All his life, the apple had lived in the big tree. He was reasonably content until one day a big storm came blowing across the hills and blew the apple onto the ground.

The apple cried. He tried to climb up but he had no arms. He tried to jump back up but he had no legs. He tried to fly back up but he had no wings. So he set out alone in search of a way to get back up into the tree.

The apple rolled across the countryside. He rolled through vast forests. He rolled across snow-capped mountains. He rolled across the sandy beach and watched whitecaps break.

Then the apple rolled into the big city. He rented a small but comfortable apartment and soon made many friends. He went to parties and sampled the hors d'oeuvres. He sipped champagne with beautiful women under the stars.

One day as the apple was entertaining guests in his newly acquired penthouse, a friend asked him what an apple was doing in the city. So the apple told his friend his story, from his initial fall from the tree to his travels. When he finished, his friend looked at him thoughtfully, scratched his beard, and said, "I have a splendid idea! I can put you back in your tree!"

The apple thought. He thought of the places he had been, the people he had met, the sights he had seen. And then, he looked his friend in the eye and said: "No."

And he rolled away. n