The empty crisp packet flew across the road, not a single care about the cars whizzing past, fast, and settled itself in a tree that had already shed it's leaves and they now lay dry and dead like a red and brown carpet at the tree's roots.

"Winter's coming..." I spoke, and with it, exposed my lack of concentration. My mother had been trying to talk me into university.

"You're supposed to get your applications in quickly! But how could you manage that if you struggle keeping simple conversation?"

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, as I watched some birds eye the crisp packet uneasily.

If I was honest with my mother, I would have explained that I couldn't care less about university, education, qualifications, career prospects, family and 'life' in general. But I held it back. That wasn't how our relationship worked, although sometimes I wish it did.

"You know I'm only nagging like this because I care? I just want to make sure you don't regret things like this 15 or 20 years down the line."

"I know, mum." And I did. And I hugged her.

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We'd been out shopping together, so when we got back we found my dad watching the football with one of his work colleagues. Younger work colleague admittedly, but still moronic and obnoxious as any red-blooded male.

"Eh, Jim? Is your daughter into all that emo, poppy punk music still?"

My dad sighed. Not for me though.

"Ahhhyeah." (He was the master of turning a sigh into a word). "I played her the Eagles from a young age, made her listen to Queen, even Bowie couldn't help her. I don't really understand where it went... GOAL!!!"

England had scored. Well, I guess they had. Football is a foreign language to me, but it did give me the chance to sneak upstairs and think about how I kinda liked David Bowie. I would never tell my dad though.

I sat at my desk by my window and stared outside. I enjoy the transition the world makes when winter comes. It gets darker quicker and everything natural becomes bare and empty until a headlight or a car light shines upon it, and reflecting of its damp surface from a rain that can feel so cold, it could make ice cooler.

The lights make the nights feel like magic, the bare-branched trees give that spooky edge to the day and the people feel less inclined to speak to me. And this makes me less inclined to speak to them.

And this makes me happy.

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Just a young girl's view in a basic family life during the autumn and winter seasons.

I've been trying to create some themes but this story seems to be taking me places that I hadn't intended!

updated Oct 16, 2008 by RockLobster