The Apple That Fell Far Away--Richard

-Smack-

An unexpected bright red apple plops and awakens him, who was sleeping under the apple tree, flourishing bright green during the Spring season. The sun’s golden rays straight above scatter through the rustling, flowing leaves. He gets up, apple in hand, and heads into the house.
“My god Richard, what happened to your face?!” said his mom.
“It’s nothing major; this apple just fell on my face. It might leave a bruise.” he replied. “How are you supposed to find a nice girlfriend getting your face all messed up like that.
Remember I want some beautiful grandchildren to take care off when I’m old and when you’re a doctor curing cancer.” she says jokingly.
“I know. I know. You always say that. What if I don’t have a wife in the future?”
“Don’t say things like that. A real man needs a loving wife. It’s what God would want.” “Ok.”, he says reluctantly.
“Remember, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Your dad was pretty popular himself
in high school. Look at the beautiful wife he has now.”
“Okok, I get it. I’m gonna go check out that new pet shop.”
“Have you cleaned your room?”
“Yes.”
“Have you eaten?”
“Yes.”
“Fine. On your way out, toss out these apples in the dumpster for me.”
“What’s wrong with them?”
“They probably fell too far away from the tree; they’re bruised. We don’t want to eat
those apples.” “Alright.”
“Alright?!”
“Yes, mom.”
“That’s better.”
On the way to the store, he notices a large, black figure soaring through the skies; its
vigilant nature suggests it’s looking for prey. He doesn’t think much of it and proceeds. He reads “Pets Kingdom! Where you can find a part of yourself in every pet!”, owned by Lindsey Greene and Ben Turner. Richard steps in and sees the owners. Ben Turner easily reaches the upper shelves, seemingly restocking heavy boxes. His beard can probably house a couple pets. Towards the right of the store, Lindsey at the counter notices Richard step in. She has the brightest, most-welcoming smile accompanied by her golden, flowing hair.
“Hey there kiddo! How can I help ya out?” “Oh, I’m just looking around.”

“Well alright. If you need anything, just holler.”
He traverses throughout the store like a curious cat, uninterested in the basic array of hamsters, dogs, pets, and snakes, until he notices a bright, stocky, petite bird flaunting what seems to be every color of the rainbow.
“Lindsey! What type of bird is this?” he asks.
“Oh this one? It’s the painted bunting. Pretty fella ain’t he?”
“Yeah.”
“Be careful though. These fellas can be very territorial and aggressive. They’re hard to
care for at first, but can be some of the most beautiful, amazing pets you can ever find when you look beyond their initial behaviors.”
He ponders about how his strict, adamant mom would react to him bringing a pet home. However, he looks at the stocky avian and feels an odd connection to it.
“I’ll take him.” he says.
“Good choice.” Lindsey replies.
Richard returns home, cage with the painted bunting in his right hand and the apple in his
left hand.
“What is that?!” exclaimed his mom.
“An apple.”
“I’m not kidding around!”
“It’s a painted bunting. Isn’t he pretty?”
“Who gave you permission to get one?! Return it immediately! My god, what will your
dad say when he gets home.”
“What’s wrong with us keeping a bird? I’ll take care of it with my own money. You guys
won’t even have to worry about it.”
“Even if we keep it, didn’t you hear there’s a owl flying around preying on people’s
pets.”
“Oh, I think I saw it earlier.”
“They call it Orion. That’s besides the point. Why don’t you get a normal pet? Get one that isn’t so colorful and won’t draw so much attention from who knows what might be out there.”
“What’s wrong with being different? Don’t you think it’s sad that not a lot of people are willing to take care of it because it just happens to be slightly different. It’s like the apples you waste everyday. Just because they’re a little bruised, that doesn’t mean they aren’t perfectly good apples to eat.”
“I suppose. Fine, you can keep that. Just keep it caged until we know it’s safe okay?” “Ok.”
“What did you say?”
“Yes, mom.”
“Better.”

It takes a couple days for the authorities to capture Orion. Reports say the pugnacious avian preyed on a good amount of pets around the neighborhood. With it caught, everyone is relieved to be able to release their pets outdoors. After being territorial and aggressive for a couple days, like Lindsey had warned, the painted bunting warms up to Richard and his family. - Pluck-
An unexpected rainbow-colored, stocky bird pecks him on the face and awakens him. “Hey there, Love. Hungry?”
The bird perches on his finger. He grabs a bruised apple that fell far away and feeds it to
Love. There lies the boy, bird, and apple that fell far away from the tree.