I wanted to help Miles learn about why the leaves fall. I looked for stories online and found a few but none were quite as I wanted. Below is one I found but then mashed up, added bits , deleted bits and completely changed in parts.
Once upon a time a little leaf was heard to sigh and cry, as
leaves often do when a gentle wind is about. A nearby twig said, "What’s the matter, little leaf?"
And the leaf said, "The wind just
told me that one day it would just pull me off and throw me down to the ground!"
The twig told this to the branch on which it grew, and the
branch told it to the tree. And when the tree heard it, it rustled all over,
and sent back word to the leaf, "Do
not be afraid. Hold on tightly, and you shall not go till your job is done."
And so the leaf stopped sighing, and began to wonder. It didn’t
know it had a job. It thought it was
just there to look pretty.
Later, when the wind had passed and all was still, the little
leaf asked the twig, ‘what is my job big
twig?’ The twig smiled warmly at the
leaf and said, ‘oh little leaf, you and
every other leaf are hugely important.
Without leaves like you I wouldn’t be here. Our tree wouldn’t be here. You have one of the most important jobs of
all! You are our food factory. The special green colouring in your leaves
mixes with sunshine and makes food for our tree. Food that can be used for growth and to be
stored up for the cold grey days of winter’
Upon hearing this news the little leaf felt very important. It was proud of having such an important job
to do. It danced up and down merrily, as
if nothing could ever pull it off. And so it grew all summer long, green and
bright, capturing sunlight and making food for the tree.
When the bright days of autumn came the little leaf noticed that
he was no longer growing. The sun didn’t
shine so brightly and the days grew shorter.
He looked around and saw all the leaves around him becoming very
beautiful. Some were yellow and some red, and some striped with both colors.
He asked the tree what this meant. And the tree said, "Summer is over and the days are
getting shorter. There soon won’t be
enough sunlight for you to trap, so it’s time for the leaf food factories to
close down for the winter. You are
loosing your green glow of the food factory and must now put on your beautiful
colours ready to fly’
Then the little leaf began to want to go too, and grew very
beautiful in thinking about it. The day
came when the little leaf was as beautiful as could be, golden and red.
Just then a little puff of wind came, and, knowing that his very
important job as a food factory for the tree was done, the leaf let go. The wind took him up and turned him over and
over, and whirled him like a spark of fire in the air, and then dropped him gently
down under the edge of the fence, among hundreds of leaves, where he fell into
a dream, and he never woke up to tell what he dreamed about.
