Adam's Apple Pie

Fourteen - Fourth Session

I pulled up my beaten up Cubo alongside Dr Eve's clinic. Strange that this place was easier to find each time, despite it feeling like a maze the first time. My poor car though, I was starting to wonder how much longer it would really last. It seemed a new scratch appeared each time I drove down her, the underside was caked in mud. The tread on my tyres was even starting to come off, it wouldn't be too long before the tyres became unusable! I knew this would make my car illegal to drive, but I couldn't afford new ones, so I just hoped that it would last just a little bit longer.

I moved my finger towards the doorbell, then stopped when I saw a piece of paper stuck on the door. Scrawled in red ink were the words In the forest. Please come round.

This sounded like some weird note a serial killer would leave their victims – but I was pretty sure that Dr Eve was no killer. Shrugging my shoulders, I walked round the back of the building. Despite the sun, there was a bit of a chill in the air. I rubbed my hands and put them in the sleeves of my hoodie.

The leaves on the tree had turned a rather colourful brown, looking like something out of a overexposed CGI film. The sun seemed to make them shine somewhat – it seemed quite beautiful here. The familiar aroma of apples hit my nose, and I was reminded of one of Dr Eve's pies. It appeared to be stronger here, fresher and purer. Looking up, I saw that some of the branches were decorated in colourful red orbs, gleaming in the sun. The smell lingered in the air like the sweetest perfume, my anxiety calming. It was like the feeling of an apple pie, but a million times more potent. Just like that, I could feel my stress melting away.

I happened across a woman knelt where a pile of apples lay on the ground. She wore a red dress with an apron – sort of reminding me a little bit of Alice from the book Alice in Wonderland. Crooked under her arm was a wicker basket, in which she placed some apples in. She stood up and turned, her big red lips forming into a smile. "Adam! So nice to see you."

I only just noticed how Dr Eve seemed to look different each time I saw her, as if she were a slightly different person each time. I couldn't put my finger on it, but she never wore the same thing twice. The frills of her dress fluttered as she skipped towards me, rubbing an apple against her chest. "The apples are beautifully ripe this time of year," she said, putting one of them to her nose and sniffing. "Ah yes, this will make for a wonderful pie! The apples flow like rain around here. Would you like to help me pick them?"

"I thought we had a session today?" I asked.

"This is our session," Dr Eve replied. "I thought we could just relax, get some fresh air. It's a lovely day today, wouldn't you agree? Who wants to be stuck indoors? And besides, look how beautiful these apples are? Don't you want to just pick them?"

She bent down and picked up another wicker basket, holding it out to me. Where it appeared from, I didn't know – it was almost like it magically appeared.

"Um," I stammered. "What do I do?"

"Just pick up the apples that have fallen from the trees," Dr Eve replied. "They're dropping quite a lot this time around, so you should be able to find some somewhere."

This took me by surprise. I didn't think we'd be doing any manual labour. But I guessed a bit of fresh air wouldn't hurt. I took the basket from her.

Behind Dr Eve, another apple dropped and fell on the ground behind her, making a somewhat loud thud as it hit the ground. "Oh," Dr Eve gasped. "This one sure is providing me a lot of fruit today!" She skipped back like an excited child towards the pile. She looked back at me over her shoulder. "Don't worry about me, Adam. There are plenty more trees around here with crispy bountys."

"Don't you need a hand with that lot?" I asked.

"I'll be fine," Dr Eve replied, waiving her hand. "It will be more of an awakening if you do it on your own."