Favorite Season 

By Paige Tremblay 
My favorite season is fall. Not because the leaves are so beautiful that people come from miles just to see the foliage in Vermont, not because I hate the below zero temperatures of the winter months, and not because I am afraid of bees and getting lobster red in the summer. I love fall because of the way it smells and the way it makes you feel. 

It's the smell of autumn I love the most-
the damp decay of leaves and old undergrowth,
permiable in the air of every forest shedding foliage.
I've spent hours with that smell,
watching sunlight stream through brilliant orange and honey gold,
spattering the earth like resin or paint
in small brushstrokes.
The weather's my favorite too-
brisk enough for sweaters and soft, fuzzy things,
drinking hot tea to fight of the crisp snaps of cold.
It smells fresher in the mornings, that chill, 
and when the dawn breaks the horizon,
she smiles all the kinder on you in her warmth.
And that's all not to mention the seasonal things,
the lingering taste of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves
in every drink and desert-
the dazzle of fabrics and makeup and costumes galore, 
the decorations and atmosphere that come with Halloween.
I love the other seasons too, don't get me wrong-
each has it own pros and cons,