I arrived at the section of the building reserved for the Small Apple Organization. Yes, I still go to the Small Apple Organization. I am still a relatively young Apple.
I said relatively, which means that most Apples are older than me, even though I am not very young. I am exactly 5 Apple Years, 3 Apple Months, and 19 Apple Days old.
Immediately after I arrived, Mr. Apletre, the director of the Small Apples Organization, that taught young Apples everything they need to live, pulled me aside.
"Sir...sir, do you need to speak with me?"
"What do you think, Appel?" He was someone impatient, and I could hear the repressed anger in his voice. As a serious Apple, he did not allow himself to be angry, but his self-control often lacked and he would burst out and scream "dammit", and similar words.
"Yes?"
"Exactly." He looked at me seriously.
"Appel, you have been chosen." He spoke, formally. I heard sadness and regret, this time, too, in addition to the anger.
Most young Apples go to the Small Apples Organization. Except the rebellious ones, of course. But these are strongly punished, usually by sitting close to a fire for 56 Apple Hours. They are scared out of their mind that the fire could touch their skin and completely burn them. Because we don't know what is after death, we are scared of everything deadly, such as fire.
"For what, sir? Why would you need my, a humble Apple's, help?"
I had heard that treating yourself as though you are inferior always brings you into the other person's good favours. I hadn't had a chance to test it, though.
"Appel, you know that our society has always wanted to find out what happens after an Apple dies."
He paused, but took a deep breath and went on.
"You have been chosen as a test subject."
"Me, sir?" I sounded calm but I actually wanted to scream. Finally, I was recognized by someone! They recognized my amazing research talent! "What will I have to do?"
I heard whispering from other Apples.
"Look at that. What a nerd."
"Weird Apple."
"Did he really fall off a Tree?"
"I honestly think he's disturbed."
"Why would he accept that?"
Nerd? Weird? Disturbed? How flattering, I thought.
"Uh...sir? Did you hear me?
"Of course I heard you, Appel! I'm not deaf, goddammit! Don't you think I can hear you ask what you will have to do?"
His face was red. Then again, most Apples are red, except me. I'm green.
He was angry this time, and I felt scared. He probably knew that I was, and he smirked. I hadn't known Apples were able to smirk before I saw him. The little slit he called a mouth curved to the side and created what could be considered a crooked smile, but what I called a smirk.
"Y-yes, sir. I...um...I just want to know what my job is going to be."
"Your job? Do you think it's going to be as easy as that?! A job! What an insult to our..."
He lifted an nonexistent eyebrow, but it fell down by the end of the sentence. It was probably affected by gravity.
Or maybe it died. You never know, as an Apple.
Apples are kind of ignorant, I had always thought. It was a commonly known fact that Apples knew everything except what happened after an Apple's death, but I had always thought in secret that we probably did not know everything, and never would.
Of course, knowing that you don't know anything is the best knowledge that one can have, but does one really not know anything, if one knows that one doesn't know anything?
I believe that not knowing anything and realizing it is impossible, because when one acknowledges that one doesn't know anything, one knows that one doesn't know anything, so one does have some knowledge. It's the same with not thinking of anything; when trying not to think of anything, one thinks of not thinking of anything.
"You...are you ready for this?"
I nodded. Although Apples aren't really able to nod, since their body is just one piece. Let's just say that I tried to nod.
The straw on the floor poked my skin, and a few strands were sharp and poked holes into it. Juice started to bleed out, and I could feel little insects crawling on me and sucking the juice out of the exposed skin and muscle.
"You will have to kill yourself." His tone was hesitant.
"Kill myself?" I asked.
"Yes, dammit! Kill yourself! What do you not understand, hm? What don't you understand?"
My face dropped. I hope it did, at least. I didn't want to appear condescending in front of Mr. Apletre.
"I...I understand quite perfectly, Sir."
"Why do you ask, then? Hm?"
It was a rhetorical question, or so I thought, because Mr. Apletre looked at me, and apparently expected an answer. When I didn't answer, he sighed, annoyed, and continued.
"Look, we'll even provide you with an example. This Yellow right here has volunteered."
He pointed at a young little Yellow. It must have been so proud to sacrifice itself for the good of the community. It even shivered, and nodded.
"Yes...I may or may not have volunteered for this dangerous test."
Yellow Apples were considered anomalies in our society, and they were ignored by the rest of us. We were green and red, they weren't good enough for us. Yellows were always volunteered for dangerous missions. For example, those guards that we got to stand outside and keep watch to see who kidnapped the Apples, and that ended up eaten, too, were all Yellows.
"Well, then...let's get to it."
Mr. Apletre brought out matches, made out of dead Apple's stems, and lit a few strands of the straw that lay on the floor of our homely structure. It started burning right away. What a mess.
"Now, young Yellow, walk into the fire."
He gave the Yellow a small push in the back, but it started to yell.
"No! No! I...I back out! I can't do this! I am young, and I have a boyfriend!"
Mr. Apletre lifted an eyebrow again, so high that the skin under it ripped. I wondered how he could do that, I had always tried to lift my eyebrow but never succeeded. Maybe it was for the better, as I didn't really feel like having ripped skin under my eyebrow.
"Love is for wet noodles. You're not a wet noodle...are you?"
"I am. I'm a Yellow after all, have you forgotten?"
The Yellow ignored Mr. Apletre's screams and ran into the crowd that had meanwhile formed. He hugged another small Yellow and kissed him - for your information, I looked away, I don't interrupt other people's moments of bliss - , before coming back to Mr. Apletre and smirking at me.
"Now you're stuck with dying. But you don't have friends anyway...so you don't lose, do you?"
"Why...why would you want to back out? This is a honour!" I screamed.
"I have someone to love, unlike you. If it's such a honour...do it yourself."
I had closed my eyes, but I could hear the voice of the Yellow anyway, because Apples' eyes and ears are not linked together.
Mr. Apletre pushed me right into the fire, and I could feel the Yellow helping.
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A/N
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Hey people!
Hope you liked this chapter :) please do leave a vote if you did. Either way, thank you so much for reading :3
I hope no Apples are reading this because the next chapter is kinda gory... xD
I'll update either on Wednesday or Friday :) depends if I write ahead or not.
Enjoy your life and don't die,
~Fourminette
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After An Apple's Death
Adventure[Humour / Adventure] The World of Living Apples has always thought about what happens after an apple dies. I'm an apple. And I died. Others told me I had to be the test subject for their experiment. For that, I had to kill myself by fire. I kill...
