一片葉子落下來（下）

（Freddie and his friends have experienced Spring， Summer and Fall.）

One day a very strange thing happened. The same breezes that， in the past， had made the leaves dance began to push and pull at their stems， almost as if they were angry. This caused some of the leaves to be torn from their branches and dropped to the ground. Leaves fell throughout the park. All the leaves became frightened.

“It’s what happens in Fall，” Daniel told them.“It’s time for leaves to change their home. Some people call it to die.”

“Will we all die？” Freddie asked.

“Yes，” Daniel answered. “Everything dies. No matter how big or small， how weak or strong. We first do our job. We experience the sun and the moon， the wind and the rain. We learn to dance and to laugh. And then we die.”

“I won’t die！” said Freddie with determination. “Will you， Daniel？”

“Yes，” answered Daniel， “when it’s my time.”

“When is that？”

“No one knows for sure，” Daniel responded.

Freddie noticed that other leaves continued to fall. He thought， “It must be their time.” Soon Freddie’s branch was almost bare.

“I’m afraid to die，” Freddie told Daniel. “I don’t know what’s down there.”

“We all fear what we don’t know， Freddie. It’s natural，” Daniel reassured him. “They were natural changes. Why should you be afraid of the season of death？”

“Does the tree die， too？” Freddie asked.

“Someday. But there is something stronger than the tree. It’s Life. That lasts forever and we are all part of Life.”

“Where will we go when we die？”

“No one knows for sure. That’s the great mystery！”

“Will we return in the Spring？”

“We may not， but Life will.”

“Then what’s been the reason for all of this？ Why were we here at all if we only have to fall and die？”

Daniel answered in his matter-of-fact way，“It’s been about the sun and the moon. It’s been about happy times together. It’s been about the shade and the old people and the children. It’s been about the birds and the animals， and the colors in Fall. Isn’t that enough？”

That afternoon， in the golden light of dusk， Daniel let go. He fell effortlessly.

The first snow fell the following morning. It was soft， and white， and gentle； but it was bitter cold. Freddie found himself losing his color， becoming 1）brittle. The snow weighed heavily upon him. Soon he was alone， the only leaf left on his tree.

A short time later， the wind came that took Freddie from his branch. It didn’t hurt at all. He felt himself float quietly， gently and softly downward. As he fell， he saw the whole tree for the first time. How strong and firm it was！ He was sure it would live for a long time and he knew that he had been a part of its life and it made him proud.

Freddie landed on a clump of snow. It somehow felt soft and even warm. In this new position he was more comfortable than he had ever been. He closed his eyes. It was almost like falling asleep. Freddie didn’t know that Spring would follow Winter and that the snow would melt into water. He didn’t know that what appeared to be his useless dried self would join with the water and serve to make the tree stronger. Most of all， he didn’t know that there， asleep in the tree and the ground， were already plans for new leaves and new flowers， for all the wonderful new growth of the Spring.

（弗雷迪與他的伙伴們經歷了春、夏和秋。）

有一天，發生了奇怪的事。以前，微風會讓他們起舞，但是這一天，風兒卻扯著葉梗推推拉拉，幾乎像是生氣了似的。結果，有些葉子從樹枝上被扯掉了，掉落在地面上。整個公園都有葉子掉落。所有葉子都害怕起來。

“秋天就是這樣。”丹尼爾告訴他們，“時候到了，葉子該搬家了。有些人把這叫做死。”

“我們都會死么？”弗雷迪問。

“是的。”丹尼爾說。“任何東西都會死。無論是大是小，是強是弱。我們先做完該做的事。我們感受太陽和月亮、經歷風和雨。我們學會跳舞、學會歡笑。然后我們就要死了。”

“我不要死！”弗雷迪斬釘截鐵地說。“你會死嗎，丹尼爾？”

“嗯。”丹尼爾回答，“時候到了，我就死了。”

“那是什么時候？”弗雷迪問。

“沒有人知道會在哪一天。”丹尼爾回答。

弗雷迪發現其他葉子不斷在掉落。他想：“一定是他們的時候到了。”很快地，整根樹枝幾乎都空了。

“我害怕死去。”弗雷迪向丹尼爾說，“我不知道下面有什么。”

“面對不知道的東西，我們都會害怕，這很自然。”丹尼爾安慰著他，“這些都是自然的變化。為什么要怕死亡的季節呢？”

“我們的樹也會死么？”弗雷迪問。

“總有一天樹也會死的。不過還有比樹更強的，那就是生命。生命永遠都在，我們都是生命的一部分。”

“我們死了會到哪兒去呢？”

“沒有人知道，這是個大秘密！”

“春天的時候，我們會回來嗎？”

“我們可能不會再回來了，但是生命會回來。”

“那么這一切有什么意思呢？如果我們反正是要掉落、死亡，那為什么還要來這里呢？……