ㅡDEAD LEAVES IN AUTUMN HAVE ALWAYS BEEN BEAUTIFUL.

Oddly enough, I always found myself sitting in a bench in the Shinjuku park, enjoying the silence save for the rustling of leaves and distant chirping of birds... the cold wind caressing my bare cheeks was like a phantom mother's touchㅡ something that I wasn't really familiar with, yet still a nice feeling to know nonetheless.

The peacefulness of the area was a great place for creative people like me to thrive in; I can easily focus with little to no distractions.

I took my sketch pad along with a pencil and eraser out of my bag filled with art materialsㅡ from color pencils, oil pastels to nearly run out paint, I practically have everything I ever need for any type of art project... except for canvases... i would cry tears of joy when foldable canvases would be created.

One thing I enjoyed about my career as an artist was that I wasn't cooped up in an office with plain walls and an uncomfortable chairㅡ an environment that would obviously kill my creativity due to the limited ideas I can get there.

My boss understood that, so he set for us employees in specific departments to be more on our feet outside the building as long as we submit our works before set deadlines. So far, no one had given an overdued assignment which was rather impressive.

I scan the area, looking for anything that caught my eye enough to make me want to sketch it out.

The area was beautiful, yet not too overwhelmingly so which was nice. It was enough for me to pick apart some details that stood out from others... where I was gave a perfect view of the more colorful and bushy area across the lake with some people walking around and about. It made me smile how everyone was respectful to keep and maintain the peaceful atmosphere.

I settled more into the bench that I sat on, made sure my bottom wouldn't get sore so fast as I was sure I would be staying there in that same position for a couple of hours from now.

I planned on sketching my point of view with the scenery of the colorful area across the lake as the background. The view was beautiful with the way the sunlight perfectly shone in certain areas and the water in the lake reflecting. But before I could draw so much as a line, my eyes suddenly turns to my right when I notice a movement in my peripheral vision I was immediately aware wasn't from the orange leaves of the trees.

I specifically chose this spot because no one was here... had I not seen them earlier? Or had they not seen me before settling?

I caught sight of the young woman, probably in her early to mid twenties, a couple benches away from me with a giant and oddly shaped bag I couldn't properly make out from where I sat.

Her red hair that was in a loose, low ponytail with overgrown bangs framing her face was somehow both eye-catching and basic. Freckles decorated her nose and cheeks like tiny stars in a night sky that were slightly obscured behind transparent glasses, her cheeks not too chubby nor too slim, lips plump but smallㅡ casually cute like the rest of her features. Her outfit was a basic pair of a sweater and shin-length skirt matched with old and slightly worn Nike sneakers.

Conservative and casual.

All in all, she just seems... normal. Like the type of person who wouldn't stand out in a crowd, but be rather somewhat eye-catching if she sat by herself.

She seems like the quiet and mysterious type, maybe a little stern with her facial features, but then again, I couldn't just judge someone based on appearances alone.

It was probably creepy in a third person's perspectiveㅡ I was very much awareㅡ but I merely sat there in silence, looking at her, scrutinizing for any tiny details with a gaze in my eyes I couldn't pinpoint properly.

Interest, was it? I wasn't sure. One thing I was sure of, however, was that the woman had unknowingly caught my eye.

She was simply dressed, didn't stand out muchㅡ normal, yet there was just something unknowingly beautiful about her that it made my head ache to even think about what it was.

It gave me a feeling of mystery, and at the same time this unsettling churn in my gut the more I stared at her basic yet somehow umique features.

I watched as she zipped open the oddly shaped bag she had with her before carefully pulling out what was inside along with a small chip.

It was a guitar.

Perfectly well-maintained with the shiny, varnished wood with some new strings mixed with visibly older ones.

'So she's a musician..' I thought in my head, pushing the loose strands of my own black hair back as she puts down the bag on the cobblestoned floor before sitting on the bench, the string instrument's body on her lap as she held the neck with her left hand, fixing and adjusting on the tuning pegs as she strummed the strings one by one before humming in content at the end.

She lightly strummed the strings with her right hand's fingers, a melodic sound immediately echoing in the peaceful park that seemingly had the same energy and feeling as the autumn season they were currently in.

It didn't take long until she began to sing, strummed the strings with expertise with half-lidded eyes.

Her voice wasn't loud or exaggerated, but rather soft and calming to the ears of whoever heard it even from far away. Suprisingly so, despite not every word that came out of her mouth being fully audible due to the distancr, I could still feel the emotions the song held.

"sweet november flowers
our journey has come to an end
close the book
drop the curtains
bow your wilted heads
the finale is over
it is time to rest and say goodbye
our withering chrysanthemums"

I closed my eyes, allowed myself to be swayed by the melodious music that reminded me so much of a lullaby. Absolutely soothing.

I didn't want to interrupt her and her wonderful playing, so I silently stayed in my own bench, tilted my body slightly to face the singing woman, stared and scrutinized every detail about her before beginning to sketch with a smile.

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Wrote this story way back in 2021, reread it and thought it was a little too good to stay in my drafts. Chapters here won't be very long as i'll focus more in quality hehe<3

Constructive criticism is always welcome and greatly appreciated!<333