The succulent peach lived on a high branch with her cheek to the sun, paying little attention to the serpent that slithered through the duff below her. The serpent had loved the peach since she was a frail blossom blowing in the wind. Fore, she was a radiant fruit worthy of the suns affection, and even the moon praised her circular shape.

'I'll swear an oath'� the serpent decreed, 'No rat or bat nor alley cat shall come to harm the beautiful peach.'�

Dutifully, the serpent toiled. Striking at squirrel and bird alike, the snake defended its fair princess. Peck after peck, and bite after bite, the serpent suffered insufferably in the hopes that someday the peach would love it as deeply as it loved her. Alas, the maiden paid little mind to the snake, for she was consumed with the warmth of the sun, the attention of her leaves, and the envy of the other fruit.

Autumn came to the grove, and the leaves that once surrounded the delicate peach dried and fell to the ground. The sun that once blessed her subtle curvature, now blistered her greedy skin. And the night that once worshiped her, now froze her vanity until she shriveled on the vine that once fed her. Finally, when the peach surrendered herself to the earth, there was nothing left of her but a sapless seed covered with dead skin.

Upon seeing its beloved, the serpent realized that she could have never loved. Her lusciousness was only disguising a hardened soul and she had no heart at all. The deeply saddened serpent curled tightly around the peach stone, bit itself and died.

Spring came, the ground thawed and it began to rain. Shortly after, a tiny sprout sprang from the decomposing body of the serpent. That sprout is now the biggest peach tree in the county.

Want to comment on this Short Stories? Sign up to Edit Red and you will be able to comment on Short Stories and get access to: Upload your own stories and poems, get readers and their feedback, promote your work...