A Twist In Fate

A Twist in Fate

Jim was tall and fair with golden hair and a dull-bright smile. His eyes were red as though he had been crying for hours. Jim often walked for miles, to sit on a big apple tree, eating its green sour apples. Every morning he ate eight apples, tossing the remainder into a beautiful fruit and flower garden nearby.

One day as Jim was relaxing on the tree, three young boys and a girl walked by. Joe, one of the boys, asked Jim to join them on their adventure to find the missing treasure. At first, Jim was a bit hesitant, for he knew not who they were, But finally decided to join them. He thought it would be nice to make some friends for a change.

Jim and his new friends paced the same area for hours. He thought the treasure was buried nearby. But after a few more laps without digging, he concludes, they were all mad. He could not understand why they were walking in circles.

Jim got very sluggish and decided he no longer wanted to play. Suddenly as he fell to his knees, they grabbed him with a force. Jim being so tired and worn out could not fight back. The children quickly tied him up. Confused and frightened by the actions of the children, allowing his imagination to get the better of him, Jim thought tonight’s dinner was him on a platter. Looking into his eyes, they knocked him out then picked him up throwing him over their shoulders.

When Jim woke up a few hours later, he found himself in the garden he threw all his apple remainders in. But the children were not around. He was now untied and thought this would be the best time to escape. He slowly stood up to run when he realized, he had been chained to a tree by his pants and shirt. Looking up, A tall feminine shadow stood over him as he screamed for help. She was tall and fair in complexion with carrot hair and a very welcoming look on her face. She seemed to be a very kind person to Jim, as he looked into her eyes. But because of the current circumstances he was in with her, he could not help himself but be frightened.

“Afraid, are we? You did not seem afraid when you infested my garden with your apple remainders!” She yelled. Pretty soon Jim began thinking he would never be saved. He had to try to help himself. “You’re not leaving here until you clean up this whole mess you’ve made in my garden!” She said speaking sternly to him. “How could you ruin my beautiful garden? It took me so long to grow all these fruits and flowers.” The lady cried as her garden was her second most prized possession.

Jim cleaned up all the mess and apologized. Even though he did not know the garden belonged to someone he understood that he was in the wrong for littering the way he did. Jim ensured the lady that he would never again destroy her garden or anyone else’s own. When she unchained him, she asked why he ate so many of those sour green apples every morning. “Do you not know that too many of those sour fruits are not good for the body. You should have a healthy breakfast every morning? She questioned Jim. Jim was ashamed but told her that he ran away from an abusive home and he had been living in a hollow tree for some time now. He admitted being too young to work and not having any family made it difficult to find food to eat. But he believed that it was God who gave him this apple tree to eat from. “I am very grateful I still had something to eat because there are many who have nothing, not even a green sour apple.” The woman felt heartbroken to hear that and asked him to stay with her. And she also apologized to him for chaining him and making her children tie him up only to punish him. Jim had already forgiven her, for he was a very forgiving boy. “I am sorry.” He said. “But I will have to respectfully decline your offer, due to the actions you took to get me to clean up the mess I made. You could have simply asked, and I would have done it. I refuse to go back to an abusive home.” Jim cried as he walked away.