The Apple Tree
by Edmond Rinnooy Kan
(1423 words)
In the spring everything still looked fine. She was covered with young,
buds, her bark was shiny. But her buds never fully opened, as if they got
stuck somewhere along the way. There were some blossoms, there were
some new leaves, but none developed into full maturity. She became a
skeleton tree, hiding under a haze of brownish green.
She was part of a small orchard. There were 11 apple trees in total.
Over the years some had died and were replaced with new ones. She
was one of the original set of eleven.
That winter the deer didn’t chew on her. As if they respected that her
last winter here must be quiet and unchallenged. When there was snow
on the ground no tracks would come her way. She was left to die.
It takes time for trees to die. As they pass away the world changes with
them. Birds fly lower, the high grass barely waves, people stare at them.
People like Joshua and Ann
“This tree is dying”, said Joshua
“Yes”, said Ann, “do you think she is suffering?”
“Why do you say ‘she’? asked Joshua
“All apple trees are women”, said Ann, “just like cats”.
Ann was ten, almost eleven, Joshua was eight.
“Let’s save her”, said Ann
They went to the little shed at the edge of the garden and came back
with a handsaw.
“You want to do it?”, asked Ann
“Sure”, said Joshua. He felt flattered by her request. “Where shall I cut
her?”
“Close to the ground”, said Ann “as if you are amputating a leg”.
It didn’t take much for Joshua to cut the tree down. She was small and
still green and full of moisture inside.
“Now what?”, he asked.
“We saved her life”, said Ann, “now let’s celebrate”.
Ann started to dance, she pushed her belly out and pulled it back in,
made circular movements with her pelvis, just like a belly dancer. She
danced around the fallen tree and then around Joshua.
“Come on, Josh, dance with me”. She pulled him to her, “dance Josh,
dance”. Joshua blushed “Come on”, Ann yelled, “Come on!”. She pulled
him closer , pushing her belly against his, inviting him to join her
movements. Joshua stumbled a little bit back and forth like an old guy
with terminal arthritis. “Come on, Josh”. She grabbed his pelvis and
pulled it against hers and started to move more slowly. “Do you like
dancing, Josh, do you like it?” Then she let him go.
“OK, we have to protect her against the storm”, Ann said.
They grabbed the apple tree and started to pull her toward the wooded
area at the far corner of the garden. “That’s where she will be save”
They covered her up with some branches and leaves.
Then Ann sat down next to her, caressing the open wound that the saw
had left behind. “Oh, my poor darling”, she whispered, “sleep well, my
darling, sleep well”
“Do you love her”, Ann asked.
It was 3 am. She couldn’t sleep
“Josh! Do you love her?”
She pushed and pulled him. He started to wake up.
“What?” he said still half asleep, “What is it?”
“Do you love her? Do you?”, Ann asked again.
“Love whom?”
“The tree, the apple tree!”
Joshua was now awake
“The apple tree? “, he asked
“Yes, the apple tree”, said Ann
“Oh, yeah, I love her”
“Then lets go”, Ann said, “she is in pain”
“Go now?”
“Yes”, said Ann, “now”
They put some clothes on over their pyjamas, openend the door of their
bedroom slowly , then silently down the stairs, passed the kitchen, to
the kitchen door.
“This door is locked”, whispered Ann, “we have to be careful”. She
moved the key, it created a sniring sound, but the lock wouldn’t give.
“You turned it the wrong way”, said Joshua, “let me do it”. He moved the
key in the opposite direction and opened the door with a squarking
sound. They stayed still for a while to see if their parents had heard
anything, but the house remained silent.
“OK, lets go”, said Ann.
They sneaked outside and closed the kitchen door behind them without
making a single sound.
It was a very normal night. The fall had replaced the summer without
much fanfare. The leaves were still on the tree, holding on to the green
of their color. Not warm, not cold, a hazy moon behind the clouds and no
stars to lead the way. It took some effort before Ann and Joshua found
the spot where they had left her behind. Joshua was the first one to spot
her.
“Here she is”, he said, pulling her out from under her coverings.
“Don’t touch her!” Ann said, “She is ill, very ill!”
Joshua let the apple tree go, it bounced back from the ground
“What does she have?”
“I don’t know yet”, Ann said, “I have to examine her. But I know she is
suffering”. Ann bent over the tree, her hands gradually finding their way
to the bottom of the stem.
“I am checking the wound”, she said to Joshua. She remained silent for a
while, then continued “Hmmmm, just what I expected, it’s infected. Poor
thing”.
“What can we do?”, asked Joshua.
“There is only one thing we can do”, said Ann, “we have to kill her”
“Kill her?”
“Yes, kill her. There is too much pain and she will never recover. We
have to end her life, just as we did with Mr. Max”.
Mr. Max was the old family dog, a cocker speneal. It got kidney problems
and finally had to be euthanized . Everybody was there when it
happened, holding hands and singing a little song for Mr. Max, “Thank
you, Mr Max, for being such a good doggie” and then the vet gave him
the final injection.
“But, how do you kill a tree?”, Joshua asked.
“By replanting it”, said Ann
They pulled the apple tree out of the wooded area onto the lawn.
“I want her replanted in the middle of the vegetable garden, where the
soil is healthy and without rocks. Rocks will kill her”
“Isn’t that what we are trying to do?”, asked Joshua
“Yes”, said Ann, “but rocks are cruel, they would strangle her slowly”
They reached the center of the vegetable garden and dropped the apple
tree to the ground.
“Now we have to get some tools from the shed”, said Ann
They got two shovels and a set of clippers. Joshua started digging a hole.
Ann was removing the lower branches of the apple tree.
“Deeper, Josh, it should be at least three feet deep”. They worked at the
hole together for a while until Ann decided it was deep enough. Ann
held the tree while Joshua filled the hole. And then they were done. The
apple tree stood straight and sturdy in the ground, its stiffened braches
stretching out as a crown of thorns.
“We have to pee on it”, said Ann. She turned her back towards the tree,
pulled down her pants, bent her knees and delivered a small spray of
urine against the tree.
“You too, Josh”
“I don’t have to pee”, said Josh
“You have to Josh. If you don’t pee on her she won’t die. She will
continue to suffer only because of you. Do it for her, Josh, you said you
loved her”.
Joshua stood next to the tree without making a move.
“Come on”, Ann said, “come on!”
Finally, he opened his pants and took out his little penis.
“There you go”, said Ann.
“I cannot do it if you watch me’, said Joshua
“Then, how would I know that you have peed? Come on, Josh, you can do
it. Think of water, think of rain, think of a flooded land, leaking cellars,
bathrooms”
Joshua was trying, he bent over a little, he was pushing, He bended
forward further, pushing more and pushing harder, and then, finally one
drop came.
“It’s coming, Josh, it’s coming!”, yelled Ann
And then, suddenly something broke inside Joshua , he opened up,
releasing a waterfall of sparkling urine which smashed with great force
against the apple tree.
“You did it, Josh, you did it. You killed her”, whispered Ann.
There was a breath of fresh air, the sun was rising, geese were flying
south. They sneaked back into the house, without making a single
sound.
“Josh?”
“What?”
“I love you”
“Love you too, Ann”