Nicholson Clare NicholsonMs. GardnerEnglish 10, Period 2August 30 2014An Unexpected EncounterAutumn leaves painted by the Horae in shades of brown, yellow, and red crunched underneath my worn boots as I walked down the overgrown path dirt that runs next to the creek by my house, my place of refuge when home life was too much to handle. Distracted by the dry leaves catching on my worn shoelaces and the sound of Ed Sheerans God-like voice through my cheap earbuds, I jolted back to reality as I saw someone out of my peripherals walking up the path towards me. I raised my head to give the stranger my signature I-dont-know-you-but-I-want-to-appear-polite smile when I faltered. It was a woman, around seventy years old, with graying hair and a short, sturdy build and blue-gray eyes looking straight towards me. At first, I thought that the lack of sleep from the past week had finally caught up to me and caused hallucinations, but it was too real. The woman, stopped in her path just a few feet in front of me was-I always did used to come here when I needed to get away, didnt I? She had a slightly amused expression in her eyes as she spoke with a voice that I found hauntingly familiar.I raised my eyebrow, perplexed, Excuse me? In response, she just chuckled momentarily before smiling a very sarcastic smile.Well I suppose it isnt as obvious to you as it is to me but, hell, you are me. Yeah, you probably dont believe me but I can see it in your eyebrows. I could remember those terrible eyebrows anywhere. After all, I was cursed with them. Tell me, how old are you these days?Stuttering, I replied, Almost fifteen huh. If youre me, when was I born?Simple. November 15, 1999. You were always one of the youngest in your class. Your favorite color is blue and fourteen, eh? That means that youre with Cody. Things will get complicated with that one, but youll work through it.Rendered almost speechless, I mumbled, Well gee whiz, I suppose stranger things have happened Seventy-year-old me nodded in response and motioned for me to walk with her. Screw it, I thought and walked beside her on the thin path through the brush, trying to think of something to say. I stared off into the distance, the sky as foggy as my mind as she spoke.Hes been diagnosed, hasnt he? I automatically knew that she was referring to my father and I nodded once, too scared to ask what I already knew. She picked up on my silence and took it into her own hands.I know myself well enough that youve already looked at the statistics. You know whats going to happen. You know that Mom is far too optimistic. Im not going to tell you when he does, but he does. But you already know, or at least assume. I would say Im sorry, but that would be rather odd. Besides. I know every single thing that youre feeling right now, for Ive felt it all before. Anyhow, I should probably tell you what happens to you, shouldnt I? I remained silent as she continued.High school isnt the best time of your life, but you will learn who your true friends are. Subject-wise, you gravitate toward math and sciences all four years and go to a decent school, become an engineer. In her late twenties, Erin finally got a boyfriend. After about five years, they married. Mom never dated again after Dad passed. I think That it would be true to say that a little bit of each of us died with him. Considering the rest of the world, global warming got worse. Politicians are still stupid. Good ol Murica is still off fighting wars in other countries. Nothing much has changed, except for the ozone layer and technology. As its gotten more advanced, people have let themselves become absorbed in it. You were always a bit wary of it though. Oh, and J.K. Rowling wrote another book in the world of Harry Potter. It was absolutely dreadful. I, eh, you read it out of curiosity. She paused.You know, youll know all of this soon enough. So Ill just go ahead and tell you something that actually matters, something that youll find uncertain for most of your life.She stopped, rolling back the sweater sleeve on her left wrist, and to my surprise, the delicate skin on her inner forearm was unmarked. Like untouched snow. I glanced down at my own exposed wrist, uneven markings and all, then back at hers. Most things in life are temporary, like those buggers. She gestured to my scars then continued, So dont let them hurt you any more than they should. Dont get hung up on the little things. The little things pass. Big things? Not always. But life shouldnt always be about waiting for storms to pass. Sometimes you just have to learn how to She glanced up at the still-overcast sky thoughtfully, Dance in the rain. With that, she smirked before turning away on her heel walking off the path, into the brush. Stunned by the last twenty minutes, I watched in awe as she walked until she was only a speck in the distance. At that point, the evening light was steadily fading from the sky. Breathing in the cool, moist air, I tilted my face up to the sky and a single drop of water fell from the clouds, landing on my cheek. As I started off on my way home, it began to pour.