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- Posted: Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:26:22 +0000
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The Life of an Apple
By: Jay Logan
Prologue
The year is 2020; the world is finally at some sort of odd peace. The lives and hardships of the recession are over. A little into the summer of 2020 Alien invaders come to Earth in seek of enslaving the human race, and taking it for their own. The world is in awe as the battle through politics and diplomacy commences. Neither side will waver on their stand point; Tensions are high as an all out war begins to brew. The citizen trusts their civil leaders but is they’re trust misplaced?
He sat at the small circular mahogany table, still a little drowsy from the lack of sleep. His fluffy dull black hair in a small pushed up comb over. He looked down at his lit cigarette, filling the room with the sweet scent (only to him of course) of tobacco. Looking himself over from bottom to top to make sure everything was in order, his brown dress shoes polished the previous night before shined brightly. His khaki pants clean and pressed thankfully due to his wife Anna. Along his white collared shirt his name ID hanged loosely about his thick neck. “Dr. Lovelady” is what is said in big black print, and above it, it read Percy Lovelady. In between the two lines was nothing short of a mug shot. On the back ground was a water mark that had a buff hornet for a mascot and Practical collage written around it in a semi circle.
He sighed; the sun was barely peaking over the outer edges of the horizon. Looking over at the clock his dark blue eyes taking in the information of the time lazily it only read 6:50 a.m. He didn’t even have to leave his house until 11:30a.m. He sighed again and took a small drag from his slowly ash crumbling cigarette. Finally with a short exhale of the smoke he put it out in the ceramic ash tray his wife had made him. He smiled to himself as he looked at the ash tray. Most of the art work was done by his wife. He looked over his shoulder thinking her heard a sound. Seeing it was nothing he slowly stood up stretching his hands trying to touch the ceiling with a large yawn, his muscles relived from sitting in the position for so long had gotten stiff. As his arms were above his head he felt two thin female arms wrapping around his waist with a tight hug. He smiled knowing already that it was Anna.
She buried her small round nose into the center of his back her warm face feeling great on his tired back. He heard a muffled voice speak into his back her tired voice a relief to the silence. “Comm mbakk too bedd” he could barely understand her but caught the jest of it. Placing his solid hands over hers he replied “I can’t sleep sweet heart I tossed and turned all night”. She squeezed him tighter with a small yawn escaping her. She turned her head to the side “Then at least make me something to eat”. She said in a tired cute way. He could not resist doing whatever she asked when she was like this. Turning to face her he smiled looking down at her. Her thin brown hair covered most of her face and fell down a little past her shoulder blades. Her thin eye brows curled into a look of pouting, tired, and love. Her eyes were closed and she put her chin on his chest. The slanted outer structure and high cheek bones that Percy fell in love with looked exactly the same as they did six years ago. Her bangs hanged loosely as she flipped her hair to her left revealing sky blue eyes gazing at him. She smiled her thin lips curving over her bright teeth. “Percy can I have eggs, bacon, and toast?” she asked her thing hand gently running over his rough face and his strong jaw line. “Of course Anna” he smiled at her. She squeezed him again then took a seat at the table.
He finished cooking up her bacon and slid it on the plate. The time read 7:45a.m. He set down the plate in front of her with a large glass of orange juice. He sat next to her with a porcelain cub full of joe in his hand taking small reliving sips at a time. He knew he would need it today since he was up five hours earlier than normal. She took a few bites of her food. “Percy how come you can’t sleep now a day?” She asked breaking the silence “I just kept tossing turning” he said. “Are you going to eat something at least hunny?” “Nah I’m not really hungry.” She looked at him with concerning love and got moving to the fridge her green pajama bottoms barley touching the floor. Opening the fridge she pulled out a thick red apple, turning around she smiled triumphantly setting it in front of him. “At least eat this before you go” she said the sun striking her pink top with spaghetti straps. He smiled and took a bite and swallowed it. “Alright sweet heart, hey while your up can you turn on the television please? I want to see what is going on with the alien invasion.” Her face dropped a little as she did. He knew she didn’t like the thought of the aliens but he had to know. As she turned around to turn it on he took another bite the sudden memory of how he asked her to marry him striking him with the force of a breaker wave.
