Pressing Souvenir

Trotting off the stone path and into the woods properly, Cosette kept her eyes glued to the ground. Another passenger on her most recent train ride had given her a marvelous idea for a seasonal souvenir. A little something to marvel over once winter had taken over autumn in earnest.
They’d struck up a conversation with her after seeing her various knickknacks that she’d been sorting through. She’d had no problem rambling on about her latest additions to her collection, which had somehow led to the two of them lamenting over the approaching loss of autumn. It was then that they’d given her this idea.
This deep into the forest the leaves wouldn’t be as disturbed. Here, she could find the most beautiful of leaves. She couldn’t help but inhale deeply, breathing in the crisp late autumn air, smiling brightly at her warm-hued surroundings. The dark brown of the tree bark stood in stark contrast to, yet melded warmly with, the fallen leaves. The forest floor was littered in crispy browns, brilliant reds, vibrant oranges, and shining golds.
She hummed thoughtfully, considering deeply which leaves to choose. As she did, a gust of wind threw the leaves into a frenzied spiral. She watched with awe.
Within that spiral, a single leaf caught her eye. A pale, bright leaf that came to a single point. Spade-like in shape, smooth at the edges, and somewhat shiny. Not a single brown spot on the leaf. What had drawn her attention the most, though, was the shade of yellow it was. It bore a striking similarity to the petals above her ankles. With a few frantic - and possibly clumsy - grasping attempts, she caught the leaf.
Smooth, but not too limp or soft, but still fresh enough. It would work well, she was sure, and she tucked it into her pocket.
From there it was easy to choose other leaves. If she was stuck, she just compared them to the first leaf. If their shape or color was too similar, she returned them to the leaf litter. After a few minutes, she had ten leaves. Some leaves had holes, some had several points. Some were solid colored, some had spots, some had gradients where their color had still been changing.
Dashing off with her spoils, Cosette was off to buy a newspaper. This was going to be a little trick, what with her tendency for travel, but she was determined to try to make it work. Once she had her newspaper, she settled at a park’s picnic table. Opening up her suitcase, she found a suitable book.
Delicately laying out a page from the newspaper, she began the meticulous process of laying out her leaves. Sure, she could always change the position later, but she wanted to do her best for the little leaves. So she spread them about. After a bit of trial and error, she found a layout that she could be satisfied with.
Careful not to disturb her meticulous layout, she draped another page on top. Finally. Cosette inserted the sandwiched leaves into the center of the large book. She nudged the newspaper pages gently so they could have the best possible position, and, at last, closed the book.
Sighing with relief, glad that all the leaves had survived thus far, she bound the book and returned it to her suitcase. “There!”
Pleased with her little activity, she trotted off to her next adventure while she fantasized about the leaf pressings she’d have in two weeks.