HARVEST HABITS

by Antonia Bloom

Martha touched a red apple lightly with her fingers.

"During the war, we stood in a queue for ages hoping to catch a glimpse
of a beautiful apple. Sometimes, we were too late to buy one with our
ration coupons, but the sight of one would give us something to dream
about that night. And bananas, well, we could make a banana last a whole
week. We'd slice it up and have a small piece each before we went to
bed. It was a proper treat. Now, you bring us baskets at Harvest time,
filled with fruits of all shape and sizes."

She plucked an apple from the basket and sniffed it.

"If only I could bring myself to eat it. It's just that, after the war
when apples were plentiful, I went mad and ate ten apples in one
sitting. I got a bad case of hives and always do when I eat an apple."

The small girl looked at Molly inquisitively. "How about a banana,
then?"

"Oh good grief, no." Molly patted the pocket of her apron and sighed. "I
always have one on me, just in case." She looked heavenward, listening
for the air raid siren.

END

Antonia Bloom loved to write as a child. She has been writing fiction, seriously, for around two years and has had recent success in writing competitions; first place in the aged 16 and over category in ‘Spread The Word’ (Judge A Book By Its Cover) with her entry ‘The Outsider’.  And, runner-up in the UK Authors writing competition with her entry ‘Understanding Alfie’. Recently, she has had stories published in e-zines and will soon see a story published in a print magazine. Antonia lives in Lancashire with her family and is currently writing a novel.

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