A soft fog layers the streets. The chill of night dampens your jacket and courses a shiver down your spine. As you head to your car, a streak of black catches your eye. You turn your head in time to see the silhouette of a cat dart under a streetlight. You dig your keys out of your pocket and avoid touching your misty door handle to spare yourself from the chill of the metal as much as possible.
The world is silent as you pull out of the parking lot. The hazy glow of your headlights try to pierce through the fog. What once was open with morning light is now smothered by the darkness of early fall.
The world brightens with city lights as you journey your way to work, but the spooky haze has you wondering if monsters will come from the fog. You lock your doors just to be sure.
The highway is when the rain starts. A few drops. You barely notice it at first. Yet, the fog starts to clear. A soft sheet of rain. You know as the kind to ice over in the winter and you’re thankful the season hasn’t shifted that far yet.
A long and winding road, through this hazy mist of rain. You realize after a time that you’re finally able to see the sky. A blanket of dark clouds that stretch to the horizon. Yet, the light of dawn finally peeks through. A line of orange light greets you as you reach the top of a hill. Despite the eerieness of the earlier morning, you find yourself smiling. Orange light capped by dark clouds. You decide the sky itself is getting into the enjoyment of fall. Pumpkin, you decide. A soft pumpkin sunrise.
nikki diekemper 