Best in October

Long walks are best in October. Flash fiction by Sophie Kearing

Photo by Rachel Reinhardt on Unsplash

Long walks are best in October. Branches are dressed in finery of red and orange and gold. Ravens call to you, dark and proud, the guardians of the trees.

Turning your face up to the sky is best in October. The blue is vast and the sun is kind, a splendor to behold.

Falling down an abandoned well is best in October. Your hands claw at walls that are soft with the wet roots and fragrant moss of autumn drizzle. 

Landing at the bottom is best in October. The leafy deep is bouncy under your length and limbs. You’ll find random treasures like an old Tootsie Roll or a piece of pumpkin rind, smooth on one side and moldy on the other. 

Dying down there is best in October. It’s not the season for insects, nor humidity or snow. You can fade away in peace, embers of distant bonfires floating down

                                            down
			
										                                             down

to light your way through the gossamer veil:

                                                            a conspiracy of convenience
                                                                 for your departing soul.

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Sophie Kearing lives in Chicago with her furbabies, Mr. Coffee, and a massive T.B.R. pile. Litro UK, Isele Magazine, Roi Fainéant Press, Lumiere Review, Ellipsis Zine, Popshot Quarterly, Ink Sweat & Tears, Pigeon Review, Black Spot Books, and other publications have featured her work. She was nominated for a 2019 Pushcart Prize and loves pushing carts, buttons, and envelopes.