The Forbidden Fruit
Long ago, in the heart of a sprawling forest, a mystical tree stood. It was like no other, bursting with an array of colors, carrying a single fruit glowing as if a lantern, the fruit was also known as the 'Forbidden Fruit'.
Ariana was an orphan living on the verge of the forest. She had heard tales of the tree and its forbidden fruit from the elders. They said, whoever tasted the forbidden fruit, will gain knowledge beyond their wildest dreams but also descend into the madness.
One day, Ariana's curiosity got the better of her, she ventured deep into the forest, determined to see the tree of legends. After hours of searching, she finally found the rainbow-colored tree standing alone in a clearing. Indeed, it was a sight as magical as the stories she heard.
Sitting under the tree, Ariana couldn’t resist the temptation to possess the fruit. Its hypnotic glow enticed her. She knew it was forbidden, but the prospect of gaining immense knowledge seduced her. After a thoughtful glance, she plucked and sunk her teeth into its luscious form with a certain guilty pleasure.
A forceful current of information flooded her mind. Enlightenments about the world, the universe, time, space, magic, language, arts, and sciences swarmed her thoughts. It was a dizzying experience that left her overwhelmed.
But soon, her joy of acquiring wisdom was overpowered by a sense of desolation. She saw the fallacies of human existence, the disheartening reality of life and death, the meaningless struggles, the immense pain and suffering that enveloped the world. The beauty of the world was now overshadowed by its ugliness and despair.
Frightened and disturbed, Ariana ran to her village. She tried to share her revelations with the villagers to change their ways. However, the humankind was not ready to bear the weight of such enlightenment; they were resistant to changes, only seeing her as mad.
Ariana became an outcast; her wisdom had isolated her. The wealth of knowledge had become her burden, bringing her despair and seclusion. The paradise she had imagined was nothing short of hell.
One day, she decided to revisit the mystical tree. Hoping to reverse the effect, she demanded, 'Take it back. I don’t want this knowledge anymore. I want to forget.' To her despair, the tree remained silent. The once glowing fruit was nothing more than a faded flame.
Resigned and broken, Ariana decided to spend her remaining life by the tree, vowing never to allow anyone else to fall for the so-called knowledge’s trap.
Decades later, Ariana’s story turned into a fascinating legend narrated to curious children. It served as a constant reminder to everyone in the village – Some fruits are better left uneaten, they are forbidden for a reason.
The story of Ariana and the Forbidden Fruit was a tragic tale of an innocent desire turning into a nightmare, demonstrating the power of restraint, even in the face of immense allure. To this day, tales of an old woman wandering near the mystical tree echo in the forest, whispering warnings to those driven by their curiosity, to stay away from the forbidden.