Stories can be powerful for illustrating the lessons of financial independence. In this series of stories, you will meet explore a familiar fairy tale world with remarkable characters and magic. There’s action, and drama, and love, and sometimes a happy ending. Enjoy these financial independence fairy tales.
You can find more Financial Freedom Fairy Tales here.
The Apple Trees by Doug Weller
A Financial Independence Fairy Tale
Once upon a time there lived two sisters, Annabel and Florence. Their mother had died when they were young, so they lived with their lonely father. The sister’s father was very poor. Every penny he earned got spent keeping his daughters happy but still the two sisters ended the day hungry.
One day, Annabel and Florence climbed up a steep hill near their home. At the top of the hill, they found two apple trees. On the first apple tree hung a lone green apple. And, on the second tree hung a lone red apple. Both the green apple and the red apple looked delicious.
“Dear Annabel, wouldn’t it be wonderful to eat these apples? I’m sure nobody would miss one red apple.” Annabel asked.
“Dear Florence, I am just as hungry as you. But they the apples do not belong to us. I wish that they did,” Florence replied.
The sister’s heard a noise from far below at the bottom of the hill, and watched as a hunched, old woman struggled uphill. The old woman had grey hair and each hand she carried a heavy bucket of water.
Annabel and Florence rushed down the hill and asked if they could help. The old woman stopped and explained that she was carrying water from the stream nearby to water the two apple trees.
Immediately, the sisters offered to help carry the buckets and the olde woman thanked them for their charitable offer. Annabel and Florence each took a full bucket of water and carried it uphill.
Once at the top of the hill, Annabel used her bucket to water the tree with the lone green apple, and Florence took the second bucket and watered the tree with the lone red apple.
The old woman was very pleased.
“You are both so kind to help me without any compensation,’ she said. “I too was young once, but now I struggle to carry those heavy buckets up the hill every day.”
The old woman wanted to thank Annabel and Florence and so she made them a special offer.
“Water my apple trees every day for the next four years. If you do as I ask I will return and give you more apples than you could eat for the rest of your lives.”
The sisters were both very excited by this offer because they were so often hungry. But as they were eagerly about to agree, the old woman lifted her hand.
“Before you say yes,” she said. “You must make a solemn promise. Do not eat a single apple from these trees until I return.”
Annabel and Florence eagerly accepted the old woman’s offer. They promised to water the apple trees every day, and not to eat a single apple until the old woman returned.
The old woman looked each sister in the eye.
“We are agreed. I will see you in four years time. You can keep the buckets.” Then she plucked the lone green apple from one tree and the lone red apple from the other tree, and trudged away down the hill.
The next morning, Annabel and Florence woke early. They each carried a bucket to the stream and filled it to the brim. Together, they crossed a rickety bridge and climbed the steep hill up to the apple trees.
At the top of the hill, both sisters put their heavy buckets down.
“That was hard work,” Annabel said. “But I suppose it should be hard work, if we are one day to get more apples than we could ever eat.”
Florence agreed. “Working for the next four years will be difficult,” she said. “But all the effort will be worth it in the end.”
“Dear Florence,” Annabel said. “I will water the tree that had the green apple because green is the colour of nature. And we are working with nature.”
“Dear Annabel,” Florence replied, “I will water the tree that had the red apple because red is the colour of blood. And we are working so hard.”
With both sister’s in agreement, they each watered their chosen apple tree.
Time passed, and every day the two sisters filled their buckets in the stream, crossed the rickety bridge, climbed the steep hill, and then watered their apple trees. Annabel always watered the tree that grew the green apple and Florence always watered the tree that grew the red apple.
They watered the trees in autumn, when the leaves fell to the earth.
They watered the trees in winter when the trees stood bare and covered in frost.
They watered the trees in spring when the trees sprouted new blossom.
And, they watered the trees in summer when the apple tree finally bore fruit.
“Look,” Annabel said in excitement. She pointed up to the branches of her tree. There hung a delicious-looking green apple. Annabel was so hungry and very tempted to eat the apple. She reached up into the branches, about to pluck it from the tree. But then she remembered the old woman’s words, and left the apple where it was.
