don't see why not."
Onceler walked through the gate, and Rosa walked up to talk to him, Desi how ever stayed and swung on the tire swing. "Are you ok?" Oncie asked walking up to her, Rosa followed, but she didn't answer, she seemed so lonely to him, so sad. "Are you sad about something?" no answer, "It's ok to be sad, do you wanna talk about it?" still no answer, but Oncie pressed on. The two sat next to her as she swayed softly on the swing. "Ya know, when I'm sad I like to play a song on my guitar, I'm not as good as my papa, but I'm getting there," the blue eyed boy told the little girl, he figured she'd say something sooner or later.
"You don't talk a lot do you?" he said looking at her, "That's ok too, cause I like you anyways" he gave her a big smile, and she looked at him, "Why...?" she asked softly. "I dunno, I just do," in truth, it was because he could talk to her, during free time, or reading time, he would talk to her and Rosa, and even if she didn't say anything, she seemed to listen, plus she was one of the few people who didn't make fun of him, or tease him.
She was so tiny compared to him too, she was thin, which made her seem a little petite, but she was so adorable too. He had seen how she acted with her sister, that big goofy smile, and outta control laugh, everything about her was a little odd, but still seemed to suit her. She was like him, in a way. "So why are you so sad?" he asked again, but again, she didn't anwser.
"Desi's sad because we had the move again because of Daddy's job, she doesn't like that we moved so far" Rosa explained, "She doesn't like it when things change all of a sudden, so when ever we move, she pouts like, at least until she gets use to it."
"Hey, I got an idea!" Oncie said happily, "How about we jump in the leaf pile, that would be fun right?" he looked at Desi, hopping she'd join them, he wanted so bad to make her smile. Desi thought it over, and her need for fun was stronger then her stubborn attitude, and she gave a soft smile with a gentle nod.
And with that the three children jumped into the large pile of leaves happily, they're laughter filled the air, and the leaves flew and floated every direction, as the children played. Once the tree were out of breath, they fell back and laid in the leaves, with breathless laughs and light pants, they're big smiles still on they're faces.
Oncie looked to his side, and his smile became more warm when he saw that big goofy smile on Desi's face. After the children were done and the leaves were brushed off, they all went inside to get warm, it was starting to get colder and colder as the days went by, so to warm them up Mrs. Evergreen made them some hot chocolate.
When it got late, Oncie decided it was time to go home, but as he got his coat on, Desi noticed how worn out it was, with patches and sewn up rips, it probably wasn't that warm, so the little girl trotted up stairs, and soon brought down a grayish blue coat.
It was a hand-me-down she never wore because it was too big, and she didn't really like the color, but it was still good and warm, so instead of leaving it to stay shoved in the back of her closet, she gave it to Oncie, so he could keep warm. "Thank you" he said softly with a warm smile on his face, and Desi smiled back for once.
The boy walked back home, and when he got there, his mother asked where he got the coat, he simply said, "A friend gave it to me," and went up stairs to his room, but he still heard the sarcastic and mean comment his mother and great aunt made, saying that he either found it or stole it, since they didn't believe he could have a friend, let alone one that cared enough to give him a present, be he didn't care, he was too happy to let that get to him.