Changing Times : Leaves

A leaf. Someone fell in love with a leaf. I don't know whether the someone was a he or a she. Even the leaf's gender I can't say for sure. But I think leaves are gender neutral, aren't they? It's just an assumption. If leaves had gender I would have done gender studies on them. The one who fell in love with a leaf called me two days back. It was a voice that sounded both feminine and masculine. I told the voice to call me later because I was busy. I was not interested in the voice until it told me of the leaf.

“Where is the leaf?” I asked.

“In the garden”, it said.

“Whose garden?”  

“My garden.”

“Who are you?” I asked.

“Nobody”, it said.

“Nobody can't fall in love until he or she is somebody”, I said.

“Then I'm somebody.”

“Which somebody?” I asked.

“The somebody who fell in love with a leaf.”

“Is this leaf a boy or a girl?”  

“Why do you care?”

“I don't care”, I said.

“Good.”

“Goodbye”, I said. Silence...leafy silence...A breeze turning into a wind and then into a storm. Leaves leaves everywhere except on the trees. The open windows invited them inside. They entered my house, the leaves. Some sat on the sofa waiting for me to speak. I still had the receiver glued to my ear listening to the leafy silence.

“Are you going to give us some tea?” the oldest looking leaf asked.

“No”, I said.

“Why?”

“Because leaves don't drink tea.”

“That ‘somebody’ fell in love with one of us”, it said.

“So?”

“Things are changing.”

“I can see that”, I said.

“Then bring the tea.”

“No.”

“Why?” it asked.

“I don't drink tea”, I said. Cold hostile leafy silence in my living room. Another breeze wind storm. A sea of leaves enveloped me and hissed into my ears... ‘Times are changing kid. We are leaving your garden. From now on you will always have autumn in your yard’...Cold unleafy silence in my living room. I looked out the window. There was no more a garden. I realized...leaves make gardens. Today the voice called again.

“I got married”, it said.

“To the leaf?” I asked.

“No.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you”, it said. Silence within me. Not leafy. What happened to the leaf? I thought things were changing. My eyes walked across the room. The curtains parted to let me look out the window. The garden. I could see it.