When Florence arrived, she found a delicious-looking red apple hanging from her tree. She too was hungry and very tempted to eat the apple. She reached up into the branches, about to pluck kit from the tree, but Annabel interrupted her.
“Dear Florence, don’t you remember what we agreed with the old woman ?” Annabel asked. “We promised not to eat the tree’s apples.”
“But I am so hungry, dear Annabel,” replied Florence. “And besides, nobody will miss one red apple.”
So Florence plucked the red apple from the tree and ate it. The red apple was just as delicious as it had appeared, and Florence felt satisfied for the first time in weeks. Annabel stared at the green apple but managed to resist temptation because she had promised the old woman not to eat any apples.
“Perhaps tomorrow,” she said, because although she was very hungry she knew she could wait at least one more day.
The following morning, when Annabel and Florence came with their buckets of water to the apple trees, they saw that the green apple had fallen to the ground and it was now being eaten by the worms.
Florence laughed at her sister.
“Now do you wish you had eaten that green apple, Annabel?” she asked.
“Yes, I do. I can’t help it. But I kept my promise so I do not regret it,” Annabel replied.
Every day, the two sisters continued to fill their buckets from the stream, cross the rickety bridge, climb the steep hill, catch their breath and water the two apple trees.
The seasons passed once again from Autumn, to Winter, to Spring and then back to Summer.
One summer’s day, Annabel reached the top of the hill and found two delicious green apples hanging from her tree. She was still as hungry as ever and very tempted to eat the apples, but she remembered the words of the old woman so left both green apples on the branch.
When Florence looked up into the branches of her tree, she found only one red apple hanging from it.
“You have two green apples but I have only a lone red apple,” she said. “I have worked every day for a year to keep this tree watered, and I am so hungry. Nobody will miss one red apple.”
So Florence plucked the red apple from the tree and ate it. The red apple was just as delicious as it had appeared. Annabel looked up at the two green apples but decided to keep her promise to the old woman and left the two apples alone.
“Perhaps tomorrow,” she said, because although she was very hungry she knew she could wait at least one more day.
The following morning, when Annabel and Florence came to the apple trees, they saw that both of the green apples had fallen to the ground and were being eaten by worms.
“Now do you wish you had eaten a green apple?” Florence asked.
“Yes I do. But I cannot forget my promise to the old woman,” Annabel replied.
Another year passed, until one day Annabel climbed to the top of the hill to find four green apples hanging from her tree. On Florence’s tree, there was once again only a lone red apple.
“Your tree has four green apples on it,” Florence said, “and mine only has one red apple. We we have worked just as hard as each other. I feel so sad that I have tried so hard and have so little to show for it. The only way to cheer me up will be to fill my stomach. And besides, nobody will miss one red apple.”
Florence plucked the red apple from the tree and ate it. The red apple was just as delicious as it had appeared. She then turned to her sister who was looking up at the other tree and laughed.
“Dear Annabel, you are a fool. You are going to leave all four of those delicious green apples in the branches. Even though you know by tomorrow they will fall to the ground and get eaten by worms.”
“Dear Florence, I wish I could eat those apples, but I cannot break my promise. Perhaps tomorrow.”
But of course, the next day the green apples were being eaten by the worms.
Another year passed.
Annabel found even more green apples hanging from her tree. And, once again, Florence found only one red apple and, once again, she couldn’t resist eating it.
“Dear Annabel, it’s only one red apple!” Florence exclaimed. “As you have so many apples on your tree, surely you could eat one.”
Annabel was sorely tempted.
“Perhaps tomorrow,” she said, because although she was very hungry she knew she could wait at least one more day.
The next day, a great hurricane came to the whole region. The wind blew so powerfully that Annabel and Florence wished they could stay indoors, but they knew they had to water the apple trees. They fought against the wind as they filled their buckets in the stream. They fought against the wind as they crossed the rickety bridge They fought against the wind as the climbed the hill.
