literature

Seven days in Autumn

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Literature Text

Earl Carlton died in a tree-house of vines, twisted boughs and Autumn leaves surrounded by the scent of earth and vanilla musk. His wife cried for him at the foot of his rope ladder and begged him to come to bed each night as the mercury dropped and the storm clouds rolled in.
"I can't" He eventually responded on the 3rd night and by that time, people had gathered in earnest to witness the man's downfall.
"Why not?"demanded his wife, shivering in wool with her hair whipped behind her by the prevailing winds.
He thought about this for another four nights and the crowds grew bigger and each time his wife begged him to come down and be amongst the people once more. He beckoned her closer on the seventh night and she unsteadily stepped onto the lowest rung of the ladder, tottering precariously.
"I can't come down," He shouted across the high winds, "Because if I do, nobody will ask for me anymore."
A murmur of admiration and distaste blended into the breeze as the crowds contemplated his philosophical words. His wife said nothing, for she knew it would be true. The people dispersed that night having had their fill of the spectacle of loneliness. They scurried their children home as the thunder rolled and rain set in with steely determination. On that same evening, Earl Carlton died. It spread through the town as quickly as the flames from a single bolt of lightning engulfed the Oak Tree. It was too late for anybody to do anything so they stood in awe and watched as the Oak which had held a man and his loneliness so tenderly, buckled and warped beneath the weight of the flames and eventually dropped him back down, at the mercy of humans.
I don't suppose I know what this is about yet, that's often how it happens. Write first and ask questions later. I'm sure I'll figure it.
© 2012 - 2024 Kaz-D
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MacabreAustereRelume's avatar
Interesting little folk-tale-like fable about the need to be needed.