Entry 15 | Autumn Vibes: Short Stories to Fall For

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHvTfUlDSv8

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Autumn is my absolute favorite. There's something about the falling of the leaves, the light softening, and the invitation to pull inward that fills me with deeper gratitude and stronger creativity. When fall arrives, I feel more reflective, and I write more. Stories that echo autumn's vibe—crisp air, golden light, melancholy, warmth—captivate me.

If you’re curious to begin or deepen an autumn themed reading tradition, here are some short stories & reflections I’ve discovered, plus a piece of my own, entitled Our Number, that captures this season’s mood:

• The More Things Change (An Autumn Reflection) by Jennifer Dukes Lee — a beautiful reflection on mothering, change, and holding tight to what remains as days shorten.

As I was reading the reflections of this mother watching her two daughters, I couldn't help but think about my two nieces and how much time has indeed passed. I can sometimes see myself and my sister in them; it is eerie to say the least, eerie and sobering. This short story perfectly embodies the call to reflection that autumn beckons.

• Like Autumn Leaves by Storm Blakley — a poetic, atmospheric short story full of sensory detail about wilderness, leaves, and quiet moments under canopy.

I love a gothic, dark, and reflective tale during this season and this short story takes me there as it beautifully associates the warmth and familiarity of fall to the peace of death, which is gracefully personified in the end.

• Love Among Autumn Leaves: A Short Story by The Vault Publication — a wistful tale of confession and first loves with autumn setting the mood.

Music plays a role in setting the tone for the season of autumn and this short story illustrates just how. I love how the author takes us on a fall walk and allows us to reminisce with the character about a love lost. The diction so well explains the character's feelings, and I can almost hear the playlist through his earbuds and the crunching leaves under his feet.

Then there’s Our Number, my own story that I wrote for a writing contest in fall 2024. I was inspired by the French who tend to write in a way that make the mundane amusing. Written in the first-person perspective of an adored unnamed wife, the story captures the love of a dedicated couple with the backdrop being a crisp and slow evening in autumn.

Autumn nudges me to sit still, to listen—listen to the way words fall like leaves. And writing becomes easier in the hush of evening, the smell of earth, the quiet that invites memory. I hope these stories give you the same kind of inspiration, whether you’re sipping cider, wrapped in a blanket, or watching leaves swirl outside your window.

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Discussion: Which autumn element—falling leaves, golden light, crisp air, harvest smells, or something else—calls to your creativity? And what short story or reflection would you add to this list to kindle that feeling?