Hollow Trees

The Midnight Article "HOLLOW TREES: CURE OR CURSE?" is an article written by u/EpicIzAwesom and posted to the Midnight Paper subreddit.

The text of the Article was as follows:

HOLLOW TREES, CURE OR CURSE? Few have heard about it, you most likely haven't heard of it, but today you will. On every continent, there is a singular hollow apple tree and the guardian of the tree. There is a legend that sums up the tree quite well, one spoken of by odd doctors and lonely park rangers, the version I have heard goes as such:

'there was once a king who owned the earth, no one dared rebel against him and all worshiped him. However, during one of his quests to the unexplored islands and corners of the earth, he and his right-hand man caught a disease. And it was one unbeknownst to his doctors who could find no cure. Only a week had passed before he and his right-hand man were on their death beds, no one could seem to cure it. Until a lone man wearing a green cloak entered the castle. He offered the king and the right-hand man an apple each, claiming that the apple could cure them and make them more strong and healthy than ever, or give them a fate worse than death. The right-hand man eager for a chance to survive took the apple, however, while the king took an apple, he refused to eat it until it was absolutely necessary, not willing to use it unless he had no other choice.

The right-hand hand man did not hesitate before taking a bite out of it, only to discover that the apple was only made out of the skin and stem, the insides being an odd red fog. After a short amount of time, the right-hand man began to grow healthier and healthier, until he looked years younger than before and stronger than ever. The king now eager to gain that power, took a bite out of his apple. After a short amount of time, the king also began to grow healthier, but before they could celebrate the king started screaming, horrible blood-curdling scream, he began to cough violently and exhale the same red mist that was inside the apple. The screams got worse within minutes he began to shrink slightly and his skin wrinkled up. After a few hours, he stabilized at this, always screaming, exhaling red smoke. After a week of this the man in the green cloak showed up once again, he said nothing, merely picked up the king with ease and walked out of the castle, and no one dared to stop him.

He walked with the king for many miles, the king screaming the entire way until he reached a lone tree on a hill. At the base of a hill was a small wooden door, the man opened it, and went inside carrying the king down many flights of stairs downwards, until finally, he reached a room with another door, as he opened this door ear-piercing screams of pain filled the stairwell of many voices in a chorus of agony. He set the king down and left the room, closing and locking the door behind him leaving the king to scream forever'

Whose to say if that legend was true, there may have been a king and his right-hand man, there may not have been, but there are true parts of the story, there is a tree, 7 of these trees in fact, and all 7 grow hollow apples, one on a hill in Europe, one in a cave deep under Antarctica, another on the coastline of North America, one in an oasis in Africa, one in the ocean off the coast of Australia, and one in a forest in Asia, And the final one on the cliffs of South America.

Some people claim they have found one of these trees, others claim that you can't find the tree, but, if your lucky (or unlucky, your view on it), a man in a green cloak will offer you an apple and, if you're lucky you can grow younger, stronger, and better than ever, and if you're unlucky well, never-ending pain.

Choose wisely, for someday you may need to make that choice.

Description:

Hollow Trees are Biological-Type Oddities that grow "Hollow Apples." One can be found on every continent of the modern world.

Hollow Apples are described as being only the skin and stem of an apple, with a strange red frog serving as its insides. They offer either complete health and revitalization (including youth) or complete and never-ending agony...with exactly a 50% chance of each.

The Man in the Green Cloak is a mysterious entity that travels throughout the world, apparently offering Hollow Apples to those who are suffering from some ailment and offering them a choice between perfect health and eternal suffering in the process.