Excerpt: Mad City Blues

Autumn was settling into The City. It tended to move slowly but become firmly entrenched before a lot of time could pass and stay for a good while before making way for the arrival of winter.
The first indication of the time of year was the fact that, at first glance, the leaves on the trees were starting to turn pretty shades of red, gold, and orange.
The City did get cold in the winters, and the two lakes surrounding it tended to freeze, at least partially, when the temperatures dropped enough. However, it was not yet time for winter to be even attempting to make inroads and so it was Autumn's turn.