The Wonderfully Lopsided Apple

Hugo was looking for an apple with a leaf still attached. Mum was looking for apples that would soften into golden puddles when she baked them. So far, Hugo had found three leaves without apples, and Mum had found an apple so enormous that it almost filled her hand.

“That one could be everybody’s pudding,” Hugo said.

“Everybody would have to share the middle,” said Mum.

The farm shop smelled of pears and dry straw. Beyond the open door, afternoon sunlight lay across a row of pumpkins. Some were round as footballs. Others leaned sideways, as though they had grown tired of standing up. A sparrow hopped along the windowsill and peered in at the shopping.

Hugo and Mum were filling a paper bag together. He lowered each apple carefully, while she held the top open. The bag made a crisp, leafy sound whenever she turned it.