One Shots

The Transient Apple Salesgirl

Long, long ago, in a world much like ours, humans were living in a world where they were all immortal.

More or less, all was peaceful, with nothing being able to bring a human to mortality. Nothing, except for a unique fruit that comes from a special tree, where a significant little girl would be born, and as such, the significant little girl was born under our special little tree, and, being the little, curious infant she was, ate of the unique fruit, born from the special tree.

The fruit, in particular, was of a bright red hue, shining brilliantly in the light of the sun, this is what gives it its unique glow that any person could recognize as the fruit of mortality. Everyone knew this, except for a child born just hours before.

It matters not, for the mother, father and every other towns person already knew of her fate, the moment she took that first bite.

She was cursed, the only person to ever be cursed by the fruit of red. And alas, everyone pitied her, even her parents. But even with this knowledge of what would eventually become of the child, the town did nothing to support her. Especially worse, her parents only agreed to merely keep her alive and well, and then leave her upon becoming able to take care of herself. And left her they did, for when the girl became old and strong enough to tend to their bakery and farm all on her own, they disappeared forever, never again acknowledging the existence of their daughter.

Yet she, the daughter, was smart, she knew of her fate the moment she could understand what everyone was saying. She didn't care, if she couldn't be here forever, like her parents and everyone else, then she will try her best to enjoy her entire short life, even if it's only transient. And enjoy her life she did, she was never seen sad or even frowning, ever. She was only ever seen smiling and beaming with joy, and even so, everyone in her town still pitied her loneliness, forever trapped in her own world, swallowed by the red fruit curse.

But it mattered not, for she continued to smile and enjoy her time keeping her missing parents' bakery up and running. Even eventually inventing her own recipes and dishes on her own, using only the oven and stove of course. Soon enough, she gained enough confidence to bake her pies and sweets for the townspeople to have and enjoy, especially the pies filled with that mysterious red fruit she had come to enjoy the most.

Walking past the big lake near her happy little home and bakery, and through the small woods between it and the town, she came into the town as happy and excited as ever, all so she could share her precious red fruit pies with the town.

The town was even busier than ever! Notably so in the center of the city, nearby the big clock-tower that just finished chiming for high-noon.

Finding a decently lit area where no else was walking, so as to not bother anyone's daily routine, she stood there with a big, bright smile on her face, politely asking people if they would like to try out her new pies and sweets.

Out of curiosity, everyone who wanted one asked her about what her desserts were made of, for the brilliant shine of the pies' filling seemed sweeter than life itself.

Her innocent reply; "They're made of the fruit that comes from the big old tree in the back of my bakery, nearby that other big lake. The only tree that makes those pretty red fruits." Suddenly, to the townspeople, her pies no longer seemed sweet, they were now seen as sour, rotten, and generally awful pies that no one should ever dare to eat.

No one wanted anything to do with pies that were described like that. So afterward, not a single person bothered to pay any sort of attention to her pies' existence. Only giving her a hateful grimace when passing by. But she didn't mind, no not at all. Only being the optimistic girl she grew up to become, she could only really be patient and see if anyone wants her sweet pies. Eventually, they would hold up to their promise of tomorrow.