The Apple House

Author unknown. There are many versions of this heart-warming story.. this is mine. Have an apple, a cutting board and a knife ready for the ending.

Once upon a time there was a little boy who had been playing all day long. He played with all the toys he had, and played every game he knew and now he didn't know what else to do. So he asked his mama "What can I do?". His mama said "I have an idea for you. I know that not far from here, there's a little red house with no windows and no doors and a star inside. I wonder if you can find it."

“A little red house with no windows and no doors and a star inside?” said the boy, “I've never heard of it. Where should I look?" His mama said, “Run along past the farm down the lane and see what you find.” This sounded like a fun adventure, so the boy put on his jacket and his hat, and off he went down the lane.

When he got to the farm he saw a little girl dancing and playing in the sunshine. “Excuse me,” he said, “Do you know where I can find a little red house with no windows and no doors and a star inside?” The little girl laughed and said, “I've never heard of such a thing! Let's go ask my dad, the farmer, for he knows many things. He might be able to help you.”

So they ran off to find the farmer. He was busy digging up potatoes in the vegetable patch and the little girl asked him, “Papa, this boy is looking for a little red house with no windows and no doors and a star inside! Do you know where he can find it?” The farmer said, “Well, I've never heard of such a house! But go and ask grandmother, for she is very wise. She might be able to help you.”

So the little girl and the boy ran off to the farmhouse, where they found grandmother sitting in her rocking chair. “Granny,” said the little girl, “This little boy is looking for a little red house with no windows and no doors and a star inside! Do you know where he can find it?”

Granny said, “Oh, a little red house with no doors and no windows.. and a star inside. I've never seen it, I am afraid, and I have lived here my whole life. But I would like to have a house like that. Imagine how warm and cozy it would be in the wintertime, and how the star would light the rooms!”

The little boy was beginning to feel discouraged but grandmother said, “Run along to the top of the hill down the lane and ask your question to the Wind, for it is everywhere and knows everything. I believe, it might be able to help you.”

So the little boy said “Thank you! and quickly ran off down the lane, past the farm, and up to the top of the hill of the old orchard, and there, stopped under an old apple tree.

The little boy could feel the wind all around him, whistling and whooshing by. He shouted his question aloud, “Excuse me! Do you know where can I find a little red house with no windows and no doors and a star inside?”

And just then, the wind to blow and dance all around him. It rushed up into the leaves of the tree and just like that, an apple fell from the tree and landed in the grass by the little boy.

He picked up the apple and looked at it. It was little and red, and it looked a bit like a little house, with a brown stem chimney poking up through the top. It had no windows and no doors....could it be that there was a star inside? The little boy shouted “Thank you!” to the wind, put the apple in his pocket and ran off back down the lane to his house.

“Mama,” he cried, “Look what I found!” His mother smiled when she saw the apple. She took her knife and cut the apple just so*....and the little boy saw that there was indeed a star inside! Together, they ate that sweet juicy apple, and they enjoyed it very much.

*Cut the apple horizontally through the middle to reveal the star.