Story 3: The Boy Who Carried Too Many Apples
High in the mountains of Peru, where clouds floated close to the ground and houses rested like quiet thoughts, lived a boy named Mateo.
Mateo liked helping.
Sometimes, he liked it a little too much.
One afternoon, Mateo’s mother sent him to the market with a simple task.
“Buy six apples,” she said.
“Only six.”
Mateo nodded very seriously.
At the market, apples shone like tiny suns. Red ones. Green ones. Some with small spots. Some perfectly round.
The seller smiled.
“Six apples?” he asked.
Mateo counted carefully.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Then he paused.
“What about this one?” Mateo asked, pointing to a slightly crooked apple.
“That one is extra,” the seller said kindly.
Mateo thought for a moment.
Extra felt lonely.
“I will take it,” he said.
Then he saw another apple—small and shy.
“And this one,” he added.
Soon, Mateo’s small bag looked very full. Apples pressed against each other, trying to escape.
Mateo tied the bag tightly and began walking home.
The path went uphill.
Then downhill.
Then uphill again.
Halfway home, the bag stretched.
Then—pop.
Apples rolled everywhere.
One bounced past his foot.
One rolled into the grass.
One stopped and waited, as if it was thinking.
Mateo sighed.
As he gathered them, an old woman passed by.
“Too many apples?” she asked, smiling.
Mateo nodded.
“I wanted to help them all,” he said.
She chuckled softly.
“Helping is good,” she said.
“But even helping has a limit.”
Together, they placed the apples back into the bag. This time, they left a few behind for others.
The bag felt lighter.
When Mateo reached home, his mother looked inside.
“How many apples did you buy?” she asked.
Mateo smiled, a little embarrassed.
“Enough,” he said.
That evening, as the family shared apples, Mateo laughed at himself.
Helping felt better when his hands weren’t so full.
🌱 Gentle Thought for Young Hearts
Kindness is wonderful—
and knowing how much you can carry is part of growing wise.
Review True Stories for Young Hearts.