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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
One Untended and Apart
It happened at ‘rows of apple trees in bloom, one untended and apart.’
Long ago, Antonovka, a young mare, harvested apples in her family’s orchard. Her father told her and her brothers, “If you become hungry while you work, you may take two apples from a tree for yourself and eat them, but no more. Put all the rest in the baskets and bring them home. If you take anymore for yourself, we will be hungry in the winter colds and your sickly mother may die.”
Antonovka and her brothers became hungry while they worked gathering apples. They each took two apples for themselves and ate, and then went back to work. Antonovka became hungry again. She saw that she and her brothers had collected a great number of apples in the baskets. She said to herself, “We already have enough. We will not be hungry in the winter colds if I take more than two apples for myself.”
The mare went away from her brothers to a different part of the orchard and took many more than two apples for herself and ate.
When she finished, she was very full and her stomach bulged. She covered up her bulging stomach with a shawl. She wore the shawl all harvest season to hide her bulging stomach from her father and brothers.
That winter, a great famine struck, one of the worst the ponies of the orchard lands had ever seen. Antonovka and her family had eaten the last of their gathered apples before even the harshest of the winter colds had faded. They had not harvested enough. Her brothers cried out in their hunger and dug into the snowdrifts to get at the dead, frozen grass underneath, but they found little and what they ate made them sick.
Antonovka’s mother became thin and weak. She became so hungry that she could not speak or walk. She slept day and night. Secretly, so the others would not hear, the father told Antonovka, “Your mother will die this winter. There is not enough food.” He told her, “Your brothers are sick. There is not enough food. We did not gather enough this harvest.”
Antonovka felt great shame and cried before her father. She removed the shawl, and said, “Look!” She showed him her bulging stomach. She said, “Father, I took many more than two apples for myself and ate them. We did not gather enough because I took many more than two for myself. Do what you must to save my brothers and my mother.”
Her father took her outside into the winter colds, and there he cut open her stomach. He took out the apples she had taken for herself from her burning bowls, lifted them out gently and carefully as he would infants from the womb, and the apples were many. They were overflowing. Her flesh was abundant with shame and nourishment. As Antonovka released the last of her apples, so too did she release her last breath.
The father brought the apples inside to his sons and his wife. They ate, and his wife spoke and walked again. His sons were no longer sick.
The father buried Antonovka in the apple orchard.
Antonovka’s family survived the winter colds.
Come spring, a sapling grew up out of the earth in the spot where the father had buried his daughter. The family did not tend to the sapling. They did not go near it. Over many years, the sapling grew into a tall and wild apple tree. Any who ate of its fruit became sick. The ponies said, “That apple tree is Antonovka, and her selfishness will make you sick. Do not go near her and do not eat of her fruit,” and the tree was called Antonovka, and you must not eat of its fruit, because it will make you sick.
The ponies left the tall and wild apple tree alone, and it grows alone, as all Antonovka trees now do.
It happened at ‘rows of apple trees in bloom, one untended and apart.’
Long ago, Antonovka, a young mare, harvested apples in her family’s orchard. Her father told her and her brothers, “If you become hungry while you work, you may take two apples from a tree for yourself and eat them, but no more. Put all the rest in the baskets and bring them home. If you take anymore for yourself, we will be hungry in the winter colds and your sickly mother may die.”
Antonovka and her brothers became hungry while they worked gathering apples. They each took two apples for themselves and ate, and then went back to work. Antonovka became hungry again. She saw that she and her brothers had collected a great number of apples in the baskets. She said to herself, “We already have enough. We will not be hungry in the winter colds if I take more than two apples for myself.”
The mare went away from her brothers to a different part of the orchard and took many more than two apples for herself and ate.
When she finished, she was very full and her stomach bulged. She covered up her bulging stomach with a shawl. She wore the shawl all harvest season to hide her bulging stomach from her father and brothers.
That winter, a great famine struck, one of the worst the ponies of the orchard lands had ever seen. Antonovka and her family had eaten the last of their gathered apples before even the harshest of the winter colds had faded. They had not harvested enough. Her brothers cried out in their hunger and dug into the snowdrifts to get at the dead, frozen grass underneath, but they found little and what they ate made them sick.
Antonovka’s mother became thin and weak. She became so hungry that she could not speak or walk. She slept day and night. Secretly, so the others would not hear, the father told Antonovka, “Your mother will die this winter. There is not enough food.” He told her, “Your brothers are sick. There is not enough food. We did not gather enough this harvest.”
Antonovka felt great shame and cried before her father. She removed the shawl, and said, “Look!” She showed him her bulging stomach. She said, “Father, I took many more than two apples for myself and ate them. We did not gather enough because I took many more than two for myself. Do what you must to save my brothers and my mother.”
Her father took her outside into the winter colds, and there he cut open her stomach. He took out the apples she had taken for herself from her burning bowls, lifted them out gently and carefully as he would infants from the womb, and the apples were many. They were overflowing. Her flesh was abundant with shame and nourishment. As Antonovka released the last of her apples, so too did she release her last breath.
The father brought the apples inside to his sons and his wife. They ate, and his wife spoke and walked again. His sons were no longer sick.
The father buried Antonovka in the apple orchard.
Antonovka’s family survived the winter colds.
Come spring, a sapling grew up out of the earth in the spot where the father had buried his daughter. The family did not tend to the sapling. They did not go near it. Over many years, the sapling grew into a tall and wild apple tree. Any who ate of its fruit became sick. The ponies said, “That apple tree is Antonovka, and her selfishness will make you sick. Do not go near her and do not eat of her fruit,” and the tree was called Antonovka, and you must not eat of its fruit, because it will make you sick.
The ponies left the tall and wild apple tree alone, and it grows alone, as all Antonovka trees now do.
It happened at ‘rows of apple trees in bloom, one untended and apart.’