Day 42: Apple a Day

Apple a Day
by
Matt Zurbo

 

“OH NO!”
(Apple landing in a bit of mud.)

“Pheh…” Charlie said.
“ARE YOU NUTS!” cried Dad.
(Charlie casually throwing apple over shoulder, Dad diving through air to catch it.)

“Do you know what had to happen for you to eat this apple?”
“Uhh…?”
(Dad holding apple up.)

Farmer Larry had to buy some land, and clear a field…
(Farmer, working hard, with others in background also working, clearing field. Image is circular, in centre of page. Line goes from it to lesser circles, one with him buying a tractor. One with him buying fuel, one with him employing other workers… Farmer kid playing with dog, maybe throwing apple core for dog to fetch/eat. From here on in, every page has farmer in an image, and smaller circle with child playing with dog in funny/relevant way to page in question)

Plough some rows, build frames, plant saplings…
(Circular image of people planting saplings. While others build frame network for trees. Line to other circles of clothes needed. Seeds being placed into pots. Pots in hothouse. Farmer buying pots with saplings, etc…)

Maintain those rows, with weed control and water.
(Main image of irrigation. Line to circular images of water pumping from creek, water pump being brought by farmer. Truck with water pump logo on it. Factory workers making water pump. Miners mining steel for water pump. Weed control. Backpack being brought.)

Employ pruners.
(Main image of workers with pruning gear. Secondary images of ‘cherry picker’ crane that lifts them to prune. Maintenance on cherry picker. Factory making loppers. Factory making gloves. Boots. Everything the pruners wear.)

Lay reflective mesh to spread light evenly on apples.
(Main circular image as described. Other images of mesh being laid. Farmer testing apples.)

Fans used to keep temperatures level.
(Fans being wheeled in. Secondary images of fans being used on apples on hot days. Fans being used on frosty mornings. Farmer buying fans. Fan being made in factory. Fan parts being made. Power plant for electricity.)

Employ pickers.
(Main image of four pickers on ‘cherry picker’ platform, with big green crate in middle. Lesser circular images of: Farmer applying for bank loan. Farmer buying expensive hydraulic ‘cherry picker’. Farmer at desk late at night doing paperwork. Filling out forms. Picker’s uniform, as if itemised. Container living quarters. Containers being brought in by truck. Containers being constructed in Asia. Pickers buying food at small country shop. Local shop owner with money.)

Pick the apple.
(Close-up of hand picking apple.)

Sort the apple.
(Main image of bobbing apple in water. Next image, some floating, some not. Next, apples travelling through channel with dirt washing off. Next, apples on conveyer belts, being inspected by workers. Next, worker putting bad apples down one shoot, good apples down another. Next, apples travel through another water channel. Next, apples are dried by large fan. Next, apples are on conveyer belt, being scanned by computer. This image has it’s own smaller sub-images of computer visuals of the apples being scanned for size and quality.)

Pack and store.
(Apples in three crates. Grade 1:Store, Grade 2:Canned, Grade 3:Diced. Sub-image of worker pushing crates on a trolley into coolers. Sub image of somebody building the crates, somebody building the cooler. Sub image of somebody sweeping the floor. Sub-image of all the workers at the caravan hotdog stand on their lunch break.)

Dunk once more, dry, wax, pack, ship.
(Big truck waiting at apple farm, next to platform, with forklift driver. Sub images: Apples on trays of about 40, being examined/waxed by workers. Apples being packed into cardboard boxes. Image of cardboard box warehouse. Apple boxes being placed onto forklifts. Side image of apple farmer buying a forklift, designer coming up with logo, somebody painting apple logo on side of truck. Truck driver being paid cash by supermarket manager. Truck driver taking cash to store. Truck driver buying toy for his child. Truck driver giving his child the toy. Baby happy with toy.)

Put on the shelf.
(Main image of supermarket worker stacking apples for customers. Secondary images of check-out lady weighing apple. Following images of supermarket staff, from floor cleaner, to trolley collector, to deli worker, to supermarket being built, to workers building supermarket getting paid. To Mum walking out of supermarket with main kid of the story, (and dog) with shopping bags, apple on top.)

“And it’s the same with everything we use. Shoes, roads, milk, the wood in our tables. The cardboard pizza box, the plastic in the wheel of our wheelie bin, the ingredients of your chocolate bar…”
“Everything comes from somewhere, Charlie,” Dad said.
(Each mentioned topic has it’s own circle, with sub-circles around it, detailing their journey, construction, workers, back to the trees or earth. Kid overwhelmed.)

(Back to setting from the start. Kid looking down at apple, held in hand.)

“Can we have an apple tree in our backyard, Dad?”
(Kid looking up at Dad.)

 (Kid and Dad happily picking apples from a tree in their yard)

The End.
(Final image of apple core.)