A playful allegory about why misery exists in the world, and always will. They call her Old Misery, and for good reason, too. She's got nothing to call her own except her cat and her apple tree, which would be something if it weren't for all the stealing! Every day she hobbles up and down the hill to shoo away the apple thieves. So when an unexpected visitor grants her a wish in exchange for a meal, Old Misery wishes that anyone who tries to steal an apple will get stuck in her tree until she lets them go. And it does the trick - for a while - until she tries to make a deal with another surprise visitor, and learns the most miserable lesson of all: be careful what you wish for!
