Apple Streusel Crisp

The leaves whispered spiraling down among the hallowed ground of harvest time. The orchard softly spoke to the ripe fruit to awaken and shine. We were gazing at the orchard from the last hill above the small access road along the hillside, nearly 5100 msl. I looked over to her on my left as the breeze moved her hair with the wind. The auburn tresses danced and moved to the music of the trees in the golden afternoon sun. We had hiked to the point for about 20 minutes from the road.

We had been there many times this year. This field of fruit was ours to manage. Mary made her way down the slope carefully; it was my turn to watch out this time. She carried the medium sized canvas bag in her right hand as she looked back to me waving with her left. Mary was the better apple picker, while I was the better look out. This orchard was marvelously organic and magical. It had been in existence since the beginning of time. The earth below teamed with organic life and nutrients. Wind and rain worked in harmony as the sun and moon moved across to draw the life into orchard. This was beyond magic.

This was to be our last harvest. We were moving on to the south. The last of our group left last week to the valley on the way to the settlement not far from the Sea of South. Parisis, the gateway to Southern Worlds.

Mary had just climbed to the top of tree 57. She waved. I heard a twig snap. Looked to the right near the eastern edge of the orchard. There was movement just the racoon, two more hours of sunlight on an autumn day and the children come out to play. I pulled out the lenses from my backpack and gazed the eastern half, there was something else moving. A small hairy apple fairy with a long beard, pointy shoes, green leather waistcoat and a orchid in his hair was moving to the eastern edge to the grove. I think I know him. Jonathan Sap, is he. We’ll share a cup of strong drink before we depart.

Mary had moved to the other trees and gathered all that was needed from them. We had been very fortunate to come at the right time. Mary and I had managed the orchard, the last 141 years. The Apple harvest time had to be exact and you could only find the golden apples at that specific time. They would pay for our way to the south to escape the evil ones destroying our way of life. Mary and I were few of our kind along with the tree people. Those who believed in the earth and love. Evil ones were close, 300 kilometers by their smell.

Mary and Jonathan walked up to me quickly hoping I wanted a few slugs of fairy white lightning before it evaporated under the moons light. I reached for the skin and slugged a good belt. The burn was warm and lively. The warmth tickled the spirit of my soul as it slowly connected with my consciousness. Twilight time and we had to make quick toward the caravan leaving at midnight. Our happiness of the final harvest turned to a churning sadness. The foe was near with their drones and murderous technology, bent on destroying every last one of us.

A raccoon, fairy and a freeperson walk into a bar. The raccoon orders a malt, the fairy orders schnapps and the freeperson order’s a shine. The evil ones enter the bar and blow everyone away except the freeperson who disappeared after he downed the shine. It was a horrible reoccurring dream that haunted him. Mary pulled on his arm and pointed to the horses.

Stem we have to get going to meet up with the others.

Yes.

Our pace quickened toward our beasts, we bid farewell to Jonathan and secured our golden apples in the side saddle bags. Off into the dusk we rode into the valley. Twin moons rose behind us lighting the way along the trail, sadness grew inside. This place will be missed as my heart sunk into my gut. We both looked at each other with tears in our eyes. Our land and trees. Our gentle lives, running from murder.

Jonathan Sap was alone in the orchard with his smoke in his hand, skin at his side. What a beautiful moon rise. The Moon light changed the contrast and perspective. His magic was ready, hand in his pouch he pulled out the red moonstone. He would change the raccoon first into his normal state, a Griffin. Cast an invisibility spell to hide the apple orchard. Head to the cave, seal the entrance and take a millennial nap hoping the world would be normal upon his awakening.

The Griffin awoke out of the haze with a deafening roar, shaking the earth below him. Focused mighty power it felt good to be back again, she had been in a dream for such a long time, ages, millennia, remembering a time of gods and monsters and evil ones. It was a peaceful sleep as a raccoon. Awakened by magic to protect again. Alepha could transfigure herself into an orange colored tabby cat if needed be to hide among strangers or enemies, after all who could resist a harmless looking tabby cat even though she was a Griffin who was a raccoon in a previous life.

Stem and Mary had made their way to the caravan on time for the departure. The Solar powered wagons would take them south to their new home, their old home really. Safety and hope offered life again.

Mary, had left a few red apples on the ground after her time picking in the orchard, red delicious they were called. They always stayed fresh even after picking. The most beautiful of all the magic apples. There was only one tree in the garden that had them. It was a sacred tree. Freepersons had been warned to respect the tree and its fruit and they did.

The giant airship with deafening diesel motors descended through the thin clouds intruding on the peacefulness of the sacred valley. These noisy men and their horrible machines and violence violated everything wonderful and pure. They had been terraforming the planet since they arrived many lifetimes ago. Destroying and slaying cultures like cattle in a abattoir. Evil vicious violent men.

The Airship’s length was 1278 ft long with 7 diesel engines carrying a crew of 25 and 30 annihilators. Two omni cannons port and starboard, two sonic disruptor cannons bow and stern. On the top of the vessel there was a auto repeating cannon firing 70mm shells like a gatling gun. It was death from the sky.

The crew leveled the vessel into slow descent to land. The captain announced to the crew from the gondola proceed to land and embark. The cables shot out and down in the soil retracting the ship into mooring. Four of the crew walked down the ramp to inspect the holding cables. 15 of the troops along with their 2^nd in command exited to begin the invasion. The hidden orchard laid about mile away from the landing area to the west along with a dozen red apples on the ground. Not to conspicuous but visible to the naked eye from a distance. The shock troops milled around stretched their legs and started a marching routine with a loud cadence chorus.

We will defeat you

We will humiliate you

We will kill you

We will make your sons and daughters serve us

And your wives will pleasure us

This went on till they stopped the drills. Marching, laughing, happy murderous men walking toward the orchard area. The trees not visible, just the apples on the ground brilliantly laying there waiting to be eaten just like apples do. The 2^nd in command picked them up and placed a few them in his side pack, motioned to the sergeant to pick up the rest and carry them back to the vessel. A tribute to the victors he thought, nice flavorful apples, juicy crisp and tart apples. The men brought him a cat that they had found close by. An orange tabby cat that was abandoned by the elven folk, bet they didn’t want to take care of it any more. The officer told the soldier to drop it and join the others for the recon, but the cat continued to follow him watching his every move cautiously as he surveyed the land. The cat rubbing itself on the side of his leg shedding the hair. The 2^nd didn’t care for it and tried to kick the cat with his boot. Alepha moved quickly out of the way and kept on running to the top of the rise out of sight.

Back to the vessel for a meal and camp for the night. It had been a tiring day said the men, too much marching and singing about killing. The problem was there was no killing and that’s what got them tired.

Evening fell upon them. The cook made a wonderful apple streusel crisp that was enough for the entire crew and warriors which everybody loved. By the next morning every one was dead. By noon the entire vessel along with the weaponry were ripped apart by the Angry Griffin. What had started out as easy rape and pillage ended as a victory by apple streusel crisp from Eden.