Apple Red

Once upon a time, there was a girl with hair the color of a ripe red apple. Her hair was long and curly, and everyone knew her as Apple. Apple lived in a cottage with her seven cats. By day she would tend to her garden, and by night, she would chant spells and brew potions.

Everyone knew that Apple was the best at making potions, so whenever they wanted a potion, they would go to Apple's shop. Apple had potions for hair growth and hair loss. She had potions to make plants grow faster. She had potions that could be used to make other potions.

One day, a girl with long black hair arrived at her shop. "What kind of potion do you want?" Apple asked as the girl looked around.

"Is there a potion to become the most beautiful maiden in all the lands?" the girl asked hopefully.

"There is," Apple said. "But it only lasts for a day."

"I'll buy it!" the girl said before placing a giant gold coin on the counter.

Apple stared at the coin. She had never seen this much money before. The girl had to be someone important. "Who are you?" asked Apple.

The girl smiled. "I'm the queen."

"Why do you need this potion?" asked Apple.

The queen sighed heavily. "I want the prince to fall in love with me."

"Why don't you ask for a love potion, then?" asked Apple.

The queen shook her head. "No, no. Don't think that way about me. I'm not that kind of person."

"Being the most beautiful won't necessarily make the prince fall in love with you," Apple told the queen.

The queen looked sadly down at the potion in the glass bottle.

"You can try it, though," Apple tried to reassure her.

The queen nodded determinedly. But a few days later, the queen was back.

"How did it go with the prince?" asked Apple.

The queen sobbed. "He still doesn't love me."

Apple patted her on the shoulder. "Are you sure you don't want a love potion?"

"No love potions," the queen said as she wiped away her tears. "Do you have any potions that can make me the richest person in the world?"

"Em," Apple said, "I have potions that can make people believe you're the richest person in the world. But it only lasts half a day."

The queen eagerly held out her hand after placing another giant gold coin on the counter.

"This one won't necessarily make the prince fall in love with you either," Apple warned her.

The queen just danced around. "I won't know unless I try it."

But a few days later, the queen was back again.

"How did it go?" asked Apple.

"Do you have any more potions?" the queen asked dejectedly.

"I have a truth potion," Apple suggested.

"So I can see if the prince really loves me or not?" The queen sighed as she sank down to the wooden floor. "I'm afraid of the answer not being what I hope for."

"Not for the prince," Apple said softly as she sat down next to her. "For yourself."

The queen blinked as she turned to look at Apple. "For me?"

Apple nodded. "This potion can help you relax and be your true self. This way, you'll have shown the prince your true self. If he still doesn't like you after that, maybe you aren't destined to be."

The queen let out a sob and threw her arms around Apple, hugging her tight. "Thank you. I'll try it." When the queen tried to give Apple another golden coin, this time, Apple gently pushed it back into the queen's hands. "This one I'm giving to you as a friend. I wish you luck."

Apple got a number of customers over the next couple of days, but there was one that stood out from the rest. A boy in fancy clothing arrived at her shop and was looking around. Apple walked over to him. "What are you looking for?"

"Do you have any potions that can make someone fall in love with me?" he asked hopefully as he held out a giant gold coin.

"You want a love potion?" asked Apple.

The boy quickly shook his head. "No, no love potions. I want her to fall in love with me willingly."

Apple just sighed. "Take my advice. You don't need a potion for that. Just tell her the truth."

The boy looked panicked. "But I keep saying all the wrong things! I wanted to confess to her, but recently, it's almost like she wasn't herself. She was starting to worry me, but then suddenly she was back to her old self again. I don't want her to try to change for me, but what if I say the wrong thing again?"

Apple tapped her chin. "I have the perfect thing for that." Apple walked over and picked up a shiny red potion. This she gave to the boy. "After you drink this, believe in yourself. Be brave and speak the truth."

The boy's face split into a big smile. "Thank you!" He was still holding the coin out to her, but Apple shook her head. "This potion is a gift."

The next day, the queen and the boy came to Apple's shop together. They were smiling and holding hands. Apple smiled too. "You're in love now?"

The queen nodded. "It's all thanks to you. Thank you!"

While the queen went to play with Apple's cats, the prince walked over to Apple. He lowered his voice. "What kind of potion did you give me? It worked so well!"

Apple giggled. "That wasn't a potion. That was freshly made strawberry juice from the strawberries in my garden."

The prince stared at her in surprise. Then he was laughing too. "I guess I had the courage in me all along."

The queen and the prince thanked Apple again before taking their leave. Apple smiled and waved to the two of them as they set off down the path, and everyone lived happily ever after.

✦ End ✦