A strong, cold wind swept through Enchanted Forest and carried away the very last leaves of autumn.
On a gray Friday evening, a strong, cold wind rushed through Enchanted Forest. It pulled at the last golden leaves still clinging to the bare branches above Mossy Hill.
Rusty the fox cub was walking home when a sudden gust swept past him, lifting dozens of leaves high into the sky at once. "Look, Hazel!" he called to his rabbit friend. "The leaves are dancing!"
Hazel hopped over, and together they chased the spinning leaves across the meadow, laughing as the wind curled them into one great swirling circle above the trees. For a moment, the whole sky turned gold and red.
Owl watched from a low branch, his feathers ruffled by the wind. "That gust just took the very last leaves of autumn," he said gently. "Now winter is truly on its way."
Rusty and Hazel caught their breath and smiled at each other. Then they walked home together through the empty, swirling air, ready for the cold season ahead.
This story is fiction.
Hundreds of students in New Jersey, in the United States, covered a whole football field with food for families in need last month. The event is called the 100-Yard Food Drive Challenge.
At Howell High School, students and volunteers filled the field with thousands of bright yellow bags, from one end to the other. Together, they collected more than 250,000 pounds of food — the most ever gathered by Dermer Dreams, a group that fights hunger.
After the challenge, trucks carried the food to about 30 food banks across New Jersey, including groups called Lunch Break and Fulfill. Many families will use the food this winter.
Organizers said the event showed how young people can work together to help their community. It was the second year for the food drive, and they hope it grows even bigger next year.
Source: Good News Network, "High School Fills Entire Football Field With Groceries for NJ Food Banks", SunnySkyz, "New Jersey Students Fill Football Field With More Than 250,000 Pounds of Food for Families in Need"
Friday is mostly dry across Japan, with sunshine in Tokyo and clouds clearing later in Osaka and Fukuoka. Sapporo has the best chance of rain today.
An umbrella is a good idea in Sapporo today, but a light jacket should be enough everywhere else.
Forecast by: Japan Meteorological Agency, forecast issued November 5, 2026, 5:00 p.m.
James Naismith, a Canadian teacher, was born on this day in 1861. In 1891, he invented a new game using two peach baskets to keep his students active indoors in winter. He called it basketball, and today people all over the world play it.
On this day in 1869, Rutgers and Princeton played the first college football game in New Brunswick, New Jersey. About 100 people watched as Rutgers won, 6 to 4. Players kicked a round ball and could not carry it, so the game looked more like rugby.
On this day in 1910, Japan's first wooden apartment building, called Ueno Club, was finished in Tokyo. The five-story building had about 70 rooms, each with running water and gas for cooking. It showed people a new way to live in the city.
Source: Forbes JAPAN, "November 6 Is 'Apartment Day' in Japan"
Horoscopes are just for fun. Signs are listed by today's luck.
Overall Your luckiest day this week! Good things come easily to you today.
Money A nice surprise with money brightens your Friday afternoon.
Love A friend's kind words make your whole weekend feel special.
Lucky color Golden Yellow
Lucky item a bright badge
Overall A lucky Friday! New ideas move forward more easily than expected.
Money A good chance to save a little extra comes your way today.
Love Someone is thinking about you more than you realize right now.
Lucky color Sky Blue
Lucky item a silver whistle
Overall A productive Friday. Careful work today pays off very soon.
Money A smart, small choice today helps your savings grow steadily.
Love An honest word to a friend brings you closer together.
Lucky color Sage Green
Lucky item a neat notebook
Overall An interesting Friday with small, pleasant surprises along the way.
Money A tiny lucky find with money may brighten your afternoon.
Love A gentle gesture today means more than any big words.
Lucky color Seashell Pink
Lucky item a glass bead
Overall A good Friday to finish small tasks before the weekend begins.
Money A fair plan with money today keeps your weekend relaxed and easy.
Love Someone close enjoys spending quiet time with you after a long week.
Lucky color Warm Copper
Lucky item a small key chain
Overall A balanced Friday. Work and rest fit together nicely before the weekend.
Money Spend only on what you truly need, and stay steady today.
Love A warm, honest moment with family lifts your evening.
Lucky color Chestnut Brown
Lucky item a leather bookmark
Overall A steady Friday with small, pleasant surprises along your way home.
Money A small coin or treat might come your way this afternoon.
Love Family time this evening feels warmer than you expect.
Lucky color Pale Lavender
Lucky item a paper fan
Overall An easy-going Friday. Nothing rushes you, and that suits you well.
Money Keep your spending modest today, and save the rest for the weekend.
Love A calm chat with a friend brings a warm, happy feeling.
Lucky color Dusty Rose
Lucky item a cotton scarf
Overall A plain, calm Friday. Your usual routine carries you through nicely.
Money Simple spending today keeps your weekend plans easy and worry-free.
Love A balanced, gentle talk brings peace between you and someone dear.
Lucky color Powder Blue
Lucky item a round mirror
Overall A quiet Friday. Take things slowly, and tomorrow feels much lighter.
Money Save any extra coins today; they will be useful soon.
Love Give people a little extra patience, and the evening goes smoothly.
Lucky color Deep Burgundy
Lucky item a velvet pouch
Overall A slow Friday. Rest early tonight, and the weekend feels brighter.
Money Hold off on big purchases; a better moment comes this weekend.
Love A quiet night at home brings more comfort than going out.
Lucky color Seafoam Green
Lucky item a warm pillow
Overall A very slow day. Be gentle with yourself, and rest when you can.
Money Keep your plans small today; a brighter day is coming soon.
Love A soft smile today means more to someone than you realize.
Lucky color Dusty Gray
Lucky item a wool hat
We use before and after to show which action happens first and which happens second.
After she ate breakfast, she walked to school.
Answer: After she ate breakfast, she walked to school.
Friday morning came with a thin layer of fog over the garden. Lyn stepped outside before work and counted the chrysanthemum's leaves again — eight now, each one a little rounder than the last.
"Eight already," she said softly, and Star wagged her tail beside her, as if she agreed. Pinkysan watched from the porch, her green eyes following a fallen leaf across the grass.
At the hotel, the morning passed quickly. A family from Osaka asked Lyn for directions to Nara Park, and she drew a small map on hotel paper, marking the path past the old pond. "The leaves should still be lovely there," she told them with a smile.
When her shift ended, Lyn met Linda outside the autumn market near the station. Wooden stalls lined the narrow street, filled with baskets of mikan, bags of roasted chestnuts, and strings of orange dried persimmons hanging in the cool air.
"Mikan or persimmons?" Linda asked, holding up one of each. Lyn thought for a moment. "Persimmons," she decided. "He loved the cake so much. Maybe he'll like these too."
They chose a small bundle of dried persimmons, tied neatly with straw, and the seller wrapped it in soft brown paper. "A good choice," the old woman said kindly. "These are sweet this year."
Back home, Star sniffed curiously at the paper bundle before Linda set it high on a shelf, safely out of reach. Pinkysan circled the kitchen table twice before settling into a patch of evening light.
Over dinner, Linda smiled at the small bundle on the shelf. "One thing done," she said. "Tomorrow, Nara Park?" Lyn nodded happily. "Tomorrow, Nara Park. Only seven days left now."
Outside, the wind had quieted, and the garden sat still under the first stars. The chrysanthemum's eight leaves waited patiently by the persimmon tree, counting down the days along with everyone else.
(To be continued)