“Oh Percy!” she yelled jumping up and down the picnic he set up in the moonlight dazzling her. “It’s beautiful” she smiled at him. “Well I tried my best to set it up to your liking” he scratched his goatee which was shaven now of course because of his job. She sat down and opened the basket. Pulling out a fresh apple which was Anne’s favorite food, she smiled as she stood up, her eyes sparkling tears in the moon light. Turning around she saw Percy on one knee a wide smile on his face. “Anna we’ve been together for four years and I know that’s a long time but I had to work up the nerve just to ask you.” He smiled as he grabbed her left hand, reaching up he pushed the four hundred dollar ring with a decent sized diamond on top and slid it on to her ring finger. “Will you marry me?” “YES!” She cried pulling him up of his knee and kissing through her sobs, it was passionate and he enjoyed it as he kissed her back and held her close in the moonlight.
He snapped back from his dreamy haze almost instantly. The explosion of volume from the colored television enough to make him jump slightly, Anna looked back him and smiled. “Maybe you shouldn’t go to work Percy, you’re awfully tired.” He considered it briefly and shook his head no smiling back. He wasn’t smiling mainly because of her concern, but because of the warm memory that the apple had given him. He looked at the television screen tuning in slowly, as the reporter was back on the air. The reporter was middle age with the usual amount of make-up she was a darker skin color. She had barely visible brown eyes, and a thin red line of lip stick running across her lips. A pair of pearl ear rings pressed tightly to her earlobe. She spoke with a light but serious tone in her voice. “The aliens have decided to allow the leaders of the UN into their main ship. We don’t have any information at this time. We can only watch and wait and pra
y for the best possible outcome back to you Dan.” The television turned off with a reassuring sigh from Anna. Slowly she moved to Percy sitting on his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck, her legs position so she sat fully on his lap. “Percy will you take me up to bed please?”Anna asked gently resting her head on his chest.
“Yes love” he said picking her up with a smile as he stood up her body limp in his arms as she fell asleep snuggled into his chest he slowly climbed the stairs careful not to bump her head into anything especially her precious paintings. They were all made of apples four of them hanging on the stairwell. Anna always liked apples because she felt there was a deeper meaning to them other then knowledge. She always felt it could be like a human life. The tree is the beginning the apple growing is mid life, and the apple rotting is it dying, and each apple on the tree was connected to each other just like the human race, with Adam and Eve. He smiled down at her kissing her soft forehead lightly as he entered the decent sized bed room. The sun blazing through the window shone brightly on Anna’s delicate features. He looked over at his alarm clock the time red 8:30a.m. Sighing, he set Anna on the queen sized bed with thin cotton sheets and a thick cotton comforter with an Indian dream catcher imprinted on it. The comforter and sheets already pulled back from her getting up a few hours earlier. As he laid her in the bed and turned around to go back down stairs Anna spoke softly again, “Percy lay here with me until you leave for work, please baby?” he could hear how tired she was she was already half asleep.
“Alright hunny” he said softly as he sluggishly made his way to his side of the bed. Slowly laying down and putting his arm around her he felt a slight squeeze from her softy and delicate hands, and a comforted sigh escaped her. He leaned back and set his alarm clock for 11:00a.m and snuggled back into her his face buried into her lavender scented hair as he himself slowly began to go into the realm of half asleep the sun overwhelming his muscles with warmth relaxing them as he began to snore. The alarm buzzed loudly as 11:00a.m rolled around. Percy quickly hit the alarm sitting up he yawned and smiled over at his beloved Anna. She was sound asleep her breathing light as her chest moved up and down, a small smile on her face. Percy put his hand on her hip shaking her gently to wake her up whispering “Sweet heart it’s time to get up for the day.” His voice was soft but adequate enough to wake her up from the deep slumber she resided in. Anna set up and let out a monstrous yawn. “I need to get going Anna or I’m going to be late for work. Can you keep the news on so you know what is going on?” She nodded at him lazily still half asleep. “Drive safe please” she spoke quietly. He nodded and left the bed grabbing his keys off the nightstand.
He quickly walked down the stairs his feet almost at a gallop as he did. He wore a small smile on his face. Opened the door and jogged to the drive out in front of his house. The sun greeted him warmly as he breathed in deeply approaching his car. Fumbling with his keys on his side finally getting them off, just as he did and they key touched the lock on the car Anna let out an ear piercing scream from inside she called out his name “PERCY!” in a Tone of excitement. He dropped everything running to the doorway he had just walked out of not even two minutes before. Suddenly Percy Lovelady blacked out.
