“Have you ever heard of the fable of the apple?”, asked the old grape. “I didn’t think so….
…. You see, a long time ago, when meadows were lush and my skin was impeccable, we all lived together in peace, side by side. The grapes, a wildly spread fruit of communicative, cheerful and bubbly sweet temptation. Our vineyards spread over kilometres! We hung together in small families, as it is still a custom now. But even though you were very close with your fellow grape family members, you knew everyone around you. Of course, there is the more posh red grape and their colourful changes throughout the year. But in the end, we all know that we come from a vine. There, to ultimately serve as a delicacy.
Our neighbours next door were, of course, the plums. A hidden fruit. They do not draw much attention to themselves and even stray away from others high in their trees. I must admit, the plums are a depressed people. They hang on, grow and grow, far away, only to decide ultimately, they don’t want to be picked! In their ripest moment, the ecstatic crowd of people waiting for them to shine, they simply fall. Fall to the ground, to be mushed by feet, animals and insects. In a mass grave of sugary leftovers, they leave their seed to possibly start the circle from new. But you see, while others brush the plums off as a unnecessarily dramatic fruit, I can understand their resentment. As I am now myself not a grape, but almost a wise raisin, I have come to realise the fault of our kind: we grow to be one of the most pleasurable things on this planet, only to suffer decay when our perfect time is missed. We cannot scream, we cannot tell: ‘Pick me! I am ripe, I am ready!’ For such is the nature of our time on this earth. Not many are blessed with a different destiny.
It is similar with an underestimated delicacy that grows in our neighbourhood, the pear. The pear is a spiteful lover, it either charms you or leaves you stung. It can be your rise or your fall. But secretly, I believe, the spite of a pear is only due to its vicinity to the main actor of my monologue, the apple. Looking similarly but being thought of as ‘low descent’, the pear vengefully has now other choice as to smite those who only stop by their tree as they mistook them for an apple tree. Only mushed into a juice their anger is lessened, silenced I would say. I am sorry for the pear, it creates its own vicious circle.
‘But my dear grape, you wise raisin, where is the apple in all of this?’ And you are right with your inquiry!
The apple, falling into the same categories as all of us, has claimed a spot that is undetected by many, yet highly prolific. It is widespread and used in many ways. It falls from the tree, is mushed and juiced and used. But throughout, it has remained with a positive attitude towards life. It knows that the moment of ecstasy will come, so it preserves its value, its sweetness and its taste. Even its health benefits are there for many weeks. Have you ever wondered why there is such little variety in plums and pears when compared to apples? The apple invigorates its final means, therefore knowing that the next generation will be saved and, human willing, even more successful than the last!
Now you wonder: ‘How are you, a grape, able to tell me this?’
Well you see, us grapes have the notion of being plenty, therefore a few of us are unnoticed. And as I am lying here, on the ground underneath you young grapes, in the muddy ground, slowly becoming a raisin, I give forward my knowledge, hoping that one of you will be there to be a raisin as well.
Therefore, the most important thing I can tell you is, that even though we wait for the moment of ultimate ripeness, sweetness and completion in life, it is what comes afterwards that defines us.