An Autumn Day
photo by jayla jones
An Autumn Day
third year Marilyn Cottom
The air is brisk and cold as you step off the bus. You shiver, pulling your coat tighter around you as you push through the crowd. The warm smell of coffee and vanilla wafts from a vendor across the street. You breathe in deeply, and…
a) Cross the street to purchase a warm drink. Go to question 2.
b) Keep walking. Go to question 3.
New purchase in hand, you come upon a small, fence-lined park. Flowers in vivid orange, red, and yellow peek out from between the metal posts. Children shriek and laugh as they run around the playground, barely audible over the sound of traffic. You decide to…
a) Take a stroll through the park. Go to question 5.
b) Find a bench and sit for a while. Go to question 4.
You wander aimlessly through the streets, pausing to examine the brightly colored window displays as they catch your interest. As you do so, something in particular catches your eye—a pair of fleece-lined mittens, reasonably priced, in your mother’s favorite color. You remember that she told you she misplaced her gloves. You…
a) Go inside and purchase them. Go to question 2.
b) Bear this in mind for later, and keep walking. Go to question 5.
For a cold metal bench, you find your new seat surprisingly comfortable. Leaves tumble down against the pavement, lifting and falling in symphony as the wind picks up and falters again. As you watch the passersby, a shaggy brown dog runs up to you, wagging its tail. You…
a) Kidnap the dog Pet the dog. Go to question 6.
b) Direct it back to the owner. Go to question 7.
You notice a stand ahead of you. “Free samples!” proclaims the handpainted sign in autumn colors. Plates piled high with freshly prepared fudge, cookies, and brownies steam in the cold air, their scent enticing you closer. The woman at the booth smiles warmly as she hands you a flyer and a plate, giving you a short, practiced spiel about the bakery she and her wife are opening down the street. You…
a) Accept the plate and take a free sample. Go to question 7.
b) Kindly decline but wish the woman and her wife the best of luck. Go to question 6.
The chime of your ringtone startles you—you must have forgotten to turn the sound off on your phone. You fumble for a moment before finding it in your back pocket. You huff out a laugh at the contact image—your friend, exhausted and loopy during an all-nighter, sticking their tongue out at the camera—and press accept. You barely get a word in before they’re ranting to you excitedly about a new game that’s just dropped, and how they’re having people over, and you “HAVE to come, it’ll be no fun without you.” You…
a) Tell them you’re on your way, and take the next bus back to their apartment. Perhaps this isn’t exactly how you saw your day going, but your friends are excited, and you know you’ll have a good time once you’re there.
b) Politely tell them that you’re busy, but to have a good time at the get together. Maybe you’ll get some food or run to the library before you turn in for the day.
Looking around you, you realize abruptly that the sun is setting. You glance at your phone screen—7:30. The buses stop running at 8:30, and it gets to the stop closest to you at 7:50. Then again, you live a thirty minute walk away, so you could always stay longer. After some deliberation, you decide to…
a) Take the last bus home. You can listen to a podcast on the way and relax after a long day of exploring.
b) Stay a little longer, and walk home. Thirty minutes isn’t so bad—you’ll definitely get your steps in—and you still haven’t been to the music store.