Autumn Scene

Autumn Scene

I'm deciding what to do on my computer today. While deciding, I take a detailed look at the scenery of the monitor backdrop. It's an autumn scene in a wooded farm area. Down the center is a narrow two laned paved road heading north. It's pretty much covered with red, yellow and orange leaves.

There are medium to wide oak trees on both sides of the road. On the right side, there's only one wide oak. A corral style, semi-dilapidated fence made of split logs. Barbed wire is on the outside part of the road, on the right side of the tree.

At the end of the road, about two or three city blocks, the road ends. Beyond the road are several fallen trees, and a row of slender upright trees — about six or seven of them.

Where the road ends, it veers off to the left and disappears behind a large oak tree. A stream of sunlight is shining through. The angle indicates the time is mid-afternoon.

Next to the fallen trees is an uprignt tree. Behind this tree, in the background, is a gray road with a bend in it. It looks to be two to three miles or so from the front of the monitor screen.

I'm just looking at this background road; then I see something that doesn't seem right. There seems to be movement on the road. I can't make out the means of travel being. It seems to be bicycles — three or four of them.

They disappear. I scan the picture to see if any other motion is in action. There isn't. Three or four minutes later, I see elongated shadows emerging from the road that disappears behind the large oak tree on the left side of the lane. The speed of the shadow movements slows to a very slow pace.

The first rider inches her bike just past the tree, and looks in my direction. She looks behind her and says to her friends that it looks safe to come from behind the tree.

In all, there are four girls, each on her own bicycle. They look to be between eight and twelve years old. The girls pedal very slowly up the road towards me, looking at their surroundings. One of the oldest ones, who are identical twins, comments how two-dimensional the trees and other stuff looks.

As they get closer, I recognize their voices. I know these girls — or at least I did. I was about thirty when we first met, at about their apparent ages as they stand in front of me. We were neighbors. The girls lived within a block or two of me. Occasionally, we'd meet on the road, stop, and talk for awhile.

I've aged thirtysome years. They, none. Maybe they're Dorian Gray offsprings. They ride up to about ten feet from me and stop their bikes.

"Mister B! Is that you?" You look so old", says Darlene, the older twin. She never did have much tact.

The second oldest in years, asks me, "Where are we? The air seems so stagnant and still."

Well Rose, this may be hard for you to comprehend. This thing you're seeing me through, is a computer monitor. Computers were built in primative form in the 1960s and became of age in the 1980s to be used by professor-types. Then a sadist, named Bill Gates, converted them to personal computers, and this is the result.

"You're right Mister B. It is hard for us to understand. Why have you aged, and we haven't?"

"I don't know. Maybe a time warp. Maybe you're still in the late 1950s or early '60s, and I'm in the early '90s. I can't ask you what you've done over the last thirty years because you haven't lived them yet."

Claire, the youngest, asks me what I've done all this time. "Well, I moved around. I traveled around the country for three to four years, taking on odd jobs to make ends meet. I've never been good at writing or phoning, so we lost touch with each other. I haven't seen nor communicated with any of you since then."

Darlene notices it's late in the afternoon. "Well Mister B, we have to be going now, to get back before dark."

"Where's 'back' ", I asked.

Pointing to the gray background road I first noticed them on, she says, "Around the far bend and to the left, out of sight from here. We all moved to a town called Greenfield." She didn't say which state. "We still live within a few blocks of each other. "Now that we know about this place, and how to get here, maybe we'll see you around again."

With that, they turn their bikes around and leave slowly, in a staggered single file. At the end of the lane, where it ends with the fallen logs, they turn left, heading west. Just before going out of sight past the large oak tree where the came into sight, each turn towards me and slowly wave 'good-by'.

Darlene is first. Then Rose and Claire. At the rear is the second twin. Whereas Darlene is rather common and boisterous, Marlene is rather quiet and taciturn; so much so, I had given her the nickname of "Mute". She stops her bicycle. She then looks at me with a forlorn expression. With tears in her eyes, she slightly puckers her lips to give me a kiss. It's as if she knows we'll never see each other again. Then putting her feet on the pedals, she slowly rides out of sight.

I kept watch for the start of the open gray road. They came into sight, pedaling at a fast pace to beat the sunset. They made the bend left at the end of the visible end I can see on my screen, and ride out of sight.

I wanted to believe that I would really see them again. Maybe next time, getting the name of the state they're now living in. I would be able to locate them then. I already know the city.

* * * * *

I kept that old relic of a computer. Still have it. Kept that backdrop scene too. I keep it running on a side table and I check it out at least several times a day. Just in case.

It's been over three years now.

Never saw them again.