In Oz, apples lay strewn about the trunks of the trees, and more grew high up on branches just out of reach. Remembering the talking trees in the movie, Matt opted to pick through the apples on the ground instead of picking new ones. He gathered a handful of ripe, red apples, turning each over to look for worms or rotten spots, and edged farther from the road with each piece of fruit he picked up.
Then he found the stump.
It’d been the base of an apple tree at one time—the rest of the tree stretched out on the ground, felled by the axe resting against the trunk. It’d been chopped down some time ago, from the weathered look of the stump, though the axe looked shiny and new. On the stump sat what appeared to be a tin oil can.
“Hey, Vic, look at this!” Matt called out. He deposited his app
