Pineapple Sales

Approaching the pineapple peddler seemed simple enough, his small cart was pulled off to the side of the gravel road. The towering trees around offering plenty of shade for him as he sat whistling a slow melody. He smiled at me as I came along the road, the man's smile was kind and welcoming, inviting me to step closer to the overflowing cart, laden with so many pineapples it was overflowing.

"Did you pull this cart here all by yourself?" I asked. My eyes scanning the surrounding trees for any sign of another, he seemed alone.

"Aye, I pull my cart everywhere." He said patting the well-worn handles of the hand cart. The elderly man did not seem strong enough, but there was no other way he could have gotten out here in so far.

"Do you want help getting the rest of the way to Bordertown?" I asked, I could not think of a man such as himself caught out here after dark. Isn't he afraid of the Night Creatures this far from town?

"No, child. I enjoy being out here, I will be able to make it to Bordertown before dark." He said waving a hand at me. "Don't you worry. Would you like a pineapple for you trip?" He waved a knobby hand at the pile of yellow fruit, their green leaves sticking out of their oblong heads like mohawks.

I thought for a moment, if I should waste the coin on the fruit, while uncommon they were not impossible to find in the market this time of year. Would it be worth it to pay a little extra from the old man standing a few feet away with a kind smile on his face. I fished into my pocket for my coin. "How much for one?"

"Just two coppers." He said with a toothy grin. Well, that is cheaper than the market, I thought. He pulled his glasses from his long nose and wiped them on his dusty apron, before placing them gingerly upon his nose once more. He reached over towards the cart. "Would you like me to show you how to pick the right one?" He asked.

"That would be lovely." I handed him the two copper and watched as he picked up a pineapple.

"First you look at the color, you want a vibrant green top and as bright sides as you can find." He turned it over to show me the vibrant green top of the yellow fruit, then buried his nose in the bottom of it. "Then you smell it." And he to a big whiff, so hard I could have sworn I heard his nostrils snort like a hog. "You want to be able to smell the fruit, the sweeter smelling the better it will taste." He said, placing the accosted pineapple back in the cart. He waved a hand at the cart. "Now, which one would you like?"

I stared at the cart for a long moment, the rustling branches overhead the only sound, making the dappled shadows dance along the edges rippled edges of the overflowing fruit. I bit at the inside of my cheek as I reached for the first of the yellow fruit right on top. The gentleman let out a soft hiss as he watched me reach, was I picking the wrong one? I moved my hand downward towards a different one, my eyes darted to the old man, he was now polishing his glass once more. I pull the fruit from the pile and examine it. The leaves were a vibrant green, and the skin looked healthy and thick, I turned it over and lifted the bottom to my nose but stopped short. I did not need to put the thing to my face to smell the awful scent of rotting fruit, and spoiled juice. My face twisted in a grimace and the old man actually let out a soft chuckle.

"Not that one, then?" He said in a soft tone, reaching out a hand and taking the fruit from me. He glances at it. "Aye, that one has gone bad."

"Some of the fruit is not suitable to eat?" I asked, wiping my hands on my pants.

"Fruit goes bad, young one, nothing to be done for it." He pulled out a short thin blade and began to carve at the skin shaving thick pieces of fruit leather from it. "Now while the outside fruit may be tainted the inside is still good." He turns it over via the green top to show me he only had to cut off a few inches from the bottom to get to good fruit. He flipped it towards himself and took a large bite from it. He hummed with satisfaction and nodded for me to continue my fruit search.

I sighed heavily and looked at the cart once more. This time I stepped around the side, examining as many as I could from the outside of the pile. It was around the back of the cart that I noticed a sparkle from underneath one of the pineapples. I glanced over at the old man, he was munching away on his sliced pineapple, paying me no mind. I pluck the pineapple from the top and set it to the side, then reach in for the colorful fruit beneath.

The dappled flesh of the fruit was almost rainbow colored, catching the dappled tree light of the setting sun and casting beautiful reds, yellows, oranges, and browns over the thick fruit. I run my fingers over the ridges, they are smoother than the other pineapple without the little spikes protruding from them. I flip it over in my hands and notice there is not green leaves.

"Sir, what kind of pineapple is this?" I asked, holding it out towards him. To my dismay and his, the fruit in my hands began to move.

It began to elongate and unroll like a scroll of paper. A long tail almost as thick as my wrist unraveled before wrapping gently around my forearm. Beady black eyes blinked at me before a narrow mouth opened in a wide yawn. Small legs with large claws for digging, and colorful plates covering its back. Its eyes locked with mine and help me in its gaze, memories of my life sped across my vision, my parents, my siblings, my journey away from home to find my fame. The memories of my past loves, hurts, and loses. The pain is drawn to the surface, tears begin to spill from my eyes as I stare into the black beads surrounded by a glowing rainbow of shimmering plates.

"It's a Night Creature!" He shouted, pulling me from the trance the creature had trapped me in. I dropped the thing from my grasp and screamed in terror as the creature swung from my hands still attached by its tail to my arm. It's little legs and long claws latched onto my side and began to climb up me.

"Get it off! Get it off!" I screamed spinning around trying to reach the creature calmly climbing up my back.

"How?" The old man shouted looking for a stick to knock the monster off of me.

I could feel the claws on my shoulder, my eyes wide as I turned to look at the narrow triangular head that turned its little black eyes to mine. It blinked at me as I froze in its gaze, then opened its mouth again, tiny razor-sharp teeth gleamed in the evening light, and a little pink tongue curled up against the roof of its maw. It made a soft smacking sound as it closed its mouth as moved its tongue around between its teeth. Then it turned its gaze away from me and towards the trees around us. It began to climb down my front, I winced and tried not to groan as the claws pulled at my flesh. It's long tail kept wrapping and unwrapping from my arms, side, and finally legs as it lowered itself to the ground. I gawked after it as the small colorfully plated creature toddled into the woods.

"What in the world was that?" I demanded.

The old man was on the ground clutching at his chest. He was staring after the small Night Creature as it disappeared into the gloom of the undergrowth. His breathing was ragged and came in quick gasps. I dropped to my knees beside him and plucked his glasses from the ground, a small crack ran from one side of a lenses to the other. I shook my head and wipes the dust from the lenses before gently placing them on his nose.

"Sir, are you alright?" I asked.

"You know, I think I'll take that escort to Boardertown now." He said softly. I nodded and helped him to his feet. Without another word we each grabbed a handle on his cart and began towards town.

I glanced over my shoulder before we rounded the bend in the road. My eyes landed on a small rainbow-colored ball curled beneath a blackberry bush. My hand goes to my chest, all of my worries about my journey, all of the pain from the past I was running from, where had all of those intrusive thoughts gone? My eyes went to that little rainbow glowing beneath the blackberry brambles.

Maybe, not all monsters are evil.