Author's Notes

Just a little something I wrote about a month ago. I know it's been done before, but I was playing around with the idea of Eddy leaving Peach Creek sometime after high school (similar to the idea of his brother), also leaving his friends in the process. I never discussed where he might go, but the point of the piece is to explore Edd's reaction and feelings toward his departure, not the actual departure itself. The piece is set during the fall, even though it's currently summer...for some reason, every time I write something like this, it turns out being set in autumn. Perhaps that's because it's my favorite season? Anyway, please enjoy!

Seasonal

The autumn air whistled through the window, cracked just enough to emit a gust worthy of stirring the teakettle. Remnants of a summer monsoon thundered in the distance, accentuating the unbelievable notion that the brisk season was here to stay.

Glancing toward the windowpane, dreamlike images of childhood memories came flooding back, transforming with gentle ease from daunting inflatable pools to carnivorous piles of multicolored foliage, each image changing only slightly through the years. The screeching whistle of the kettle seemed nothing more than a faraway whine, reminding him eerily of the days a similar voice brought him incomprehensible satisfaction and belonging. Edd sighed as he slouched over the stew seething in the pot, plopping his head into the palm of his hand, his circular motions never ceasing as he continued to stir the contents.

The familiar black hat slowly crept downward, threatening to fold over his vision, like that of an old friend seeking attention. A sudden longing for predictable, yet eventful times wrung his heartstrings, and he could no longer blame the freshly-chopped onions boiling beneath him for the salty tears that escaped his eyes.

A quick rap on the door jolted him from his somber moment of reflection. Peeling his gaze from the homely aroma drifting toward his nostrils, Edd hurriedly wiped any evidence from his eyes, willing his weary spirit to stand and trudge to the front door. Pulling the door to an open position, he found nothing but the empty October air to greet his eyes and sting his heart.

Nudging the door back into place, Edd slumped against its hard white wood, slowly slipping to the floor with every intention of possibly sinking inside of it. After a moment of self-degradation, he reluctantly shifted his weight to his feet and resumed an upright position.

Dragging his body back to the kitchen stove, the back door caught his eye for just an instant. Plodding toward the rear of the house with new exasperation, the previously raked pile of leaves beckoned to him from outside. Edd slid the door open to reveal the unmistakable scent of pumpkin wafting through the air, permeating the backyard.

Shuffling in the direction of the ominous pile, the purple clouds overhead glistened with the prospect of rain, but remained unrelieved. Edd halted before the mystifying earthly colors shielding the parched grass. Before he realized his nerves had given way, he felt the mass of swirling color rise to envelop him in a sea of fallen foliage.

Descending into the leafy darkness, he felt a strange weight atop his fragile form, and a panic surged throughout his body. Flapping about in a struggle to free himself, he couldn’t help but liken the situation to that of a misfortunate, land-tossed fish gasping for water-born oxygen. But the source revealed itself when an all-too-familiar voice lunged from above him, pressing into his chest.

“Falling for it as always, huh Sockhead?”

The fond name seared his soul with a vengeance, reaching his sensitive ears even through the muted canopy of color. The leftover leaves floated around him in a mist as the veil fell to reveal what he feared to be true.

“Eddy…!” he managed to choke out, the bewildering sense of touch feeling foreign. His mind reeled in astonishment and confusion as the realization sunk in.

“He’s back….” Emotion bottled up for so long suddenly burst in a flood of feelings, pouring over his being with zealous intent.

He wanted to feel anger…anger at the fleeting emotion of betrayal he had wrought upon his soul. He wanted to feel remorse…remorse for leaving lost days like an abandoned child at the roadside. But all he could feel pumping through his veins was happiness. Glorious, unspeakable happiness!

Edd felt himself overcome with joy as he impulsively squeezed his childhood friend close.

“Jeez, Double D! Miss me much?” the large mass crouching over him evaded the moment, in as much egotistical fashion as in days gone by, but Edd knew he couldn’t possibly escape the rapture either. The familiar nickname was music to his ears! A long-awaited melody restored from a scratched record.

“So, anything happen while I was gone?” Eddy interrogated playfully, relenting to the arms that held him.

Double D recalled the millions of memories, billions of years, thousands of days, hundreds of hours…all drifting painfully by, as the world turned around him while he remained stationary. Every second childhood reminisces returned, he would force himself away from the kitchen window in an effort to retreat from reality…all the while hoping that it was simply a dream.

“Nothing much, Eddy,” he replied in that knowing tone. “Nothing much.”