Apple Seeds
   
Mary and John grew a type of apples that no one else grew. They were a perfect mixture of sweet and sour, and the apple tree they came from grew tall into the sky, and the apples seemed to blend with the stars.

One night Mary and John smelled smoke and awoke to see a forest fire creeping over the hill toward them. Terrified, they got up and paddled their canoe out to the middle of the lake and watched as the fire roared on and on. They watched as it burned down their crops and scorched the field. Eventually the fire reached the special apple tree. The fire swept up the tree. It burned up and up. It spread from the apples to the stars, which burned to a crisp, and the charcoal fell and sizzled as it hit the water of the lake. Eventually the fire had disappeared, but so had the stars.
   
Rebuilding the farm was tiring and took a long time. One day John went to gather water from the well, and as he was doing it he heard a strange whisper-yell: “Sir!”
   
“Who is that?” replied John.
   
“In the well!”
   
“Where? I don’t see anyone in the well.”
   
“Of course you can’t see me. I’m a well spirit, but I am here.”
   
“Of course. What do you want?”
   
“What do you want? I can help you if you like.”
   
“I would like any help I can get,” said John.
   
“I took one of your apples before the fire. Plant it, and you will see what fortune it brings.” The well bubbled, and an apple appeared at the surface. John picked it up and thanked the well spirit. He heard no reply.
   
The tree grew fast. Every new branch it sprung became a part of their wonderful house, and for every apple seed that dropped to the ground, a new shoot of wheat poked up in their garden. For every apple that grew on the tree, a new and beautiful star appeared in the sky.