Apple, Love & Poison (One)

On the boat, the river, copper-coloured from the sunset, trees on either side, rustling with animals traversing between them. With gentle strokes, he steered the boat toward the next town. 

He had traveled for days, stopping to take a night's rest at every town he came by-asking for a cure. The silver water it was called, a rare liquid that was rumoured to cure a very deadly poison; the poison that killed her slowly.

He had a well maintained farm with fruits and cattle, all which he loved dearly. Inherited from his grandmother, the farm was the only thing he had to call his own. Under no circumstance he would sell or let someone take it from him, till he met her. The beautiful lady. 

Before her, he had never met a person as beautiful and kind hearted as her. He met her, one grey rainy evening as he passed by a local woodcrafter's workshop. She was being mistreated by her boss. As skinny as he was, he stepped in to protect her, and from then, they grew closer with every passing day.

From his farm, he sold fresh apples and milk to big companies. He made something, enough to take care of himself yet still not too spectacular. Even though his earnings were not much, he agreed to cut it down further by giving her his apple business along with all the profits she made. 

On his fifth day, he docked by a small town, with little savings left. He knew, if he spent his money on a lodge that night, he would not have enough to find a cure for her. So he went back to his boat, wrapped a piece of cloth around, and slept among insects, fronts and the moon's reflection.

The next morning, a tall figure stood by, looking straight at him as he recovered from his rather comfortable sleep. His voice husky, he asked the traveller to come with him. "There's something you need, I can help" Still unstable from his drowsy state, he lay silent for a short while, before dashing up and following the stranger. Forgetting to ask all the important questions.

A very small town, crowded, wet floors and tight corridors that stood between opposing houses, he followed the stranger closely, looking both ways, trying to understand what was going on.

After a long walk, they arrived a small hut, which absolutely stood out from every other house standing around it. He followed the stranger into the hut, tables of enchantment, bottles of colourful liquid substances, dry bones. "Sit" the stranger instructed. He sat on a multicoloured straw mat. The stranger pulled out a small stone bowl, put some leaves and crushed before adding what appeared to be water. 

To his surprise, the stranger did not ask him to drink, he simply pushed it aside and told the traveller exactly what he needed to hear. But eventually ruined everything with one more thing. 

"The cure you look for, I can make. And because I see suffering in you, I will make for you at no charge. But, I do not have the ingredient. You can find it in a place I wish not to go. Should you need my help, you have to go there yourself" before a full smile developed across the traveller's face, the stranger added, "It's a nearby town, a few hours away. No one goes there anymore, because all that have ventured never returned. At least this is what the stories tell" overcome by fear, the traveller asked why. 

"A dragon" replied the stranger "What I need is the sap from the biggest baobab tree from these parts, it holds the cure" the traveller wondered.

"But whoever gets his hands on that tree must have killed the dragon" the stranger added, his voice so certain.