Don't Let Me Rot Away

“McGraw!” A landowner yelled. “Get out my crops before I shoot you!”

McGraw scattered out of the field, running back under the village bridge where he lived among other rejected children. He scanned his belongings: a month-old loaf of bread he found in the trash and a bent fork.

“Ugh, I can’t take this anymore,” McGraw said, frustrated. “I need to find a new way of living.” McGraw went off into the village looking for new opportunities to live a better life when he stumbled upon a poster. 

GET A CHANCE TO MEET THE OLD KING AND BECOME THE NEW ONE!

FIND THE HIDDEN GOLDEN APPLE

CLAIM YOUR REWARD AT THE CASTLE STEPS!

“This is my chance,” McGraw yelled aloud. “If I find this apple, maybe the king will help me.” McGraw began his search, roaming the apple orchards like a lost dog. He scavenged for that apple like he scavenged for food scraps, not leaving a single area untouched. McGraw continued his search for days, finding nothing but plain old red apples. But when he was about to quit, he saw it. A little boy who was also searching picked the golden apple off a tree and began yelling out of excitement. McGraw had an idea. He quickly ran over to the boy and put his hand over his mouth.

“Hey hey, quiet down, boy,” McGraw told the kid as his hand covered his mouth. “Let me get the apple; I’ll give you whatever you want.”

McGraw released his hand from the boy’s mouth. 

“What? No,” the little boy said, “I won fair and square.”

McGraw got impatient and annoyed, knowing he needed that apple.

“Fine then,” McGraw said, “you left me no choice.”

Wrapping his arm around the boy’s neck, McGraw slowly pulled him down to the ground, ever so slightly killing the boy. A few more minutes passed with McGraw and the boy on the orchard ground, finalizing McGraw’s kill. McGraw got up, brushed dirt off his butt, examined the apple, and then left the boy on the ground to rot away. Full of excitement, McGraw rushed to the castle steps screaming: “I got the apple. I got the apple!”

Guards surrounded him and took him to the king.

Hello, son. I see you found the golden apple,” the king said. 

“Yessir, I’m honored to be here.”

“Well then, let me show you around,” the king said.

McGraw and the king wandered the castle, bonding and ensuring McGraw knows how to be a king. The old king then left that night, packing all his belongings and announcing to the village that a new king was in power. Over the next few months, McGraw was a great king, cleaning the village, feeding everyone, and ensuring everyone was happy. Then, one night, when McGraw was reading his letters, he got a disturbance letter from an apple farmer, complaining that something in his orchard was making scary noises. McGraw laughed on his throne, finding the farmer’s complaint funny. That was until he heard screams in the village.

“What the—” McGraw said confused, “Guards, go check it out.”

The guards rushed out the door and scanned the village, seeing a dark figure head right toward them. The guards took no precautions, drawing their bows and shooting, hitting nothing but mud and dirt. The guards were confused as the figure approached the castle and their torches revealed a skeleton boy. A few guards ran in, telling McGraw a skeleton boy was here. Stunned, McGraw realized who it was and ordered the guards to let him in. With the villagers following behind at a safe distance, they watched everything.

“Hi, McGraw,” the skeleton boy said, “Do you remember killing me for that golden apple?” The village crowd let out a synchronized gasp, finding out their king was a killer. “You killed me, but your greed brought me back.”