Mary the Lamb and the Little green Apple is the first story Abigail read as an adult, when she was given the handwritten tales written by Derek Mall. She was ecstatic to find this was the story Melissa chose to illustrate. 

We thank Melissa who during this difficult and busy year, chose to still support our family and bring this story to life. All Abigail hopes is that Derek's family remain proud of his ability to bring us together, and remain thankful for Melissa who does this out of the kindness of her heart. 

It was a warm late summers day, and Mary the lamb was asleep under her favourite apple tree. She dozed peacefully in the warm shaded air under the tree and dreamed contentedly of her many adventures. Mary was a special lamb, a lamb to who many things happened.

Now take today, she lay fast asleep under the apple tree in her field, with nothing to disturb her, except the sound of crows in the wood and the chattering of sparrows in the tree above her, when suddenly she awoke with a start. She opened her eyes and listened carefully. The birds were singing, but there was something else. Far above her she could definitely hear the sound of crying. She looked all around her but could see nothing. She peered up into the branches of the tree and right at the top hanging on the topmost branch in the bright sunlight, was a little green apple. Tears were running down its sides as it cried and sniffed.

"What is the matter?” asked Mary.

The apple stopped crying and looked down.

“I’ve been growing here all summer,” answered the apple, “And all my of friends who grew with me have all turned red and have been picked, but I haven’t. As much as try, I just can’t turn red.”

 Mary thought for a while as she was a very clever lamb and she felt very sorry for the little green apple.

After a while she smiled.

“I know what to do” Mary said excitedly. “There is a good witch who lives down the road in a Twisted Cottage and she knows many spells, she has helped many of my friends in the past. I can go down to see her and see if she will help you.”

“Yes please!” responded the apple hopefully.

So, Mary trotted off to the gate of her field, opened it, and made off down the road to the Twisted Cottage. When she got there, she knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer it. After a while, the door slowly opened, and just inside stood a white cat. Now witches normally have black cats, but Mary’s friend, the good witch, whose name was Matilda Clogbottom, preferred white cats. Now how she got her white cat, well that is another story I shall tell you later.

Now where was I, oh yes, the door opened and there stood the white cat.

“Hello Blackbeard.” said Mary. Blackbeard was a funny name for a white cat, but Matilda, although she picked white cats, felt she had to keep up appearances amongst the witch fraternity, and named her cat after the black hearted pirate.

“Hello Mary,” replied Blackbeard, a very kindly good-hearted cat. “How are you?”

“Very well.” replied Mary. “Is Matilda in, only I have a small problem that she may be able to help in?”

“Come in Mary.”  A voice called from in the cottage. Mary went inside and Blackbeard shut the door behind her. “Come on in Mary,” said Matilda, “And you to Blackie.” Blackie was her pet name for her cat. They both went into Matilda’s kitchen. “Now what can I do for you?” she asked.

“Well, down in my field there is an apple tree. And in that apple tree, right at the very topmost tip, is a little green apple” explained Mary.

“Perfectly natural that there should be.” said Blackie.

“Quiet,” cut in Matilda, “Now what exactly is the problem then Mary?”

“Well it can’t be red, and I wondered if you could make a spell to help it?”

“I see,” mused Matilda. “That is a very serious problem if you are an apple. Now let me think.” She paced around her kitchen, scratching her chin and looking in her books. After a while a big smile spread over her face.

 “I think I can help.” She exclaimed. She carried the book she had been wading through. “It says here that sometimes this spell will overcome natural problems, if the patient has a pure heart. “

“Well I wouldn’t think that this little green apple has ever done any harm to anyone.” said Mary.

“It would if someone were to eat it at the moment,” said Blackie, “It would give someone a very nasty tummy ache.”

“But it wants to go red, so that it wouldn’t give anyone an ache, so that is in its favour.” pointed out Matilda. She thought for a few moments, then she picked up her wand and her magic broomstick and said, “Come on the air of you, let’s go and see if I can help.”

  With that they all went out of the cottage and up the road to Mary’s field. They went through the gate and out to the apple tree.

“There it is” said Mary, pointing up through the branches. “Hello little green apple, here is the good witch I told you about, she’s come to help you.” Matilda stepped forward and looked up. 

“Hmmm” she murmured as she scratched her chin. “I think I’ll need to have a closer look at this.”

She jumped on her broomstick and with a quick movement flew straight to the top of the tree. She circled the apple, gazing intently at it. “Hmm,” she said again. “Right I think I’ve got it”

She flew around again, then waving her wand she sang:

“Apples in the treetops,

Apples in the bed,

Apples in the sunshine,

Magic makes them red.”

She waved her wand again and there was a flash of blue light followed by green smoke.