Declarations of an Orange

Chapter 6
Outrageous Apples

It was a long ride, and thankfully not a bumpy one, but the sudden brakes made me nervous. I could see through the window, it wasn't properly raining, just mild showers to tease the souls. 

It did rain heavily though, around midnight, the clouds even roared a few times, and we both saw lightning bolts illuminating the dark sky. 

Peachow liked to take small naps in my arms, and I made sure my kisses are gentle enough to not wake her up in sleep. Tina, the girl of nine, had brought a small box-shaped thing, and it plays music when you press the buttons. Peachow understands the music so she sings it to me in the language I understand. 

Fruits talk in Frulish, an old language, originated during our inception, carried along through our seeds, but fruits hardly talk. We got nothing to talk. Apples would disagree though. They have lovely experiences to share. 

Peachow tells me that we are going to a place of mountains, as high as God's chin, and full of snow and pine trees. Humans call it paradise on earth. I get excited when I think of snow and ice and mountains. 

When Peachow falls asleep, I try to look away, at stars and silver clouds, but my eyes roll back to her without me knowing. She has a serious face, a stern look spread across her cheeks and forehead, but her nose is funny but her eyes are sad.  

She still has that childlike face, innocence floating above her eyelids, but her past still haunts her. Violence settles in our hearts like scars on skin! something. 

'Isn't it strange that we are going to a place which we only heard in stories?'

'Mountains are Scary, Orantus. One could fall from the top and never come back!'

'I'm not scared of them, Peachow!'

I run my gaze towards the window and I could see trees getting bigger, snow getting thicker, and the air became cold. 

Mountains. The big sleeping giants. It's a common saying in our culture that mountains are deep sleepers, and it's hard to wake them up. They sleep all summer, all winter! However, they do wake up! It's once in a year. They talk to the evening star, which shines the most! 

Apples, I am not saying they are my dear friends, but they have told me a lot about mountains. I am hoping to see some of them in our journey, Peachow is not really fond of them. She likes little fruits. Personally, my favorite fruit is mango, the king of all. He is very kind and humble but it's hard to impress them. 

'What if the Mountain hits you! Throws you in its pit! Hides you in the snow!' 

I listened to her sweet talk, but my eyes were fixed on her eyebrows, which dance cutely as she speaks, and I wished to run my hands on her face but it would be awkward so I just smiled. 

'No Mountains are very humble beasts. They won't do any harm! You are very superstitious Peachow!'

'How can you be so sure?'

'I'll talk to apples. Don't worry! They will take care of us!'

'I wonder sometimes!' She took a pause and looked away, 'How can we be in love?'

'Oh!' 

I came close to her and allowed her head to rest on my shoulder, and I tried to look where she was already looking. The car was moving fast but the things, those were very far from us, were still, and not really moving with us. 

Mountains. 

They were slowly getting bigger and a strange fear shook my insides. Peachow was right, they were surely scary and monstrous but thankfully those beasts cover themselves in the snow. 

My mind drove back to her strange question. 

'What do you mean, Peachow?'

'Love isn't real! I mean that's what I have been told.'

'By whom?'

'Everyone!'

'What do you think?' I asked, 'What do you feel?'

'I feel it-', her voice shattered like glass, '-this strange strange feeling Orantus but I am not supposed to feel it, I am not supposed to love anyone, that's what I have been told all my life! Love is a sweet fable and fables aren't true.'

'Sometimes I feel it too!' I spoke softly, 'All our lives we are told to do certain things in a certain way. Do this. Do that. Feel this. Feel that. Live like this. Be what we tell you to be. Be a part of us. Don't think too much.' 

I get nervous when Peachow looks at me. But I continued. 

'Peachow, I am tired of people telling me what to do and what to feel. I carry this little heart and I am tired to convincing it to dance and the tunes of others. I want to listen to my own song, my hymn!'

'Orantus!' I could see tears in her eyes. 

'You are my song Peachow! I have never felt like this before!'

'Me too! I didn't even know if my heart had a song too! You only made me realize that it's there...'

'I don't want to lose you!'

'I won't let that happen, Orantus! I'll be with you! All my life.'

The car stopped.

Everything happened so suddenly. I saw a few people in masks banging at our car's windows. The lady cried so loudly and Tina closed her eyes. The bald man, the father, rushed out of the car but they placed a gun to his head. The lady cried even loudly! She wanted to get out of the car but the bald man stopped her. Tina hid her face in her lap and hugged us tight. 

Peachow was looking at me, I remember, with confusing eyes, and I felt scared. I could see the dance of horror in Peachow's eyes, the memories that caged violence stepped in and she cried out loud. I held her in my arms and told her that everything would be fine. 

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'We asked you a question and you better answer it, Orange!'

'I say let's squash him!'

'No! His seeds won't talk to us. He will!'  

'Throw him in the water!'  

'Peel off his skin, I say!'

'Where do you get such ideas, Applina!'

'From our masters, Apolus! I have seen them!'

'I-DONT-KNOW!' 

I screamed and I made it sure that it's loud enough to send chills to this impatient army of apples. 