The dry dust filled his lungs and scratched his empty airway. His breathing became harder and harder to commence, the impact of what he believed was a nuke that hit Prattical was immense and disoriented him. He kept hearing Anna scream out his name, it echoed in his head rattling his already scrambled brains. He let out a moan of pain. All he remembered was walking down the drive to get to his car fumbling for his keys and hearing that scream from Anna. He laid there driving deeper into his brain of what had happened suddenly it came to him. The sirens erupting around his little world, with the sonic boom of the bomb entering the atmosphere, it was clear the aliens were attacking. He sat up as his hearing came back to him which he wished it hadn’t. A wall of screams and sirens filled the air as the city became under attack. As he slowly stood up all the blood rushing back into his body the sound of grinding gears filled the air as what he thought was alien machines. They were away from him so he didn’t have to fear them yet. He looked around the haze of dust filled the air stinging his eyes. A coughing fit emerged from him hurting him more and more with each passing cough. His neighborhood he had once called home was demolished. None of the houses stood standing no more, worst of all no one was stirring; it was just him by himself. He felt at least two broken ribs as he walked back into the direction of his house. Slowly the dust began to clear near it as Percy feared the worse, and it came true. His house was torn to shreds nothing was even left standing. His thoughts immediately went to Anna his eyes burst into tears as he moved into the house. He knew there was no hope of her being alive but he had to find her and be sure.
He walked through the walk way of the front door the jumbled mess of the upstairs now on the floor of his base floor. He skimmed the area his tears flowing more excessively as his heart yearned for his beloved Anna he entered the kitchen and hit his knees.
Anna lay visibly on the bathroom tile (from the upstairs), a large chunk of the roof had fallen on top of her mid section more than likely suffocating her when she was unconscious. Percy felt a tremor run up his body his rage, sorrow, and hate rolling into one. There laid his wife of two years dead because of the account of two guilty parties. The Aliens and the UN, but worst of all he felt guilty from his part as well. He could have been in that room with her if he wouldn’t have been too stubborn and called in for a sub to stay home with her. The tears ran with more ferocity the streams washing some of the dirty lines from his face. He let out an angry roar hitting the shrapnel on the floor which consisted of wood breaking with a satisfying crunch from his knuckles. He stood up and moved to the nearby granite cabinet which was cracked on top due to the sudden crash of the ceiling. He quickly pulled out his pocket knife that had many uses during his and Anna’s marriage. Slipping it into his pocket he squatted down next to the piece of ceiling concealing his wife’s body. His knees pushing out as much strength as he could muster finally moved the slab of housing off her. He picked her up in his arms pulling her dead body into his arms. He moved over the demolished objects each step a crunch of some sort. Sweat rose profusely around him the scent of Anna’s lavender hair triggering his nose making him cry even more. Finally outside most of the dust cleared from the air he staggered over the lawn dust kicking up from his feet. He moved to the one thing he couldn’t believe was still standing. An apple tree Anna had requested for her wedding gift. He laid her under the tree and got down on his knees his eyes crying all the harder. He looked up, two plumb red apples was together side by side a glassy texture about them. As he looked back at Anna something white was in her hand that did not catch his eye before. Pulling it out his heart stopped and any resiliency or positive thinking he had, left. It was a pregnancy test strip which in the center of it had a “+” stating that it was positive. He and Anna always wanted a child and now it was too late. Percy stared up at the sky broken and emotionless. A haze formed over his eyes as Percy reached into his pocket pulling out the serrated blade. He flicked it open with a thrust of his wrist pressing the cold steel against his throat. He swallowed able to feel it in his hand from the blade. The salvation of the planet meant nothing to him anymore; all he wanted was the salvation from his life. Percy pressed the knife against his throat harder now with that final thought in mind and slid it the gap cutting through his skin as his warm liquid life force flowed out. The blood stained the grass about him as his eyes began to tear once more. His body going cold, and he slumped forward fading into darkness forever more now in the eternal slumber with his beloved Anna. Next to they’re dead bodies in the thick grass laid a rotting apple from the tree that had given it life.
