Rebirth - Understanding the 7 Story Types by Looking at a Girl and an Apple

Once there was Girl, who refused to eat fruits and vegetables, do her homework, or obey any of the rules because of ants in her pants and, as a child, being rebellious was all she had.

The grownups invariably had only one thing to say about her, that she was a bad apple.

"There's one in every bunch," teachers tutted, forever failing to catch her cheating.

"Bad apple," shopkeepers shook their heads in disapproval as soon as she left their shop, nicking yet another chewing gum, uncaught still.

Just as they were, their remarks infuriated Girl and made her resolute to lie further and steal even more.

One day, as per her usual, Girl was home punished for something she'd done and hadn't regretted. She was in the back garden convincing the squirrels that the clay nuts she put in the grass were, in fact, edible. Just then, her elderly neighbour Eileen poked a quizzing eye through the hole in the wall.

"Deary, could I distract you a moment? I need help starting the lawnmower. The other day, looking from my upstairs window, I couldn't help but notice how strong you were climbing that fence. If you could give me a hand, that'd be just splendid."

The neighbour disappeared. Girl was taken aback by the oddity of this request (after all, no one had ever asked her help with anything, knowing what a bad apple she was!) and still contemplated it when the smell of freshly baked cookies reached her nose. She let go of the nuts, sending the squirrels into a frenzy, and headed to Eileen's.

That day she helped her neighbour with the mower, and then with drilling, and hammering, and hanging up a picture and the new flowerpot, and with taking out the carpet and vacuuming it, and with watering the freshly mowed garden, and with taking away all the green rubbish and stacking it in the green bin, and then wheeling the bin out on to the pavement for the following day's collection.

She worked for hours, doing whatever Eileen had asked and not once refusing her request or stealing anything or just being rude or obnoxious.

The thing was that during this whole time, the elderly neighbour continuously fed Girl fresh buttermilk cookies, filling her cup with cool choco drink, speaking to her softly and thanking her sincerely for every accomplished task.

When Girl was leaving, Eileen stopped her, gently squeezed her slender shoulder, and said, looking her right in the eye, "You're good, you know. You're great. Make sure to keep it up so that everyone can see it."

When Girl returned home, she went right up to her mother and gave her a big hug that brought a smile of surprise to Mother's usually troubled face, "What's the matter? are you alright?"

Girl took an apple from the nearby fruit basket. It had an ugly brown bruise on its side.

"Don't eat this one; it's bad," Mother remarked. With a cheeky glance, Girl sank her teeth into the fruit; she bit the bruise off and spat it in the bin, then put the apple down, "I'll have it in a minute."

Mother's eyebrows climbed up.

"Come here," Girl motioned for her mum to come down to her.

When Mother kneeled, Girl put her arms around her shoulders and said with a soft smile, "I want you to know that I love you. I promise never to be a bad apple again."