1 An Apple that Fell From the Tree

There was an earthy and pine tree smell that invaded Valerie's senses. She opened her eyes and caught herself lying on the ground. Alert but tired, that was her overall feeling.

As she raised her head and started to get up, Valerie figured out that she was lying on some roots covered in moss. She wasn't sure if vines had gone over the top of them but it would certainly explain the uncomfortable bumps. As she got up, her head throbbed, and her body felt heavy.

She raised to her feet and staggered to a tree for support. The more she tried to ignore the painful throbbing in her head, the harder it was for her to bear the ache. Finally, with a deep breath, she looked around and realized that she was in the forest.

There were fallen leaves, branches, logs, acorns, pine trees, and wildflowers all around the place. As she took a few steps, some twigs snagged her long straight hair.

What happened to her?

Why was she in a place that seemed to be in the middle of the unknown?

Staring into the darkness, Valerie fixed her gaze on the ground. The only thing that she remembered was that her step-sister pushed her off a tall building. Free-falling through the air hadn’t been pleasant and she must’ve blacked out sometime after.

"That wench of a step-sister," she cursed under her breath.

Her heart sank as all the memories of her step-sister, Helena, flashed through her head. That woman’s hands were all over Valerie’s fiance, James, proudly parading their infidelity.

“Give it up, Valerie,” her step-sister had said moments before the disaster. “James is mine and so is the company. You’re just nothing but a waste of space.”

However, that was all she remembered. Everything after was a blurry mess.

She realized that she was still wearing the same flower embellished tulle gown from the event she attended with her step-sister and James.

And that was when it sank to her. She was supposed to be dead.

Who would survive getting pushed off of a twenty-story building?

No one, of course.

And how did she end up here in the middle of the forest when she last remembered herself in a bustling city?

She immediately looked for some bruises and fractures on her legs, arms, and even her head. She tried to find some blood dripping from her head or even her nose, but she found nothing at all. Aside from the throbbing pain that she felt on her head, Valerie was perfectly fine.

With a sigh of relief, Valerie decided to explore the whole area more.

She could feel the wet dirt squishing against her feet as she took a few more steps, progressing at a low speed. Unfortunately, it seemed that she had lost the pair of spool heels given to her by her uncle.

Valerie still had no idea what to make out of her situation and just let her feet decide where it would take her.

After walking a few meters distance, she heard a high-pitched, screeching noise. It was somehow similar to that, like a squeak made by an old, broken machine.

Like a curious cat, Valerie decided to explore more. Her senses were already heightened up. If she were a cat, her ears would perk up trying to find where the sound came from, and she heard a low, guttural, aggressive sound, similar to that of a growl.

'Curiosity killed the cat,' Valerie thought to herself. She wondered if she would be the cat that was referred to in that famous line.

Then again, if no one was ever curious, nobody could have invented things and improved their daily lives. But, just as millions of people saw an apple fall, Newton was the only person who asked why.

And that was when he created the law of gravity.

It seemed that Valerie was thinking of some ways to justify her curiosity as a person.

Just at that moment, Valerie discovered four animals gathered in a circle. She saw them as an animal that was somehow similar to a dog, pale gray with black throat fur and stripes on the body and legs.

It had coarse fur, four toes on each foot, and long forelegs. Three of these hyenas were fighting over something that was lying on the ground. When Valerie found the fourth animal that was present on the spot, it was a dog.

The hyenas looked up at her and growled as if they were warning her to leave their prey alone. But Valerie could see the dog looking at her with such pitiful eyes, and she felt a moment of sympathy for the poor animal.

She always liked animals and nature. Her conscience was yelling at her, and she wanted the hyenas to stop. It looked like the hyenas wanted to eat the dog, and there was no way that she would let it happen.

That was when she realized that she wanted to help it. The dog was squirming in their way as one of the hyenas came closer towards the prey.

The hyenas' teeth and their cheeks started to swell as they looked at the dog, ready to pounce on their prey. Valerie felt like her heart would burst from her chest. Not only did she want to save the dog, but she also wanted to save herself as well.

She looked around, grabbed a stick, and started throwing it on the hyenas with her quick thinking. Then, as she felt it was a bit lacking, she picked up some stones and threw them on the hyenas as well.

“Shoo!” Valerie waved her hands, exclaiming. “Get back!”

After a round of beating, the hyenas eventually dispersed with a growl, and that prompted Valerie to be quick on her feet. It was already an opportunity that she created for her and the dog. She was never the type to lose one just because she was scared and daunted.

Without thinking of anything else, she immediately ran towards the dog and picked it up, placing both hands on its chest and behind its front legs. She used her chest as support and ran like the rent was due tomorrow.

“Don’t worry, little one,” she cooed, hoping to comfort the trembling animal in her arms. “You’re going to be fine.”

Valerie realized that the dog was relatively small and was not that heavy at all. Panting hard, she turned around and looked back to see if the hyenas were following her.

It was dark. The night was already deep, and the only thing that she saw that was shining so bright was the moon. She continued to run as fast as she could. And when she turned her head to look in front of her, she stumbled off the edge of a cliff.

Her unconsciousness left her as she let the gravity take over her like she was an apple that fell from the tree.