"Hey, ho, makes you feel so fine
Looking out across the orchard in the bright sunshine.
-- from "Apple Picker's Reel" by Larry Hanks

One summer, Anna got a job picking apples at a farm called "Apple Heaven". Anna got the job because she could climb trees like a monkey and because she could tell just by look and feel whether an apple was ripe, over-ripe or too "green" to pick. Besides Anna's services didn't cost the farmer anything. Anna made her money solely from tips.

Anna was actually good for business. She picked only apples that would taste good. People who got Anna to help them had fun and also got apples that were fresh and crisp. If Anna helped someone, likely they came back to get more apples. And such repeat business was much appreciated by the farmer. These were the people who were most likely to tell their friends about Apple Heaven.

Luv taught Anna to merge with the spirit of a monkey. That's how come Anna was so good at climbing.

The customers didn't know about the apple birds. Neither did the farmer. And Anna wouldn't have known about them either except for Luv telling her. It seems they only came at night after everyone had gone. And they were careful not to eat too many apples or one's people would miss.

Every once in a while, Anna would manage to stay late. The farmer thought she was a little touched in head to want to be in one of the trees after dusk. But that was how she got to be friendly with the apple birds. She never did tell the farmer what she was doing.

And she worked all summer, and made a surprising amount of money from tips. People were really quite generous.

Oh, and Anna could play the "Apple Picker's Reel" on her dulcimer. She knew all the words too. Anna could play it much better than she could sing it. But she was really good at prompting others when they forgot the verses, which they often did.

"Hey, ho, you lose your mind
If you sing this song about a hundred times"
-- also from "Apple Picker's Reel"

THE END