An Apple’s Worth
Autumn walked back from the market. All she’d had money for was an apple, so she’d chosen the most beautiful one she could find. It was dark red and round and untarnished. Her mother would be so proud of this lovely find!
On her way home the wind kicked up, and a tremendous gust knocked her down. The beautiful apple went rolling down a hill and Autumn ran quickly after it. It rolled until it hit a log, from which a troll presently crawled out. It grabbed up the apple before Autumn could reach it, looking it over satisfactorily.
"Excuse me, but that apple is mine," said Autumn to the troll. The troll replied casually,
"It found it’s way to me, so to me it now belongs."
Autumn was distraught, she lived alone with her mother and they had scarce enough food to feed themselves, for they were very poor. This apple was to have been the first meal her mother had eaten in days, as she’d been insisting on giving her portion of food to her daughter instead. Without it, her mother was sure to starve.
Autumn pleaded with the troll, hoping to gain his sympathy and finally he agreed to give her the apple, on one condition, that she marry him right away. At first she refused but the thought of her dear mother wasting away was more than she could bear, so at long last, she agreed. The troll put on a pair of shoes made of leaves, laced with silver and taking his bride by the hand, he simply lifted his little toe and just like that they were at her mother’s house. For the shoes were the type that fairy folk wore, spanning seven leagues a step, and so to wiggle a single digit was all he needed to do to arrive.
Autumn rushed to her mother and giving her the apple, explained what had happened. Her mother whispered something that only she could hear; she told Autumn to refuse any food the troll offered, for if she ate any she could never leave his side and so, no matter how hungry she got or what things he might threaten, she must never allow herself to eat any. After promising this to her mother, Autumn was taken far away to where the troll lived, on the other side of the world.
The first night there was a great feast, and many other trolls came to celebrate. Despite the succulent meats and roasted vegetables and rich wine, Autumn wouldn’t eat. Upset, the troll locked her away in a cell, hoping to entice her more successfully the next day.
Autumn wept, and thinking of her mother, sang to keep the hunger and sadness away,
"Little Birds
Little Birds
Sing a song to me,
A lullaby of hope and joy
To hunger stall, and sadness fall
That I may fall asleep."
A pair of nightingales hearing her, flew down and began their beautiful song. Autumn soon after slept.
The next day strangely, she had no appetite, but when the feasting began that evening, her hunger had suddenly doubled. She found it harder to refuse the tempting meal set before her, and thought for a moment how delicious just one bite would be- but she knew she dared not, and so went to bed hungry yet again.
This time her stomach ached terribly and her sadness weighed on her more heavily than before, so she sang again to keep them at bay:
"Little Birds
Little Birds
Sing a song to me,
A lullaby of hope and joy
To hunger stall, and sadness fall
That I may fall asleep."
Again the nightingales came, this time accompanied by a lark and a dove, and together they sang a song so sweet it gave her great comfort and relief. Before the song was done she was asleep.
On the third day, Autumn felt sated until the evening when the feasting began yet again. This time there were meats of every variety, prepared in savory sauces with fragrant herbs and vegetables that filled the entire place with their delectable aroma, tantalizing her senses. Still Autumn refused to eat any of it, shutting her eyes tightly so she might not see the plates of food, and biting her tongue until it bled so that all she could taste was blood. The troll, seeing how she yet again refused his food could stand it no longer, and upon seeing it rejected a third time, in a fitful violent rage, threw himself upon the fire of the hearth and was instantly eaten up by the flames.
Autumn, seeing she was finally free, filled her pockets with all the gold and treasure she could carry, and set about to find the troll’s seven-league boots. When this was done, she had them on her feet in an instant and within minutes of walking in them Autumn was back home.
Overjoyed, her mother ran from the house and threw her arms around her daughter. Autumn showed her all the treasure she had brought back and the two of them never had to live another day in poverty for as long as they lived.
— Written by & photograph by Arienne F.
