What Color are the Leaves

What color are the leaves - This book is intended as an historical fiction. Names, dates, places and events have been changed in keeping with the fictionalization of the narrative. This forward has been added to acknowledge all who gave their lives during these horrific events. May their names never be forgotten.
What color are the leaves
Over the years, Jonathan had come here to stand, sometimes sit, sometimes to whistle as if he had nothing else to do. Other times, he came to talk to Sally who often appeared shortly after Jonathan's arrival.
It's been that way for as long as I can remember, which may not be saying much being that Jonathan's family has been here since the 14th century. They came from Norfolk I've heard people say.
Norfolk, what a distance, why they came, no one remembers but came they did and stayed all the same. His grandfather and great grandfather passed every day along this route to the apple cider presses. Oh no not to drink it but to press it. Each had worked at the mill for years as did so many others.
Well then, there is Betty, she is married to Robert, his family isn't as well rooted as Jonathan's as his didn't arrive from Plymouth until the 1700's, but they too came and they too stayed. So too, had the Gere family, and the Morris, Moore, and the Herbert Amburger families.
Now if I recall correctly, the Amburger family were tailors, the Moore Family had the bakery and the Gere family did the butcher shop, while the Morris family ran the general store for the community.
Odd how these things sometimes come together but they do come together over time. One might remember that funny sort of Easter when they had hidden the eggs early and then it snowed, you can guess what happened, not an egg was found.
I recall very plainly the first time Jonathan strolled by on his own. Very brave he was that day. He made it down the lane several feet before turning back and then raced the rest of the way home as if some old fox or monster were after him. Those mean upper class boys had told him stories and had hidden themselves in the wood of the house in wait of scaring him, poor child.
Odd it was they did this, as each had the same thing done to them at the same age. And yes, each were just as afraid of the wood as they were sure Jonathan would be. Mean boys they were, just mean, and it didn't help them one bit when the war came to England.
And war did come to England, as it did to the rest of the world. We poor English were trapped, fearful to degrees but that's to be expected.