The apple that fell from the tree

AN APPLE that once lived on the branches of a tree loved all the carefree games he played with the other apples to the point that he wished he would always stay young. So, days passed, months even, and little did he care about growing older, or whether his skin had changed from green to red and become hard.

One autumn day, however, the wild wind blew and tossed the apple from the tree. As luck would have it, the apple fell on the head of a scientist, who leaned against the tree’s trunk to take a nap. As soon as the apple realized what had happened, he instantly thought of climbing back. “It’s futile”, the scientist told the apple, “as whatever you do, your weight will pull you back again”.

Yet the apple wouldn’t hear a word, and kept thinking of ways to return back to the branches of the tree and to his carefree games with the other apples. So he hugged the tree’s trunk with both arms, and tried to climb it up. In vain, however, as his weight pulled him back to the ground.

He then thought of jumping to reach the branches, but as he was short, he would definitely have a hard time making it. So, he searched for logs in the garden, which he placed right next to the trunk. Just as he tried to climb them, however, the heap collapsed and our good apple fell clumsily on the ground.

The third time, he remembered the farmer was using a tall ladder with which he reached the top of trees. No matter how hard he searched the garden, however, the only thing he could find was a sling that the farmer’s children used to play with, which he collected and placed at a safe distance, so he could gain enough momentum and reach the branches. “Your plan is excellent”, the scientist told the apple as soon as he realized what he was up to, and thought that the force of the sling would be enough to beat the pull of his weight.