Section 1
For a long time, perhaps around two thousand years ago, there was a wealthy man who had a beautiful and devout wife. They had a deep love for each other, but they faced one major challenge in their life - they did not have any children. Despite their intense desire to have a child, the woman's prayers remained unanswered day after day. The couple's house had a courtyard, and in the courtyard, there was a juniper tree. One winter day, the woman stood beneath the tree and began peeling an apple. While peeling the apple, she accidentally cut her finger, and a drop of blood fell onto the snow below.
The woman said, "Oh," and let out a deep sigh. She looked at the blood on the snow and felt very sad. She said, "If only I could have a child who is as red as blood and as white as snow." After saying this, she felt happy and certain that her wish would come true.She went back to her home and a month passed, and the snow melted away. Then two months went by, and the green buds sprouted from the soil. In three months, the flowers had bloomed in the gardens, and the trees in the forest had grown new, lush leaves, all intertwined with one another. The birds sang so sweetly in the trees that their songs echoed throughout the woods, and the petals of the flowers fell gently to the ground. After the fifth month, she returned to the juniper tree, which smelled so sweet that her heart leaped with joy. She fell to her knees, overjoyed and beside herself with emotion. After six months had passed, the woman's belly had grown thick with child, and she became very still. In the following month, she picked the juniper berries and ate them greedily, but as a result, she fell ill and became sorrowful.After the eighth month had passed, the woman summoned her husband and tearfully pleaded, "If I pass away, please bury me beneath the juniper tree." Her husband's comforting words eased her worries, and she felt content until the next month when she gave birth to a child as white as snow and as red as blood. Upon seeing her newborn, she was filled with so much joy that she passed away.
The woman's husband fulfilled her last wish and buried her beneath the juniper tree, where he wept bitterly. With time, he was able to find some solace, although he still mourned her deeply. Eventually, he remarried and started a new life.
The man had a daughter from his second wife, and a little son from his first wife who had a red and white complexion. The woman loved her daughter deeply but felt uneasy when she looked at the little boy, fearing that he might hinder her daughter from inheriting everything. She constantly plotted ways to ensure her daughter received the entire inheritance. The woman became obsessed with the idea, and the Evil One filled her mind with anger towards the little boy. She started mistreating him, pushing him around and hitting him frequently. The poor child became terrified and could not find any peace even when he came home from school.
One day, the woman had gone upstairs to her room, and her little daughter followed her and asked, "Mother, can you give me an apple?"
The woman said, "Yes, my child," and then gave her daughter a beautiful apple from a chest with a heavy lid and a sharp iron lock. The little daughter asked, "Mother, is brother not to have one too?"
Although this question made the woman angry, she still replied, "Yes, when he comes home from school."
As soon as the woman saw her son coming from the window, she felt as if the Evil One had taken control of her. She snatched the apple from her daughter's hand and declared, "You cannot have one before your brother does."
The woman threw the apple into the chest and closed it shut. When the little boy walked in through the door, the Evil One compelled her to speak kindly and say to him, "My son, would you like an apple?" However, she gave him a fierce look.
The little boy noticed her angry expression and said, "Mother, why do you look so upset? Yes, please give me an apple."
The woman coaxed the little boy, saying "Come with me," and opened the chest's lid. "Take an apple for yourself," she added. As the boy leaned over to choose an apple, the Evil One influenced the woman, and she slammed the lid shut with great force, causing the boy's head to fly off and fall among the red apples.