The Life of an Apple
By: Jay Logan
Prologue
The year is 2020; the world is finally at some sort of odd peace. The lives and hardships of the recession are over. A little into the summer of 2020 Alien invaders come to Earth in seek of enslaving the human race, and taking it for their own. The world is in awe as the battle through politics and diplomacy commences. Neither side will waver on their stand point; Tensions are high as an all out war begins to brew. The citizen trusts their civil leaders but is they’re trust misplaced?
He sat at the small circular mahogany table, still a little drowsy from the lack of sleep. His fluffy dull black hair in a small pushed up comb over. He looked down at his lit cigarette, filling the room with the sweet scent (only to him of course) of tobacco. Looking himself over from bottom to top to make sure everything was in order, his brown dress shoes polished the previous night before shined brightly. His khaki pants clean and pressed thankfully due to his wife Anna. Along his white collared shirt his name ID hanged loosely about his thick neck. “Dr. Lovelady” is what is said in big black print, and above it, it read Percy Lovelady. In between the two lines was nothing short of a mug shot. On the back ground was a water mark that had a buff hornet for a mascot and Practical collage written around it in a semi circle.
He sighed; the sun was barely peaking over the outer edges of the horizon. Looking over at the clock his dark blue eyes taking in the information of the time lazily it only read 6:50 a.m. He didn’t even have to leave his house until 11:30a.m. He sighed again and took a small drag from his slowly ash crumbling cigarette. Finally with a short exhale of the smoke he put it out in the ceramic ash tray his wife had made him. He smiled to himself as he looked at the ash tray. Most of the art work was done by his wife. He looked over his shoulder thinking her heard a sound. Seeing it was nothing he slowly stood up stretching his hands trying to touch the ceiling with a large yawn, his muscles relived from sitting in the position for so long had gotten stiff. As his arms were above his head he felt two thin female arms wrapping around his waist with a tight hug. He smiled knowing already that it was Anna.
She buried her small round nose into the center of his back her warm face feeling great on his tired back. He heard a muffled voice speak into his back her tired voice a relief to the silence. “Comm mbakk too bedd” he could barely understand her but caught the jest of it. Placing his solid hands over hers he replied “I can’t sleep sweet heart I tossed and turned all night”. She squeezed him tighter with a small yawn escaping her. She turned her head to the side “Then at least make me something to eat”. She said in a tired cute way. He could not resist doing whatever she asked when she was like this. Turning to face her he smiled looking down at her. Her thin brown hair covered most of her face and fell down a little past her shoulder blades. Her thin eye brows curled into a look of pouting, tired, and love. Her eyes were closed and she put her chin on his chest. The slanted outer structure and high cheek bones that Percy fell in love with looked exactly the same as they did six years ago. Her bangs hanged loosely as she flipped her hair to her left revealing sky blue eyes gazing at him. She smiled her thin lips curving over her bright teeth. “Percy can I have eggs, bacon, and toast?” she asked her thing hand gently running over his rough face and his strong jaw line. “Of course Anna” he smiled at her. She squeezed him again then took a seat at the table.
He finished cooking up her bacon and slid it on the plate. The time read 7:45a.m. He set down the plate in front of her with a large glass of orange juice. He sat next to her with a porcelain cub full of joe in his hand taking small reliving sips at a time. He knew he would need it today since he was up five hours earlier than normal. She took a few bites of her food. “Percy how come you can’t sleep now a day?” She asked breaking the silence “I just kept tossing turning” he said. “Are you going to eat something at least hunny?” “Nah I’m not really hungry.” She looked at him with concerning love and got moving to the fridge her green pajama bottoms barley touching the floor. Opening the fridge she pulled out a thick red apple, turning around she smiled triumphantly setting it in front of him. “At least eat this before you go” she said the sun striking her pink top with spaghetti straps. He smiled and took a bite and swallowed it. “Alright sweet heart, hey while your up can you turn on the television please? I want to see what is going on with the alien invasion.” Her face dropped a little as she did. He knew she didn’t like the thought of the aliens but he had to know. As she turned around to turn it on he took another bite the sudden memory of how he asked her to marry him striking him with the force of a breaker wave.
