“One green apple with stalk and leaf”. Adan re-read the requirements for entries to Class 32b at the village show and pondered. He had apple trees, fruit in abundance, all with stalk and leaf, but no apple of his would ever win a prize. Unless the requirements were for one apple pecked to bits by birds, or one apple worm infested, or one apple mottled with blight.
So he needed to cheat,
somehow attach a stalk and leaf to one of the perfect apples bought this
morning at the greengrocers. He’d also shopped at the hardware store for a tube
of super glue.
The first attempt did
not go well. Gluing the existing apple stalk to a three-inch sprig off tree was
impossible. Take two worked better – removing the stalk from the apple, filling
the hole left with glue, and sticking the tree sprig in place. It looked
authentic enough, provided no-one tried to lift the composite fruit up. But
next day, he found the sprig wilted and the apple brown at the top. He would
need to apply the glue on the day, as close to judging time as possible.
Come the Saturday of
the show, he hung around in the tent until the last minute and then, hunched
over his produce to shield his felony, he got to work.
Ten-thirty sharp, time
for judging, time for the exhibitors to depart. A man in a white coat and
trilby walked towards him. “Time to vacate the show tent now, sir.”
“Do I have to?” asked
Adam.
“Yes, sir. You must.
It’s okay, your apple will be quite safe.” Adam shook his head. The official
continued, “You seem very attached to your exhibit.”
“More than you think,”
replied Adam. With a shrug he rose and walked out of the marquee.
Outside he headed straight for the St
John Ambulance tent where he nonchalantly asked if they had anything that could
remove apples superglued to fingers.
[Flash fiction - 2 July 2026]
No comments:
Post a Comment