Rohan kept staring at the black apple in his hand.
It wasn't just warm—
it was alive.
The faint heartbeat inside it pulsed against his palm,
slow and steady.
He whispered,
"This… this can't be real."
But the orchard had already shown him
that nothing about it followed normal rules.
He finally carried the apple home,
holding it as far from his chest as possible.
At Home
Inside his room,
he carefully placed the black apple on the table.
The moment it touched the wooden surface,
the heartbeat sound faded…
…only to return stronger.
THUMP.
THUMP.
THUMP.
The apple vibrated gently,
as if something trapped inside it
was trying to wake up.
Rohan stepped back.
"I shouldn't be touching this."
But before he could even think of leaving—
CRACK.
A thin line appeared across the apple's surface.
Just a hairline crack…
but glowing faintly blue from inside.
Rohan froze.
"What… is inside you?"
The crack widened a little.
A soft cold wind brushed against his face—
but the windows were shut.
Rohan swallowed hard.
The Red Girl Appears Again
The room temperature suddenly dropped.
The light flickered.
And in the corner of the room,
mist began forming…
slowly shaping itself
into the red silhouette.
The same girl from the orchard.
No face.
No voice.
But presence heavy enough
to make Rohan step back again.
She lifted her hand,
not pointing at him—
but pointing at the apple.
A silent message hit Rohan's mind:
"…don't open it yet…"
Rohan's fear spiked.
"What is inside it?
Why does it feel alive?"
The girl didn't reply.
Her form flickered—
as if she was fighting to stay visible.
Another silent line entered his mind:
"…it belongs to the orchard…
not to you…"
Rohan looked at the apple again.
The crack slowly spread like a growing vein.
"Then why did it come to me?"
he whispered.
This time,
her message was clearer:
"…because the orchard has chosen you…"
Before Rohan could say anything,
the black apple pulsed—
a stronger heartbeat,
almost loud inside his chest.
THUMP.
THUMP.
THUMP.
The red figure suddenly dissolved into mist,
her last message lingering like ice in his veins:
"…don't touch what wakes…"
And she vanished.
Rohan was left alone
with a black apple
that was beginning to open.