The Apple Tree

It was a warm sunny day as Amber ran up to her parents all excited for the day they had planned to visit her grandparent's farm down by the coast. As they were driving along her mother told her that her parents had just recently got some new cattle and there was a big old bull amongst them and she had to watch where she was going when she was around the animals. Amber's cousin Jenny was meeting them at the farm so the girls wouldn't be bored while their parents were busy branding the cattle. As the truck turned off the main road onto a long dusty driveway Amber noticed the big bull out in the pasture running around and further down the driveway she noticed Jenny sitting on the fence.

"Let me out here please," she said to her father as he began to slow the truck.

"Now, make sure you girls are careful and stay away from the bull," her mother said as Amber jumped from the truck and went up to greet her cousin, and then her parents carried on towards the farm as Jenny jumped down from the fence on the opposite side.

"What are you doing?" Amber asked. "We are supposed to stay out of the pasture with the bull in it, it's dangerous," she continued.

"Don't be such a worry-wart," Jenny replied. "He's on the other side of the pasture, we are safe here," she said as she started to walk towards the big apple tree not far away. "The apples are ripe and I want to pick some to take home with me and maybe some so grandma can make one of her apple pies," she said and then Amber climbed over the fence and started to follow her cousin towards the apple tree. As they reached the apple tree Amber looked over to where the bull was and couldn't see him and mentioned it to Jenny, but she didn't seem too concerned as she began to climb the tree. Jenny was trying to reach a big red apple on one of the higher branches and as she reached for it she noticed out of the corner of her eye that the bull had noticed them and was charging for the tree.

"Amber start climbing now, the bull is coming," she screamed out. Amber turned and seen the raging bull running straight towards her as she tried to climb, but couldn't get a grip and kept sliding down. The bull was almost on top of her and when he went by Amber dove to the other side of the tree trying to stay out of sight but the bull turned around and came at her again narrowly hitting her once again. Jenny watched helplessly from the branches above as the bull chased Amber around the tree and she was starting to get tired. Jenny started calling out to her grandparents and Amber's mother and father, but they were too far away to hear them so Jenny had to figure out a way to distract the bull from her cousin.

She looked back towards the fence and it was about three hundred feet away and Amber could make it if she ran as fast as she could, but she was tired and Jenny didn't know if she could make it. Frantically she kept looking around but couldn't see anything as the raging bull kept chasing Amber around the apple tree and that's when she had seen the dust trail coming down the driveway. Jenny started waving her arms hoping that whoever was coming this way would see them and she started to throw apples towards the fence hoping one would make the driveway. As the vehicle got closer Jenny noticed that Amber was getting very tired as her hair became wet and tangly with sweat and the bull was getting madder and madder.

That's when Jenny heard the brakes of the vehicle and tires skidding and when she looked up it was her grandfather and uncle jumping from the truck and rushing towards the fence screaming at the bull. Then the raging bull then turned and charged towards the men and Jenny jumped down to help her cousin and when she got to her she collapsed in her arms cause she was so tired.

"Come on Amber, you gotta work with me here," she said to her cousin as she carried her towards the tree looking over her shoulder to make sure the bull was still heading for the fence. Once they reached the tree Jenny helped her tired cousin get up to the closest branch when her uncle called out to her and when she looked the raging bull was headed her way again. Jenny climbed as fast as she could and just grabbed the branch below Amber when the whole tree shook and apples were falling everywhere as the bull hit the trunk of the tree over and over.

Grandpa jumped back in his truck and raced back up the driveway towards the farm as Amber's father kept taunting the bull trying to get it away from the girl. Not long after the truck came back down the driveway and across the pasture Amber and Jenny could see the two ranchhands that worked for her grandfather come racing towards them on horseback and Jenny looked at her cousin.

"I'm so sorry Amber. I didn't mean for any of this to happen, I just wanted to get some apples and I almost got you hurt," she said apologizing to her cousin with tears running down her cheeks just as the two cowboys showed up. While one of them chased the bull away the other went below the tree and helped the two girls down and bought them to the fence where Amber's father and their grandfather waited.

"Please don't get mad with Amber, it was my fault all because I wanted some apples. I didn't think he would bother us cause he was on the other side of the pasture," Jenny explained as she wiped the tears from her eyes when there was a loud crash as the raging bull crashed into the fence with the two ranchhands close behind. As the bull backed up for another charge two ropes went around its neck and another on his back leg as the two ranchhands subdued the bull. Later that night they sat around the table and told the story to their grandmother and Amber's mom while they had a warm slice of apple pie.