“Oh Percy!” she yelled jumping up and down the picnic he set up in the moonlight dazzling her. “It’s beautiful” she smiled at him. “Well I tried my best to set it up to your liking” he scratched his goatee which was shaven now of course because of his job. She sat down and opened the basket. Pulling out a fresh apple which was Anne’s favorite food, she smiled as she stood up, her eyes sparkling tears in the moon light. Turning around she saw Percy on one knee a wide smile on his face. “Anna we’ve been together for four years and I know that’s a long time but I had to work up the nerve just to ask you.” He smiled as he grabbed her left hand, reaching up he pushed the four hundred dollar ring with a decent sized diamond on top and slid it on to her ring finger. “Will you marry me?” “YES!” She cried pulling him up of his knee and kissing through her sobs, it was passionate and he enjoyed it as he kissed her back and held her close in the moonlight.
He snapped back from his dreamy haze almost instantly. The explosion of volume from the colored television enough to make him jump slightly, Anna looked back him and smiled. “Maybe you shouldn’t go to work Percy, you’re awfully tired.” He considered it briefly and shook his head no smiling back. He wasn’t smiling mainly because of her concern, but because of the warm memory that the apple had given him. He looked at the television screen tuning in slowly, as the reporter was back on the air. The reporter was middle age with the usual amount of make-up she was a darker skin color. She had barely visible brown eyes, and a thin red line of lip stick running across her lips. A pair of pearl ear rings pressed tightly to her earlobe. She spoke with a light but serious tone in her voice. “The aliens have decided to allow the leaders of the UN into their main ship. We don’t have any information at this time. We can only watch and wait and pra
y for the best possible outcome back to you Dan.” The television turned off with a reassuring sigh from Anna. Slowly she moved to Percy sitting on his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck, her legs position so she sat fully on his lap. “Percy will you take me up to bed please?”Anna asked gently resting her head on his chest.
“Yes love” he said picking her up with a smile as he stood up her body limp in his arms as she fell asleep snuggled into his chest he slowly climbed the stairs careful not to bump her head into anything especially her precious paintings. They were all made of apples four of them hanging on the stairwell. Anna always liked apples because she felt there was a deeper meaning to them other then knowledge. She always felt it could be like a human life. The tree is the beginning the apple growing is mid life, and the apple rotting is it dying, and each apple on the tree was connected to each other just like the human race, with Adam and Eve. He smiled down at her kissing her soft forehead lightly as he entered the decent sized bed room. The sun blazing through the window shone brightly on Anna’s delicate features. He looked over at his alarm clock the time red 8:30a.m. Sighing, he set Anna on the queen sized bed with thin cotton sheets and a thick cotton comforter with an Indian dream catcher imprinted on it. The comforter and sheets already pulled back from her getting up a few hours earlier. As he laid her in the bed and turned around to go back down stairs Anna spoke softly again, “Percy lay here with me until you leave for work, please baby?” he could hear how tired she was she was already half asleep.
“Alright hunny” he said softly as he sluggishly made his way to his side of the bed. Slowly laying down and putting his arm around her he felt a slight squeeze from her softy and delicate hands, and a comforted sigh escaped her. He leaned back and set his alarm clock for 11:00a.m and snuggled back into her his face buried into her lavender scented hair as he himself slowly began to go into the realm of half asleep the sun overwhelming his muscles with warmth relaxing them as he began to snore. The alarm buzzed loudly as 11:00a.m rolled around. Percy quickly hit the alarm sitting up he yawned and smiled over at his beloved Anna. She was sound asleep her breathing light as her chest moved up and down, a small smile on her face. Percy put his hand on her hip shaking her gently to wake her up whispering “Sweet heart it’s time to get up for the day.” His voice was soft but adequate enough to wake her up from the deep slumber she resided in. Anna set up and let out a monstrous yawn. “I need to get going Anna or I’m going to be late for work. Can you keep the news on so you know what is going on?” She nodded at him lazily still half asleep. “Drive safe please” she spoke quietly. He nodded and left the bed grabbing his keys off the nightstand.
He quickly walked down the stairs his feet almost at a gallop as he did. He wore a small smile on his face. Opened the door and jogged to the drive out in front of his house. The sun greeted him warmly as he breathed in deeply approaching his car. Fumbling with his keys on his side finally getting them off, just as he did and they key touched the lock on the car Anna let out an ear piercing scream from inside she called out his name “PERCY!” in a Tone of excitement. He dropped everything running to the doorway he had just walked out of not even two minutes before. Suddenly Percy Lovelady blacked out.
