一片葉子落下來（上）

（Spring had passed. So had Summer. ）

Freddie， the leaf， had grown. His mid section was wide and strong， and his five extensions were firm and pointed.

Freddie was surrounded by hundreds of other leaves just like himself， or so it seemed. Soon he discovered that no two leaves were alike. Alfred was next to him. Ben was the leaf on his right side， and Clare was the lovely leaf overhead. They had all grown up together. They had learned to dance in the Spring breezes， bask lazily in the Summer sun.

Daniel was the largest leaf on the limb and seemed to have been there before anyone else. It appeared to Freddie that Daniel was also the wisest among them. It was Daniel who told them that they were part of a tree. It was Daniel who explained that the tree had strong roots in the ground below. It was Daniel who told them that they were growing in a public park. He explained about the birds who came to sit on their branches and sing morning songs. He explained about the animals， the sun， the moon， and the seasons.

Freddie loved being a leaf. He loved his branch， his light leafy friends， his place high in the sky， the breeze that jostled him about， the sun’s rays that warmed him， the moon that covered him with soft， white shadow. The long hot days felt good and the warm nights were peaceful and dreamy. There were many people in the park that Summer. People often came and sat under Freddie’s tree. Daniel told him that giving shade was part of his purpose.

“What’s a purpose？” Freddie had asked.

“A reason for being，” Daniel had answered.“To make things more pleasant for others is a reason for being. To make shade for old people who come to escape the heat of their homes is a reason for being. To provide a cool place for children to come and play. To fan with our leaves the picnickers who come to eat on 1）checkered tablecloths. These are all reasons for being.”

But Freddie’s Summer soon passed. It vanished on an October night. He had never felt it so cold. All the leaves shivered with cold. In the morning， they were coated with a thin layer of white. It has quickly melted and left them dew 2）drenched and sparkling in the sun. Again， it was Daniel who explained they had experienced their first frost， the sign that it was Fall and that Winter would soon come.

Almost at once， the whole tree， in fact， the whole park was transformed into a blaze of color. Alfred had turned a bright yellow. Ben had become a deep red. Clare a yellow orange， Daniel a rich golden brown and Freddie was red and gold and orange. How beautiful they all looked. Daniel told Freddie that this wonderful season was called Fall.

（春天已經過去，夏天也這樣走了。）

葉子弗雷迪長大了。他長得又寬又壯，五個葉尖結實挺拔。

弗雷迪的身旁有成百上千的葉子，都跟他一模一樣——看起來是這樣。不過，他很快就發現沒有兩片葉子是真的一樣的。弗雷迪的左邊是阿弗烈，右邊是班，他的頭頂上是可愛的克萊爾。他們一起長大，學會了在春風吹拂時跳跳舞，在夏天懶洋洋地曬曬太陽。

丹尼爾是這根樹枝上最大的葉子，好像在別的葉子都還沒出現的時候就先長出來了。弗雷迪還覺得丹尼爾是最聰明的。丹尼爾告訴大家說，他們都是大樹的一部分，說大樹有強壯的根深深埋在地底下，說他們生長在公園里。他還解釋那些早上飛到枝頭上唱歌的小鳥。動物、天上的太陽和月亮，還有季節的變化，不管什么東西，丹尼爾都有一套道理解釋。

弗雷迪覺得當葉子真好。他喜歡他的樹枝、他輕盈的葉子朋友、他高高掛在天上的家、把他推來推去的微風、曬得他暖洋洋的太陽，還有在他身上灑下溫柔潔白身影的月亮。他喜歡漫長炎熱的白天，而溫暖的黑夜靜靜的，最適合做夢。那年夏天，公園里來了許多人。他們常常來到弗雷迪的樹下，坐在那里乘涼。丹尼爾告訴他，給人遮蔭是葉子的目的之一。

“什么叫目的？”弗雷迪問。

“就是存在的理由，”丹尼爾回答道。“讓別人感到舒服，這是個存在的理由。為老人遮蔭，讓他們不必待在炎熱的屋子里，也是個存在的理由。讓小孩子們有個涼快的地方可以玩耍，用我們的葉子為來到樹下在格子布上野餐的人扇風，這些，都是我們存在的理由啊。……