Preparing for a funeral

Life is a lot like fall, right now.
It's exhillerating to watch leaves turning brilliant shades of red and orange; so bright and thrilling you barely notice it is a signal for a coming death.
But it's coming.
Death is on the crisp morning wind; it bites my cheeks when I'm busy smiling to myself. It swirls up under my skirt hem and reminds me that this is ending.
I feel a need to acknowledge this girl whom I vaguely recognize as myself. She needs to know she's served a purpose and for some reason, that's all about to change.
Carissa leaves this morning, my fellow traveller along the lonely road of insanity. Her leaving is foreshadowing for my own and it's exciting - bright colours flashing through the sky. But with it, something dies.
I'm eager to meet the girl I'll find on the other side of the mirror when life grows again sometime in the spring. I wonder what she'll know. I wonder if her heart will still be in tact.
In the meantime, I'll need to practice the art of self-counsel. Adios Carissa.
"Good luck storming the castle."