Tripping on Apples
427 words.
It was just another day in her life; another hour to pass by with nothing to offer, and another second to come with only a breath to take. The breeze chilled her underarms and legs inside of her orange summer dress. Her nostrils were filled up with the scent of cow manure and freshly mown grass. It was the country; it was her home. Across the road, a farmer was plowing through his corn field, making sure everything was picked at exactly the right time.
Julianne let out a deep breath. The summer was going by so fast and she couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Every day was another step out of the sunlight, into the fluorescently lighted halls of hell, “Strawberry wine, at seventeen…” The girl with ginger hair sang quietly to herself as she walked around her yard, flinging her arms from front to back.
Her eyes had averted to the ground, so it was a surprise when she almost ran into a tree in her yard. Coming to a full stop, Julianne looked up to peer through the leaves towards the sky. Each leaf reflected a beautiful green under the bright sun. That’s not what made her stare so intently, though. What she noticed the most were the apples; she thought there hadn’t been any to blossom that year.
Though her orange summer dress and flip flops weren’t exactly climbing material, she had the urge to go through with it anyway. Her shoes were kicked off to the side, while her hands grabbed the thick branch hanging over her head. Tree climbing was something she hadn’t done since her child hood. Swinging over each and every branch brought back memories of lost friends and beach-filled summers of the past. The last things on her mind were the scratches received from the dirty bark.
Her soft hands reached for a ripe green apple, and she ripped it from the stem. As soon as she pulled her arm back into her body, her foot slipped. She fell through the many branches, hitting her back and legs, and hit the ground with a loud smack, “Ugh.” She groaned in pain. The apple made a softer noise as it fell next to her.
“Honey, are you okay?” Julianne’s mother had seen the fall from the kitchen window, and rushed out to her daughter right away. The pain only worsened after each second.
Now each second, of each hour, of each day would be filled with pain? It wasn’t fair.
Julianne whimpered, “I just wanted an apple.”
Julianne let out a deep breath. The summer was going by so fast and she couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Every day was another step out of the sunlight, into the fluorescently lighted halls of hell, “Strawberry wine, at seventeen…” The girl with ginger hair sang quietly to herself as she walked around her yard, flinging her arms from front to back.
Her eyes had averted to the ground, so it was a surprise when she almost ran into a tree in her yard. Coming to a full stop, Julianne looked up to peer through the leaves towards the sky. Each leaf reflected a beautiful green under the bright sun. That’s not what made her stare so intently, though. What she noticed the most were the apples; she thought there hadn’t been any to blossom that year.
Though her orange summer dress and flip flops weren’t exactly climbing material, she had the urge to go through with it anyway. Her shoes were kicked off to the side, while her hands grabbed the thick branch hanging over her head. Tree climbing was something she hadn’t done since her child hood. Swinging over each and every branch brought back memories of lost friends and beach-filled summers of the past. The last things on her mind were the scratches received from the dirty bark.
Her soft hands reached for a ripe green apple, and she ripped it from the stem. As soon as she pulled her arm back into her body, her foot slipped. She fell through the many branches, hitting her back and legs, and hit the ground with a loud smack, “Ugh.” She groaned in pain. The apple made a softer noise as it fell next to her.
“Honey, are you okay?” Julianne’s mother had seen the fall from the kitchen window, and rushed out to her daughter right away. The pain only worsened after each second.
Now each second, of each hour, of each day would be filled with pain? It wasn’t fair.
Julianne whimpered, “I just wanted an apple.”
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*Character and scene building practice.