With spring right around the corner, Sarah was in a hurry to the nearest apple orchard in the town of Mayfield. It was a predilection of hers to find the ripest apples to give to her mother for her birthday each year. Mother Elena had always preferred indigenous apples from her hometown, specifically from Robin’s Mayfield Orchard. These everlasting fruits were hard to obtain, and were only rewarded to those who were able to complete a sacred quest.
     Each year, Sarah would fail to locate the apples her mother desired, replacing her gifts with a basket of beautiful plums and peaches.
     “Apples of my native land are the only fruits that I approve of! Their flavor is as sweet as honey, and their color is the most vivid of all. Every other fruit is vapid in my eyes, Sarah. Never present me with anything but those! How many times do I have to tell you?” Mother Elena bitterly threw the present to the side with a contemptuous look.
      However, Mother Elena’s fractious attitude of disdain affected Sarah in no way. She had been a determined child since the start, although taciturn and reserved most of the time. Her mother’s harsh actions only made her even more persevering towards her goal.
      After hours of wandering in an unknown part of the town, Sarah came across a tall adolescent about her age, attempting to illicitly trespass on a plantation of cotton. Immediately, Sarah took note of the “TILLY’S PLANTATION: No Trespassers. If Caught, you will be Sentenced to Prison.” sign hooked to the edge of the gate, and softly warned him to stop out of concern.
His head swung around and his face turned dark, hinting a trace of vexation from Sarah’s existence. “What is your problem? It is not your business now, is it? Move.”
     Sarah backed off for a moment, only to come face to face with a man at the age of sixty, wearing a badge spelling: “TILLY’S PLANTATION OF COTTON”.  The boy on the gate suddenly lost his balance and fell to the ground next to Sarah.
The man raised his eyebrows and sighed. “What is the meaning of this, Dylan? You will not be able to steal any cotton from here. You do know trespassing is a crime, am I correct? There is the option of becoming a chattel on the land, of course! You could work each day and earn cotton without having to pilfer. Have you ever considered this?” His gaze shifted to Sarah shortly after, while Dylan tried to blame her for his shameful actions by declaring she was the culprit.
     “Sir, this is a mistake! She forced me to climb the gate to get her some cotton for her poor family. This girl is a malevolent one, wanting an innocent individual to commit a crime and do dirty work for her! I condescended to her orders out of pity for her poverty, and this is what I get in return?”
     Sarah decided to stand up for herself, knowing that she may end up in prison due to a simple misunderstanding. If that happened, she would never be able to find the apples Mother Elena requested. She was resolute in doing so. “What is the meaning of your lies? I was merely telling to you stop doing such unlawful things, nothing more. The sign clearly says that trespassing is not allowed, but you dismissed it with pride. Who are you to call me the alleged criminal? Where is your evidence? Besides, I was just on my way to pick up special apples for my mother! I have always wanted to fulfill her wishes, and I will. I will not end up in jail because of a wrongdoing you carried out yourself!” Dylan paled slightly and turned his head towards the cotton expanse without a word.
     The older man introduced himself as Mr. Peters. “Nice speech, little lady. You were able to shut him up. No one can stand up to him around here. It is quite hard to do, especially because of that contentious attitude of his. It has become a real problem though. I must say that there are many altercations around Mayfield because of his words. Nevertheless, I will deal with him later. By the way, what special apples were you talking about?”
     “Only the apples that are forever ripe sir, the apples that taste as sweet as honey. They are the ones with the most vivid colors. I am on a quest to retrieve them.” Sarah paused for a second before continuing. “Would you happen to have some, Mr. Peters?”
Mr. Peters smiled and shook his head. “Dear, I do not have the famous fruit, nor have I ever seen one. I do have instructions for the quest and how to get them. My father Ike left it for me after sharing stories about how delicious the apple was compared to others. He wanted me to follow his footsteps and bring the “Love Apple” back to split among my family. I never got the chance to do so, and I am too old for this. I shall pass it on to you in hopes that you will be able to put a smile on your mother’s face. Would that be fine, Sarah?”
     Sarah, now more determined than ever, continuously nodded and thanked him as tears formed on her face. Dylan looked on out of the corner of his eye. The smallest smile formed at the edge of his mouth. It was the first anyone ever saw in years.