Leaf Burning：那年秋天，他点燃了最后一堆落叶，也点燃了我的泪 - 英语小小孩

My grandfather loved the fall.Every year at the end of October, he would gather all the yard's leaves in neat piles along the curb and begin burning them.All along the avenue, as far as one could see, leaves would be burning.I used to wonder if it were prearranged—this ritual of disposal.I never heard Papa phone anyone and say, “Well, today is the day. I’ll see you at the curb.”No—it just sort of happened.The fires would start in the late afternoon, when the winds were low, and continue into the early hours of dusk.The dying embers barely discernible by the time we children had to go in. Papa 很爱秋天。每年十月底，他都会把院子里的落叶整整齐齐地扫到路边，然后开始焚烧。那时候整条街上都能看到冒烟的落叶堆。我常常好奇，这种处理方式是不是大家事先约好的仪式，因为我从没听见他打电话通知谁说“今天就是那天，路边见”。但这件事就那样自然而然地发生了。火堆通常在傍晚风小的时候点起，一直烧到黄昏深处。当我们这些孩子要进屋时，火星几乎已经看不清了。 Leaf burning was a family affair—a part of autumn I looked forward to every year.Adults raked all day, trying to keep the laughing children from running and jumping into the leaves before...