Green Apples

Morning came, and with it, the dawning of a new adventure. Feeling refreshed, Wolf and I went down to Sweets-O’s kitchen for breakfast. “Morning!” She called out merrily. The ends of her hair stuck out at odd angles from her head. “Sleep well?” “Very!” Wolf replied, biting into a thick slab of bacon. “Thanks for letting us stay.” “Oh Wolfie, you should know you’re always welcome.” After we finished our meal, it was time to say good-bye. “When will I see you again?” Sweets-O asked, burying her head into Wolf’s neck. “I don’t know,” He said. “Hopefully when I’m back in human form.” “I kind of like you in this state,” She smiled. “I wouldn’t recognize you any other way.” With our farewells said, we headed for the door. “Be careful of the Dogwood trees!” Sweets-O hollered before we’d completely lost sight of each other. I was too distracted to question her warning. Thoughts of castles and witches and fairies ran circles in my head. We traveled through the day and well into the afternoon, conserving energy by speaking little and breaking frequently. By early evening we had arrived at the perimeter of the castle, a dense and ominous section of woods. It was unnaturally dark, as if something were sucking up all the light. I shivered and looked down at Wolf. His head hung low to the ground, sniffing for signs of the Woodsman. “What is this place?” I whispered nervously “The way to the castle,” Wolf answered. I shivered in the darkness. “But, why’s it so… dead?” “Hmm?” Wolf lifted his head and looked around. “I don’t think its dead. Maybe it’s enchanted?” I stared at the trees that dotted the path ahead of us. Not a single one carried a leaf or flower. Their branches were twisted and gnarled fingers. As the wind rattled through them, the trees looked like hunched over people with outstretched arms. We plodded into the forest further, until the only light around us was my own. Strange shadows danced across Wolf’s face as we stopped for a break. “Should we make camp?” He asked. I started to laugh at his joke. But he didn’t laugh back. “Oh. You’re serious?” Wolf scratched at an ear that poked out from his tattered hood. “I’m tired, and we’re not going to be able to enter the castle this late.” I wrung my hands and floated down to Wolf’s eye level. “Are you sure it’s safe? I feel like I’m advertising our location. Hey, come get the only glowing thing in the big, scary woods!” Wolf yawned. “You’re not worth the trouble.” I blinked, suddenly offended. “What do you mean I’m ‘not worth the trouble?” “You’re more like a toothpick than an appetizer. Most of you would get stuck in someone’s teeth before any of you made it down their throat.” “That’s not the impression some witch gave me before I met you!” I huffed. Wolf put his head down across his paws and sighed. “I can’t believe we’re arguing about this. Good-night.” I floated up to one of the knotted branches above us. But no matter how tired I was, I couldn’t bring myself to touch it. I just knew it would be cold and lifeless. After much deliberation, I settled for a spot on the ground some five feet away from where Wolf slept. I tried to stay awake as long as I could, scared something might attack us in the night. But eventually sleep came and robbed me of my willpower. I dreamt of snow. “Children, children, play at night.” I’d never seen snow outside a picture book. “When the fairies all take flight.” Was it supposed to be so cold? “Parents see with doubting eyes.” “Who’s there?” “What they think are fireflies.” I awoke with a start. Someone had been whispering. I looked around. The forest was as still as I’d left it, almost frozen. I stared at Wolf until I saw his chest rising and falling. “Ren…oubt…eyes.” The words rippled across the air, broken. They were so faint I wondered if the wind were teasing me. “Fair…see…lies.” A thin wisp of fog drifted down from the path in front of me, curling around itself to form the words. I reached out to touch it, only to have it dissipate. I waited for the voice to speak again, but it never did. “Hello?” I called out after a moment. Stillness. I drifted further down the path, cutting through the sluggish air. The night was so black, I feared it was trying to swallow me whole. “Maybe I’m still dreaming.” Suddenly, there was light. The glow was so bright, I went momentarily blind trying to find its source. I blinked back tears and tried in vain to shield my face. When I was finally able to look without discomfort, I was awed by the sight in front of me. In the middle of the dead forest was the most flawless apple tree I had ever seen. “Now I know I’m dreaming!” A halo of light surrounded it, as if light itself lived only for this wonder. Big juicy apples hung off each branch. I flew up to the nearest fruit and opened my mouth. “I wonder if you can taste a dream?” I bit into its bright red skin. “Nooooo!” Came a cry from the shadows of the forest beyond. “Spit it out!” Wolf charged into view. I spit the bit of apple out and looked at it from my palm. The inside was green with mold. I slowly turned back toward the tree. It was dropping leaves by the second. “A Poisoned Apple tree,” Wolf gasped, skidding to a halt. “But, why would someone do that?” Wolf didn’t get the chance to answer. “Www.” Something bellowed in the distance. Panic rose in my chest. “What was that?” “I have no idea. But it sounds close.” The ground vibrated with it. “Www,” came the second cry. It was closely followed by a third. "It doesn't sound like a welcoming party." It swiftly gained momentum. “Ww, Ww, Ww.” Soon the forest was reverberating with the sound. We looked down the path, waiting for our attacker to appear from the darkness. “Ww, Ww, Ww. WOOF!” The air split open with the roar. “Oh no!” Wolf cried, turning and bolting in the opposite direction. “What?” I yelled, trying to keep pace. “You woke them up!” "Woke who up?" "The Dogwood trees." And then the forest came alive. At some point in the mayhem, Wolf and I split from each other, losing ourselves to the abyss. I called to him. But the only sounds in the forest were the Dogwood’s as they settled in. Some growled, or whined. A couple howled. I cringed as I passed one gnawing on a deer leg. Never had I seen the likes of these, wicked flesh-eating trees. They ignored me. I sniffled, remembering that Wolf had told me I was "too little" to eat. I had been the one to wake the trees that guarded the Poisoned Apple Tree. But they hadn’t gone after me at all. They’d gone after Wolf. I stopped to collect myself. Every direction looked exactly the same as the others. I was lost on where else to look. So I headed for the way out. Little pieces of red paper fluttered to the ground like confetti, startling me from my thoughts. I swooped down to pick one up and rubbed it against my cheek pensively. “Not paper,” I thought. “Fabric.” I had seen so many unusual things since leaving home, nothing seemed to surprise me anymore. “Red fabric.” It dawned on me what I was holding. Horrified, I looked up toward the sky and screamed. In the great spiny paws of the tree above me were the last remains of Wolf’s cape. The tree paused as it stuffed another yard of fabric into its large knot hole of a mouth. It had no eyes, but it had heard me well enough. I flew up to grab the tail end of the bright red cape, yanking it out of the Dogwood’s grasp. “Wolf!” I sobbed. “Wolf, come out! It’s safe now. I’m here.” But Wolf didn’t jump out. There was no hiding spot to reveal. He was gone. I landed on the ground gracelessly, covering my ears to the awful munching noises that issued from the tree. The realization of what it was eating was too much to bear. “Stupid tree!” I yelled. “You ruined everything!” My mind was seething with all the horrible things I wanted to do to it. I wanted to punish it for my pain. But before I could utter a single word, the tree burst into flames. Tormented by its death shrieks and the realization that I had lost Wolf, I fled from the scene of the crime.