The Apple

It was common knowledge in Eden that there was something special about the Apple Tree at the center of the city. It was a tall and magnificent tree, with bright green leaves that shine brilliantly under the sunlight. But what truly set it apart from the ordinary apple tree was its singular Apple hanging from one of its lower branches, low enough that even a child could pick it off if they were on the tips of their toes.

The Apple was bigger than most and coated with a beautiful dark red, the kind of red that spills out of heretics' gullets when their heads are separated from their bodies; their mouths hanging open, still waiting to deliver one final plea of innocence that never made it to ears of the lookers-on. It swung back and forth and back and forth in the wind, as if it were tempting someone to just reach out and twist it off of its branch and take one juicy delicious bite after another.

Over time, the Apple had become something of an object of reverence among the people of Eden. A tree this magnificent, this beautiful, this majestic can only be a gift from God Himself, they thought. And the sole Apple produced by said Tree? Why, it must be the holiest Apple in the world!

And the people swore by it and prayed by it and did all the things they thought of to show their utmost gratitude to whatever great being bestowed that holy gift upon them. It became a part of their communities, and a part of their culture. The Apple was something they all shared, and something that belonged to each and every one of them.

Evie never quite understood what everyone else saw in that Apple Tree. Perhaps it was because she wasn't really a native resident; she had moved in with her parents just a few years back so that her mom could live closer to work. She thought an apple tree that spawned a single apple was the worst apple tree she had ever seen, since apple trees were supposed to make apples. Even an apple tree that only yielded two apples would be a huge upgrade. Evie was convinced that the Apple Tree had impaired apple-growing capabilities and that the sole Apple produced by said Tree probably tasted like crap, anyway.

But Evie never said any of that out loud. When they had first moved to Eden, she explained her doubts to her mother, who told her to "keep it to yourself, honey." And when she asked why she shouldn't talk about it with their new neighbors, she was met with "Well, what good would that do?" and Evie didn't have an answer to that, so she decided not to press the issue further.

Evie never stopped thinking about the Apple, though. It filled her mind with endless questions that she struggled in vain to answer. She didn't wonder why the Tree was so magnificent or only produced the one Apple. That didn't intrigue her one bit. What she found so interesting was the way everyone in town was so hung up on a fruit tree. You see, back in her hometown everybody Evie knew paid far less attention to fruits and fruit trees. There were quite a few apple trees, but those apple trees were far better because they produced a lot of apples. Besides, people were allowed to eat the apples, and Evie loved eating apples so she was understandably disappointed upon seeing the sad state of Eden's apple economy.

Even worse, the Apple was the only one in the city, and it was forbidden to bring other apples into Eden. The townsfolk felt having other apples would pull attention and value away from the Apple, but this meant Evie would have to leave the city for a taste of her favorite fruit. That wasn't the only rule in town about the Apple, either. For one, every Sunday, everybody in town was supposed to gather around the Apple Tree to admire the Apple. And while some of them did spend their day complimenting and praising the Apple's size or its redness or any other good qualities they found, most found it a good opportunity to catch up with their neighbors and talk about their week. Despite what she thought of the Apple itself, Evie learned to love attending those gatherings. Back when Evie was still new in town, she felt sort of out of place among the townsfolk gathered around the Tree, but after attending their meetings week after week, month after month, year after year; Evie began to look forward to the community gatherings. She loved seeing the friendliness of her neighbors and she loved seeing the crowds of smiling faces filled with joy at the sight of friends and family and she especially loved seeing the food everyone always brought to the table. But most of all, she loved going to each meeting because it meant she could see Adam.