The dry dust filled his lungs and scratched his empty airway. His breathing became harder and harder to commence, the impact of what he believed was a nuke that hit Prattical was immense and disoriented him. He kept hearing Anna scream out his name, it echoed in his head rattling his already scrambled brains. He let out a moan of pain. All he remembered was walking down the drive to get to his car fumbling for his keys and hearing that scream from Anna. He laid there driving deeper into his brain of what had happened suddenly it came to him. The sirens erupting around his little world, with the sonic boom of the bomb entering the atmosphere, it was clear the aliens were attacking. He sat up as his hearing came back to him which he wished it hadn’t. A wall of screams and sirens filled the air as the city became under attack. As he slowly stood up all the blood rushing back into his body the sound of grinding gears filled the air as what he thought was alien machines. They were away from him so he didn’t have to fear them yet. He looked around the haze of dust filled the air stinging his eyes. A coughing fit emerged from him hurting him more and more with each passing cough. His neighborhood he had once called home was demolished. None of the houses stood standing no more, worst of all no one was stirring; it was just him by himself. He felt at least two broken ribs as he walked back into the direction of his house. Slowly the dust began to clear near it as Percy feared the worse, and it came true. His house was torn to shreds nothing was even left standing. His thoughts immediately went to Anna his eyes burst into tears as he moved into the house. He knew there was no hope of her being alive but he had to find her and be sure.
He walked through the walk way of the front door the jumbled mess of the upstairs now on the floor of his base floor. He skimmed the area his tears flowing more excessively as his heart yearned for his beloved Anna he entered the kitchen and hit his knees.
Anna lay visibly on the bathroom tile (from the upstairs), a large chunk of the roof had fallen on top of her mid section more than likely suffocating her when she was unconscious. Percy felt a tremor run up his body his rage, sorrow, and hate rolling into one. There laid his wife of two years dead because of the account of two guilty parties. The Aliens and the UN, but worst of all he felt guilty from his part as well. He could have been in that room with her if he wouldn’t have been too stubborn and called in for a sub to stay home with her. The tears ran with more ferocity the streams washing some of the dirty lines from his face. He let out an angry roar hitting the shrapnel on the floor which consisted of wood breaking with a satisfying crunch from his knuckles. He stood up and moved to the nearby granite cabinet which was cracked on top due to the sudden crash of the ceiling. He quickly pulled out his pocket knife that had many uses during his and Anna’s marriage. Slipping it into his pocket he squatted down next to the piece of ceiling concealing his wife’s body. His knees pushing out as much strength as he could muster finally moved the slab of housing off her. He picked her up in his arms pulling her dead body into his arms. He moved over the demolished objects each step a crunch of some sort. Sweat rose profusely around him the scent of Anna’s lavender hair triggering his nose making him cry even more. Finally outside most of the dust cleared from the air he staggered over the lawn dust kicking up from his feet. He moved to the one thing he couldn’t believe was still standing. An apple tree Anna had requested for her wedding gift. He laid her under the tree and got down on his knees his eyes crying all the harder. He looked up, two plumb red apples was together side by side a glassy texture about them. As he looked back at Anna something white was in her hand that did not catch his eye before. Pulling it out his heart stopped and any resiliency or positive thinking he had, left. It was a pregnancy test strip which in the center of it had a “+” stating that it was positive. He and Anna always wanted a child and now it was too late. Percy stared up at the sky broken and emotionless. A haze formed over his eyes as Percy reached into his pocket pulling out the serrated blade. He flicked it open with a thrust of his wrist pressing the cold steel against his throat. He swallowed able to feel it in his hand from the blade. The salvation of the planet meant nothing to him anymore; all he wanted was the salvation from his life. Percy pressed the knife against his throat harder now with that final thought in mind and slid it the gap cutting through his skin as his warm liquid life force flowed out. The blood stained the grass about him as his eyes began to tear once more. His body going cold, and he slumped forward fading into darkness forever more now in the eternal slumber with his beloved Anna. Next to they’re dead bodies in the thick grass laid a rotting apple from the tree that had given it life.
