The sun shone brightly and warming in the almost white sky. It was mid-October, pumpkins had been carved and placed on porches and on steps in front of the cosy looking houses, illuminating the nights with light from candles.
The narrow, quiet road was lined by tall trees, birches and chestnuts and yellow, red and orange leaves littered the grey asphalt.
Out in that suburban area, the late afternoon air was filled with the rustling of grass and the faint sounds of the busy city with its people always hurrying to get the next subtrans or to get in and out of the tall buildings. But not here. Not here.
Newt had spent the whole day flying kites with his little sister. She was wrapped in a long scarf and a woollen hat, holding a handmade kite in her red, small hands, her laughter still pleasantly ringing in Newt's ears. Their dog had been with them, running around them, barking at squirrels and excitedly running to get the sticks Newt threw, to his sister's delight.
They'd packed a picnic, so they wouldn't have to return too early, but could stay in the, apart from the two of them and a few people jogging or walking their dogs, abandoned. Placed under a large oak tree, they'd eaten PB&J Sandwiches and shard their plans for Halloween and just stared at the bright sky and felt the grass beneath their palms.
When they returned it was almost nearing nightfall, their cheeks flushed red from the cool autumn wind, eyes shining brightly. His sister by the hand and his dog on its leash on his other side, Newt was sure, so far, it had been a perfect day.
"You gonna go to Alby's tonight?" his sister asked, as she was balancing on the edge of the side walk.
"Yeah, I might as well" he said, shrugging and his sibling giggled.
"You're so cute together" she pointed out, having her tiny arms stretched out for a better balance. Their dog barked, as if in agreement.
Newt rolled his eyes at her. "He's my best friend" he said, "we're not 'cute'." Leash in one hand, he performed the quotation marks with his fingers, for emphasis.
"He's your best friend, but you're also in love with him."
For a heartbeat, he thought about protesting, but then he just sighed and said: "Is it that obvious?" She grinned, nodded. They passed the chalk drawings of clouds and flowers and pumpkins and ghosts they'd drawn the two days previous.
A smile had spread across the young boy's face. Genuinely, his features had illuminated.
"See? There! You look very in love, Newtie" his sister said, looking up at him, her round, freckled face so much like their mother's.
"I guess you're right" Newt said, more to himself and they opened the gate and he let his dog from its leash and smelled the familiar scent of the thyme that he had planted with his father in the summer vacation and saw the silhouettes of his parents through the white, thin curtains.
"See who's first at the door?" he offered, flashing his sister a challenging grin, but she just sprinted away on her short legs, their dog following, waggling his tail and after a few seconds of admiring the picture of his home and family and lingering on the thought of seeing Alby later, Newt leaned forward and ran after his little sister.
