Aspazia pushed the hair out of her eyes, staring up at an unfamiliar tree. She was trying to decide if to climb it and get a few fresh leaves to study or pick a few off the ground. Fresh leaves were the best choice, so she could get a feel of the texture, thickness and range of colour. But the leaves on the ground were easier to get hold of... She considered this decision carefully, since her tree climbing experience was limited and there were no branches in immediate reach.
Climb or not climb? But what if she fell? That would be embarassing. At least there was no one to see her. On the other hand, what if she fell and got hurt? There would be no one to help her either. Between physical pain and embarassment, she couldn't decide which was worse. (Physical pain, yes, but only marginally). Maybe the wind would pick up and it'd knock down a few leaves. That could work, too. The wind, however, only seemed to want to pick up when she was rearranging leaf samples and NOT when she was trying to collect them; the air was as still as a spooked bunny on the wolves' night out.
Sighing in resignation, she carefully placed her backpack on the ground and began the horrible process of climbing up the tree, all the while cursing herself for not having had a more active childhood. It was painfully obvious, though, that her efforts could be characterized more as "tree-hugging" than "tree-climbing" and she gave up not a few seconds later, breathing heavily and cursing her pathetic physical condition. She took a step back and looked up at the tree, asking herself if a few leaves were really worth it...
