CHAPTER 21 – Seasons Change
Abigail sensed a chill in the air. She noticed Dad didn’t leave the door open as much, now.
She also noticed the days were getting shorter. The nights were longer. And so was her shadow.
The season was changing.
“Abigail, look at this video,” said Dad, “It’s so funny!” Dad turned the tablet towards her. A human was tossing a pile of leaves at his rabbit. The rabbit jumped into the pile each time he threw it. “Do you want to do that?” he asked. Abigail didn’t know. She had never seen leaves before.
Fall had arrived. Outside, the trees were turning a brilliant warm gold, dotted with bits of red and green. It was apple season, too. The apples were big, ripe, and juicy. Dad collected a box of brightly colored leaves, making sure they were all clean and freshly fallen. Some gold. Some red. Some green. Then he picked a nice, plump apple.
He took them inside and peeled the apple, cutting it into small slices. He tasted one. It was so sweet. He picked a slice for Abigail.
“Abigail, it’s Fall. Time for new tastes and smells!” Dad placed the box of leaves on the floor. Abigail hopped over to investigate. She hopped into the low-sided box. “They smell nice,” she thought. She took a bite of one. “They taste pretty good, too!” she thought, as she crunched on a leaf. She liked the way they rustled under her paws.
“Here. Try this,” said Dad. He held out a small slice of apple. Abigail sniffed and took a bite. “Oh yum! This is good!” She liked apples. So sweet. So juicy. So crunchy. “You can only have a little bit a time,” said Dad. “They have a lot of sugar,” he laughed.
Dad tried tossing some of the leaves at Abigail to see if she would like to play the same game as they saw on the video. But Abigail just stared at him. “What are you doing?” she wondered. She much preferred to just hop through the box of leaves on her own.
The lazy days of Summer were gone, but Abigail decided she liked Fall, too. Each season held new wonders for her, and Dad would bring them in for her to experience.