When they finally climbed to the top of the hill, they found that all of the green apples had blown to the ground and were being eaten by the worms.
“Ha! I am glad I ate my red apple ,” said Florence. “My stomach is full. And you have waster all your green apples.”
Annabel looked at all the once-delicious green apples lying half-eaten on the ground and wept.
Florence comforted her sister.
“In just one years time,” she said, “it will be four years since we started watering these stupid apple trees. The old woman will return, and she has promised to give us more apples that we could eat for the rest of our lives.”
Annabel nodded sadly, and together the sisters walked home.
One year passed from Autumn, to Winter, to Spring and to Summer. The sisters climbed the steep hill to find the old woman had returned, just as she had promised.
“So,” she said. “Have you been taking care of my apple trees?”
The old woman inspected the first tree. On the branches hung a vast crop of green apples. Thousands of apples, more than could ever be counted.
The old woman turned to Annabel.
“You have worked hard every day for four years to keep this apple tree alive. As your reward, I gift this apple tree to you. Every year, it will give more and more fruit, because it is a magical apple tree. My dear, you will never be hungry again.”
Annabel thanked the old woman.
Now, the old woman turned to the other apple tree. The tree’s branches were twisted and thin. And on one branch hung a single red apple.
The old woman turned to Florence.
“Just like your sister, you have worked hard every day to keep this apple tree alive. You too shall be rewarded. I gift this apple tree to you.”
But Florence was angered by the old woman’s offer.
“You promised to give me a tree with more fruit than I could ever eat,” Florence shouted. “I worked just as hard as my sister, but the tree you have given me has never had more that one red apple. Why can’t I have a magical apple tree like my sister?”
“But, yours is also a magical apple tree,” the old woman replied.
Florence looked across from her tree to Annabel’s.
“That cannot be true,” she said. “If this is a magical tree then why is it so withered, and why is theren only ever one red apple hanging from it?”
The old woman shook her head.
“Did you not promise me to leave the apples on their branches?” the old woman asked.
“Yes, I did, but I was so hungry and, after all, it was only one red apple,” Florence confessed. “What difference could one red apple make?”
The old woman explained.
“Every year, when you took the one red apple, there were no fallen apples. Each fallen apple feeds the soil. And in turn, the soil makes the tree grow stronger, bringing more apples the following year. Without any fallen apples, your tree grew weak. Thanks to your own greedy actions you have only ever grown one red apple.”
With that, the old woman wished both sisters farewell. She plucked the single red apple from Florence’s tree, and left them.
Florence turned to her sister.
“Dear Annabel, I was a fool to eat those red apples. I understand now that I was greedy and left no fallen apples to feed the apple tree.”
Annabel reached out her hand and plucked a green apple from her tree. She gave the green apple to her sister.
“Dear Florence, I have more apples than I could possibly eat. I will share these apples with you. But you will also need to promise something for me in return.”
“Dear Annabel. I would do anything in exchange for sharing your apples. What should I promise?”
Annabel smiled.
“Every day from now on, you will fill both buckets from the stream, and water both our apple trees.”
And from that day, neither Annabel or Florence were ever hungry again. And whilst Florence had to continue to work hard each day to water the apple trees, Annabel lived happily ever after.
THE END
Want to read more Financial Independence Fairy Tales?
These Financial Freedom Fairy Tales are written to teach lessons about mastering your money in a fun way. Sometimes, reading dry financial advice can be a little dull, or too complicated at first glance. These fairy tales aim to refresh the parts that other types of money advice miss.
You can read more Financial Freedom Fairy Tales here. Why not start with The Young Man with Red Hair – a financial freedom fairy tale.
And while you’re here – why not learn more about the building blocks of financial freedom?
You could also read why Medium thinks Financial Freedom is not a fairy tale.
I hope you enjoy these Financial Freedom Fairy Tales. You can let me know your thoughts in the comments below. My plan is to keep writing these Financial Freedom Fairy Tales – so if you find them useful, or you think they could be improved, let me know.