Long ago, there stood a magnificent apple tree in the courtyard of a beautiful palace. For many years, the King watered and nurtured the tree, picking apples from his balcony and resting upon the roots in the shade of the tree. But when he died, his son, a drunken and selfish Prince, cared not for the tree. From his own balcony, the Prince threw the ash from his pipe; from his carriage, his half drunk bottles of wine. All the while, he ate the fruit of the tree, even as the glass cut its roots and the ash suffocated its leaves. 

 

Soon, stripped of its precious fruits, the tree began to wither and die. 

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One day, a powerful witch came to the palace, selling her potions and wares. In his greed, the Prince took her wares, but sent the witch away penniless. As she left, the witch saw the apple tree, fruitless and bare, a product of the prince’s selfishness and neglect. 

 

And so she put a spell upon the tree,

 

“Your leaves shall adapt to thrive from ash, 

your roots from wasted wine,

But when he takes what he’s not earned,

Revenge it will be mine”.

 

Flourishing on ash and wine, the tree grew tall once more, producing beautiful fruits, of which the Prince greedily ate. However, after only one bite, the foolish Prince fell dead upon the roots of the cursed tree.

 

Thus the fruit of the poisoned tree was born of mankind’s neglect and greed.