The Journey of a Million Apples

At the commencement of a tender existence, one-million apples now litter the massive canopies from which they were cultivated in. They are found in suspension, with an array of colorful smiles and brilliant flavors, all deemed glorious to the hunger of a morning sunrise. And as a motley of gasping vehicles comes to a stop over dust and gravel, a thousand men pour out and greet these apples with a warmness all their own.

They descend upon the orchard like an army of ants.

These men bring with them long sticks and tall ladders, as they begin their harvest dance of picking and plucking, sifting and sorting, and ultimately, the careful placing of these ripe fruits into the worn canvas of favorite sacks. Upon inspection, many of these apples are found to be lost into the soil with which these men easily wander. Some are observed lounging over patches of soft grass, healthy and golden, like miniature effigies of their mighty creator. Others are discovered in pits of mud, cheerless and desperate as their faces are caked-over with a dirty husk. Knowing that a good bath would render the promise of a delicious crunch, these gems are gratefully recovered and deposited into the vast jumble amongst their siblings.

And yet still, there are even a smaller few who are offered nothing but the saddest of glances from these working men. Their faces pocked and cratered by a thousand pecks of cruelty, these apples are simply left alone to hang in the cold Autumn breeze.

Borne away on weary strides, the apples are lifted and poured into the open arms of ancient wheeled crates. They get jounced and bustled amidst their own hurried laughter, as these machines ramble along over uneven roads. After a short and comfortable ride, the apples are then dumped into great tubs of water, where they are sluiced of the grit and grime from which they have carried thus far.

A brown cardboard box welcomes them next. Here they are packed away and hoisted up onto large trucks, which carry them off onto a swift and dull highway. While on this journey, some of these apples discover for the first time a certain heartbreak. One that yields a great lurch into the air, followed by a shattering explosion of juice and pulp onto the unforgiving pavement below. At the end of this long trip, each box gets pulled off the trucks in a rather unceremonious manner, leaving the apples in awe over this strange sense of melancholy they are now feeling. From here, they get dipped and sprayed to the likeness of a common desire, and once again packed into another cardboard box, then hoisted up onto another truck. Except that now, the apples find themselves separated from what they once considered were familiar faces.

This final trip for the journey of a million apples takes them to a destination which honors their respective capacities. Most will be thrown to the side on account of the bruises they've acquired from their great passage, resulting in the predictable fate of further bruising, and the ultimate finale of becoming pounded and mashed into oblivion. Others shall be regarded with high esteem, as they are gently crowded together into tidy rows, displayed for, and pondered over by nameless prospectors. But yet again, a smaller few will become mounted like trophies, enameled with a sweet stickiness, then placed into postures reminiscent of the days of their youth... And theirs is a destiny envied by all, as they shall be adored and gaggled over by the gleaming spirits of little people.