Winter-Dead Tree (Part 1)

A young man named Jeremiah moves in a small town separated from the troubles of the world. He meets a young woman named Anette where they both enjoy each other's company by an old tree.

It was a cold evening -- under the large winter-dead tree. Wool collar jacket, ankle fluff boots is what she wore, her long brown hair which blew in the wind, her hazel eyes which glowed through the grey tinted breeze, her pure white smile... It was a cold evening.

 

 

It was the beginning of winter when I moved in. It’s a small old village with only few houses which dotted its land. On the way in -- there was a stone-built bridge which arched over a thin river. I live in a small house on the far left side of town. It was cosy with a small fireplace to keep me warm, which is where I think I will spend most of my time when I’m not busy.

 

The neighbours didn’t look like bad people. Most of them were old seniors wanting to live the rest of their years alone or in peace. There weren’t too many young people who lived here; only the grandchildren of the elderly came around to visit, though they would only stay for a short time. My name is Jeremiah. I consider myself young, but only by just. I’m twenty years-old -- wanting to become a great writer, but that won’t come until after a long time. I decided to live here because I didn’t care much of the rest of the world, nor do I want any part of it. I just want to live in peace, away from the world’s problems. I also quit my part time job at a near-by diner because I thought it was the right thing for me, but it wasn’t. Now I have no money to pay for the food and bills. I needed to look for another job…

 

I unpacked my things and tried to get the small fireplace going with a small set of matches. I light a small ember and placed pieces of firewood, which I brought from home in with it. I only noticed it now, but these houses seem pretty out dated. But I didn’t mind it. It was probably another one of the reasons why I chose to live here. Heh, I question myself sometimes. It kind of makes me think if others knew me more than myself.

 

I left the house to take a walk outside, leaving the fireplace to keep my house warm by the time I get back. I looked up in the sky -- it was grey. So were the colours of the other houses in the village. I stroll pass each house with my hands in my pockets eyeing each window which were coloured by the warm yellow lights from which was inside each house. I end my walk towards a large dying tree that centred the village. It shaded two benches from two sides. I bent over to sit on the closest bench. It was a little old but seemed like it could stand for a couple more years.

 

Breaking the silence, I hear footsteps approaching from behind the tree. The sound became closer which pulled my attention. I turned my head to hear it more clearly then heard a squeak as if somebody took a seat on the bench at the other side of the tree. It seemed as if someone else had the same idea to take a walk this morning.

 

Out of respect, I decided to pull myself off the bench but was interrupted by a soft voice which broke my silence.

“It looks like it’s going to be snowing tomorrow, right Mr Brian?”

I stay still in my awkward position of getting up. I was slightly confused. I had the urge to say something but at the same time I didn’t want to. The person on the other side sounded like a young woman.

 

It came to me that she is misunderstood; thinking the other one sitting on the bench was ‘Mr Brian’.

“I’m sorry, this is not Mr Brian.” I said thinking that I needed to tell her,

“Oh it isn’t? Sorry my bad. I have an old friend named Joey Brian who normally comes here at this time for his walks.” She replied, “It looks like he isn’t around today…”

“Oh, I see. Well my name is Jeremiah Steffens. I just moved in to the area today.”

“Oh you’re the new person who was moving in here!” She said surprised, “My name is Anette Armante pleased to meet you!”

 

Our first meeting was a blind chat. We both sat and talked from each side of the tree. Anette was the first person I’ve met in the village. Though we didn’t see each other, I felt very warm and comfortable talking to her. It felt like I was being embraced by the warmth of a fire. We talked for a very long time. I was tempted to walk around the tree to see who was giving me this warmth. But I thought it was best not to. Instead we called each other off and walked back to our homes.

 

As I welcomed myself back inside the house I dropped onto a small couch which faced the fireplace. Letting out a sigh, ‘Anette, huh? I hope we get to talk again soon’ I say giving a small smile.

Author's Note

Please excuse me if there are any errors or if you find my writing a little obnoxious but I'm not the best writer so I'm willing to take in any helpful feedback to help improve my ability. On the other hand, I hope you enjoy this story! I might break it into 2 or more parts so be prepared for more!