I’ll explain the story behind this story at the bottom of the post, but I’ll say at the start that it had to include three things: comedy, eating an apple, and grandchildren.  Enjoy!

The Lonely Apple

“We’re done, Grandpa!” Lucy heaves the paper bag full of newly-picked apples onto the porch. The deep red fruit glistens in the sun.

Crouching, I grab an apple from the top. “Looks great!”

“We threw the wormy ones over the fence.” Lucy scrunches her face. “One was all squishy.”

Over the fence and into traffic, I think. That explains the honking.

Benny darts through the yard with my Corgi close behind. He dramatically throws himself onto the grass, letting Crouton bathe him in dog licks. Lucy giggles and runs to the heap.

As I settle into the porch swing, something across the yard catches my eye: an apple set on the fence post.

Why would they leave an apple there?

I pull my creaky self from the swing and hobble to the post. I grasp the apple, turning it around in my hand and scrutinizing every mark. It looks as good as the ones in the bag.

After a sniff, I bite into it. The skin snaps against my teeth. Sweet juice fills my mouth, and the flesh offers a satisfying crunch. It’s perfect.

I return to the swing while eating the fruit. As I finish, my grandchildren run to the bag on the porch.

“Oh! I forgot!” Benny turns, takes three steps, and stops. “Where is it?”

“You mean this?” I hold up the skinny core.

His jaw drops. “I put it on the fence so I would remember to wash it. I found it on dog poop!”

This story was my entry in NYC Midnight’s 250-word micro-fiction contest. I found out today that it placed in the top ten for its group (stories that had to be comedies and include apple eating and grandchildren), so I advance to the next round! Considering there were 49 stories in my group, I think that’s pretty dang spiffy.

Now, excuse me while I dance with joy.