Fall, interchangeably

fall, v.

I was planning to write about how the sun casts shadows differently at 4pm because it’s my favourite time, 4pm, when the sun is gentle and looks like it wants to savour you in its warmth, but then I looked outside and watched the wind carry the leaves away and all I could think about is how I don’t like things that fall because they remind me of your lashes.

fallen, adj.

He’s trying. He’s trying to look her in the eye because that’s the only way to convince her that no, he’s not affected by this accidental run-in. It’s just another encounter with a girl you used to hold and kiss, sometimes under the moonlight, in the car, at a McDonald’s drive-thru, in the hallways between classes just to spite her ex.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I learned karma doesn’t discriminate. The audience hoots.

falling (out) n.

In primary school, they tap-danced in the rain — pretended to have superpowers that could cure each other from the cold they had the entire week after. They learned to climb on window sills so they could sneak out at midnight to watch the stars together and talk about how many arcade machines their spaceship that would one day take them to Jupiter should have. In middle school, they realised Jupiter is made of gas and it would suck not being able to sleep on a solid mattress, so they decided to stick to staying on Earth, even if it meant they had to do algebra pop quizzes. In high school, they kissed two boys each and didn’t tell one another over a video call until they got to university. In third year, they accidentally met at the bakery down their childhood street during winter break, laughing at each other’s hair colour that was now less country and more city. Promised they’d hang out again in the summer when they’d both be in town — but 2 years have passed since then, and at age 23, they occasionally double-tap on each other’s pictures, just to let the other know they’re not dead.

Prompt: Falling leaves in autumn