This is my contribution to the GWP "Fall Memories". The six elements to be included in this story are the phrase "It's perfect football weather," hot chocolate, a long-lost relative, a new sweater, jumping into a pile of leaves "Linus" style and a large, green un-ripe pumpkin.

A Day To Remember

By Lori

Trixie couldn't believe that Fall had finally arrived! It was her favorite time of the year and she had so many things that she wanted to do that she didn't know where to begin. She lifted the kitchen window wide open and closed her eyes, breathing in the smell of crisp fallen leaves. She walked over to the kitchen table armed with paper and pencil and made a list of her Fall plans while the gingham curtains danced in the chilly autumn breeze.

"Let's see," Trixie said, looking up towards the ceiling while absent-mindedly tapping her pencil to her cheek. "Go to the Sleepyside Harvest Festival," she mouthed while writing her list. "Go on the haunted hay-ride, drink apple cider by the gallons, make pumpkin pie and caramel apples, help Bobby make a scarecrow, carve a pumpkin ... "

BANG! Trixie nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of the slamming kitchen door. She looked up to see Dan striding across the kitchen with what looked to be like a green un-ripe pumpkin firmly secured in the crook of his arm. He flashed a brilliant smile at her in which she couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked in his new warm burgundy knit sweater she had bought him for his birthday.

Getting over the flip flop her stomach had just performed at the site sight of him, she quickly scolded him.

"Jeepers Dan! You could have given me a heart attack!"

"Sorry 'bout that, Trix," Dan said as he placed the pumpkin onto the table. "Like my pumpkin?"

"Well, er, yeah," Trixie stammered looking at Dan with a quizzical look on her face. "What do you plan on doing with that?"

"I'm going to help Bobby decorate it and then enter it at the Harvest Festival Pumpkin decorating contest. We're banking on the fact that no one else will have a green decorated pumpkin, so it will surely stand out and have a good chance at first place!"

"Good thinking," Trixie replied breaking into a smile. "Was this your idea or the munchkins?"

"My idea, of course!" Dan said, feigning to be hurt and offended at the mention that Bobby had came up with the idea.

Trixie patted Dan on the arm as she playfully admonished him. "Now, now, don’t get all juvenile on me or I’ll have to send you to time out."

Just then the wind became quite blustery and the kitchen felt as if it had dropped 10 degrees.

"Bbbrrrrrr," Trixie said shivering and hugging her arms around herself. "I think we need to make hot chocolate!" Trixie walked across the kitchen to close the window before getting the chocolate syrup out of the refrigerator.

"I'll help you make it," Dan offered. He lifted a boiler off the pot rack, placed it on a stove eye, and turned the control dial to "medium". He poured in the milk while Trixie added the chocolate syrup. They took turns stirring the hot chocolate until it came to a gentle boil and filled the room with a wonderful aroma.

Trixie took out a tray and set out two mugs, two spoons and a bag of marshmallows. . Trixie poured the hot chocolate, then Dan carried the tray over to the table while she followed with a plate of oatmeal raisin cookies.

"I'm having deja vu " Trixie suddenly said. "It feels like we've done this before." She giggled and placed the plate of cookies onto the table while Dan quickly added marshmallows to his hot chocolate so they could melt.

"How do you mean, Trix?"

"Well, it just seems this has happened before except there were more people in the kitchen. The word "Ka-boom" keeps popping into my mind as well."

"Ah, yes!" Dan laughed heartily, thinking back to Memorial Day when Nick Robert’s father’s shop had caught fire.  Bobby had ran through the door as they were making hot chocolate yelling "ka-boom!"

Trixie smiled and watched Dan drink his hot chocolate.

After draining the last drop of her own hot drink, Dan picked his napkin up off of the table and leaned over to pat her moustache.

"You really should try out for a "Got Milk" commercial, Trixie."

Trixie batted her eyelashes at him while striking a pose. Feeling playful, she stood up and held her hand out for Dan to take.

"Let’s blow this joint and go outside and have a little fun in the leaves!" Dan took her hand and, as they headed out the door, Dan grabbed two suckers out of the Halloween trick-or-treat bowl that was sitting on the counter and handed one to Trixie.

They headed out back towards the old Crabapple trees and grabbed two rakes that had made their home leaning up against the old barn where they were last placed.

With rakes in hand they made a huge pile of leaves while enjoying their suckers. "Oh, this is perfect football weather," Trixie said looking up into the clear, deep, blue sky. When the pile was large enough, they backed up about 15 feet from the pile and joined hands.

"Okay, on the count of three!"

"One, Two, THREE!"

They took off into a dead run. With suckers still in their mouths, they jumped as high as they could. They both disappeared beneath the pile of dead foliage. Trixie was the first to emerge laughing so hard she almost choked. When Dan sat up, he held his sucker into the air.

"We've just pulled a "Linus!" Dan chortled . "Remember on "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" when Linus jumps into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker?"

Trixie was laughing so hard she had to plop back down into what was left of their nice, big pile of leaves.

"Leaf Fight!" shouted Dan as he scooped a pile of leaves into his hands and showered Trixie with them.

As leaves and the sounds of teenage giggles flew through the air, neither of them noticed the black sedan that had pulled into the driveway at Crabapple Farm.

It wasn't until they heard an "uh-hem" that they looked up and noticed an attractive, older woman standing outside the gate, shielding her eyes from the bright autumn sun.

"May I help you?" Trixie asked as she stood and brushed leaves from her clothes.

Trixie looked over at Dan, who had stopped dead in his tracks with an incredulous look glued onto his face.

"Mom?" Dan barely whispered.

The woman had brought her hand down, no longer shielding her eyes to reveal tears streaming down her face. Biting her lip, she gave a short nod. Without hesitating, Dan took off running and leapt over the fence scooping her up into his arms.

"Mom, I thought, well, everybody thought you were dead. Is this really you? What happened? Why did you let me think you were dead all this time?"

Dan's  mom stepped back and rubbed her hands up and down his arms. "I know, son, it was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but under the circumstances I had no choice."

But I’m confused and I don’t understand."

"Tell you what, Danny.  Let's go inside where it’s warmer and I’ll tell you everything."

Dan put his arm around his mom and led her to the door of Crabapple Farm.

Through the laughing and crying Trixie felt a tear escape from her own eye. Astounded,  she watched the beautiful reunion of mother and son unfold.  She couldn't help thinking through her own smiles and tears, "This will be my best Fall memory ever!"