The Autumn Scenery That Is Still Burned Into My Memory

The theme for this month has been announced in Kaze no Boushi-san's membership ^ ^

The autumn scenery that is still burned into my memory.

It is something so beautiful that it is hard to put into words,

the autumn leaves.

My parents' home is located in the mountains.

Every year, the mountains turn beautiful with autumn colors around mid-October.
Lately, due to global warming, this has been pushed back.

My memory is a bit hazy, but since I already had my driver's license, it must have been when I was a university student or after I started working.

I usually visit home during Golden Week, Obon, or New Year's, but I only went back in October once.

I think that was probably the only time I visited home in October.

It was a year when the autumn leaves were particularly beautiful, and my mother said,

"I'll take you somewhere nice."

and invited me along.

I remember driving unsteadily, so it might have been around my third year of university.

Maybe it was a drive for just the two of us, with my mother, also serving as practice for me since I had just gotten my license.

It was a 30-minute drive to the next town.

We turned left off the national highway and onto a mountain road.

"If we go up this way, there's a park on top of the mountain, so let's go there."

I drove up, feeling nervous about driving on this mountain road.

A road without even a guardrail.

The uphill side was on the cliff side.

It was incredibly scary.

If I made a mistake while driving, I would fall off the cliff.

The road was narrow, and I wondered what I should do if a car came from the opposite direction.

I drove on a road that was full of such heart-pounding moments.

But the autumn leaves from that road were,

absolutely the best!

Since there were no guardrails, the cliff side was entirely covered in red, yellow, and brown maple leaves.
red, yellow, and brown maple leaves.

The autumn leaves also caught my eye from the mountain side on my right.

The expression 'being drawn in'

is something I can only think of when it comes to the autumn leaves there.

To my mother sitting next to me,

"Is the left side okay? Are we going to fall?"

I asked her repeatedly while driving through the incredibly beautiful autumn leaves.

The park on top of the mountain was buried in fallen leaves, which was also beautiful.

I made a U-turn while crunching on the fallen leaves.

But,

"I'm too scared now, so let's switch drivers!"

I asked my mother, and we headed down the mountain.

It was truly beautiful.

It seems that park has been closed down now.

Since bears probably come out around here lately, even the locals seem too afraid to easily go into the mountains.

I hear that autumn leaves become more beautiful when it suddenly gets cold.

I wonder how it will be this year.

That breathtaking, mesmerizing autumn foliage.

Something unique to being deep in the mountains.

I feel happy that I have that memory.

The autumn leaves are just starting back at my parents' home.

Every time I call my mother during this season,

I find myself asking,

"Have the mountains turned colors yet?"

I hope they turn beautiful colors again this year. They really are so beautiful.

#GardenOfWords