'You were there, Orantus! Don't lie to us! We have all the rights to know what happened to our brothers!'

'Throw him in the water!'

I looked at them! The crowd of apples. Some were angry, some were sad, some just wanted to hit me and some wanted me unrobed. They thought I have answers to their questions. I was trying to ignore them for quite a few days, but melons must have told them about my whereabouts. These fat melons aren't loyal to Oranges. They were always the best-friends of Apples. 

Although Mango is our king, apples are the smartest. Humans respect them a lot, I mean Apples are the first thing Human kids learn at school, don't they? 

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. 

They never get tired of singing this song, it's their mutiny anthem. They like swimming a lot and surprisingly none of them ever sinks. It means a fortune to them if their masters perchance throw them in a swim-pool or water bucket. 

I don't have Malusdomesticaphobia but I certainly can't stand their bizarre attitude. They have grouped today, and as I count, they are 20, all looking fierce and demanding, but I ain't scared of them. 

'I am not the best person to tell you about the incident, Friends!'

I said clearly. They didn't seem convinced as they circled around their leader, Apolus, for further instructions. Apolus, their boss, was the juiciest and reddest apple in the lot, and he had been a great leader from what I heard. 

'You were there, Orantus' Apolus stepped forward, 'You have seen everything! I don't understand why you want to keep it a secret!'

'It's nothing like that, Apolus-'

'Throw him in the water!'

'Oh Shut up you silly Apple, I know how to swim' I had to yell loudly to make that little rotten apple shut, as he was the one encouraging others to drown me. 

'Aplolo is a nasty apple! I apologize on his behalf!' Apolus spoke in a clever tone, 'But you must agree Orantus, that you have been there, the heaven of ice, and you have somehow returned! I have seen you talking with Berry the blue and little nasty Litch, telling them your stories, fables of love!' 

'So am I under your surveillance, Sir?' 

'I don't want to sound rude, Orantus but you must have heard about the Appleneck!' He made a scary face at me and grinned, 'You have heard the story, right? He has gone mad!'

Appleneck. For all I know it was just a tale invented by apples to scare other fruits.

'It's a story, come on! You think I am a fool!'

'He cut the Bananus in half!' One of the apples exclaimed from behind. Bananus was from banana family, and I knew him. It was only yesterday when we found his dead body, cut in half, but I didn't know if it was Appleneck who did it. 

'-And you are supporting a murderer!' I roared with anger.

'What did you call me, idiot?' 

A husky voice came from behind the curtains, and an apple walked past the army of other apples, but he was not a normal apple, he was big and he had a sharp knife which he was swinging madly. 

'Who are you?' I almost fell on the floor. 

'Appleneck! Appleneck!' The crowd cheered loudly.

'You killed Bananus! He was my friend!'

'That ugly fruit, Bananus huh,  insulted me, boy!' 

Appleneck spoke like a mad dog, violently walking towards me with big steps, and swinging that deadly knife in all directions. 

'You!'

Appleneck held me tight and pointed his knife at my eyes. I could see the dancing death in his blood red eyes. 

'Apolus tells me that you have seen what happened there, in the land of ice!'

'Aye!' The crowd cheered.

'I want to know, boy, everything, that has happened to my brothers so that I can avenge them!' He growled angrily, 'You look so innocent, Orange, and I must tell you, I like you, people! You don't stink like Bananas! But if you are going to stay mum then I have to swing my blade and it will hurt-' He laughed, '-a lot!'

'Where did you get this knife?'

'This is a sword!' He swung the knife around, 'A boy so young, black hair, gray eyes, you must have seen him, wanted to eat me! He took me from the basket, I begged for mercy but he didn't listen! He pierced this sword in my belly and it hurt like hell, boy! It still does!' 

I tried to look away from his wound. He almost grabbed my head and brought the tip of the knife to my skin! 

'But the boy ran away-' He grunted, '-leaving me alone, all bloodied up! He didn't give me a peaceful death! So I took the blade and I trained myself. Now, I can fight and I can kill'

'You are a vile fruit!'

'Learn from your friend's mistake. Don't make me angry, Orantus! Tell me what happened there!'

'Okay! I will!'

I said and I bravely looked in his eyes, '-but on one condition!'

'What?' Appleneck and Apolus spoke together. 

'We have to unite our brothers! We have to prepare ourselves for what's coming. I have seen it with my eyes and we can't afford to fight amongst ourselves. Appleneck, you have to apologize to the council of bananas and if you think your pride is coming in the way, then you are free to swing that stupid knife in my belly, I won't mind-

'It's a sword!' Appleneck cried. Apolus understood my words so he whispered something in his ears. Appleneck nodded with agreement. 'I'm ready, Orantus! I'll do what you say!'

'Great!'

I distanced myself from the army of apples and they watched me with stern looks.

'I promise to tell you everything that happened back there and it's not a pleasant thing. You have to prepare yourself for the truth. '

Silence kissed their shocked faces. 

I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to discuss with anyone but they left me no choice. I wanted to forget everything that happened with me and my sweet darling Peachow! The incident stole the love of my life. It stole everything that I had. 

Now, it's just wounds and pain! 

(To be Continued...)

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