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An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away



Estimated reading time — < 1 minute

Have you ever heard the expression “an apple a day keeps the Doctor away?” Most assume, with no reason to think otherwise, that it is simply an easy-to-remember rhyme that stresses the importance of eating healthily to young children. But the saying did not originate as a harmless reminder. It was born in a frontier town in the early years of the gold rush, where food was scarce and money even scarcer.

One August, when a bad drought had struck the region, a series of bloody killings swept through the town. Every night, a single house would be broken into, and anyone who saw the invader would be swiftly, brutally slain. Nothing was ever stolen, save for a few scraps of food.

After two weeks of this, the local grocer set out a few apples and a glass of milk in the town square overnight. He then hid in the tower of the church, hoping to catch a glimpse of anyone who came by.

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Fighting fatigue, the grocer waited for any sign of life below. Just after midnight, he was rewarded by a chilling sight; a man, carrying a black bag stuffed with dully shining metal tools and covered from head to foot in cloth bandages, staggered into view. He paused at the sight of the apples and milk, then whipped his head around, as if looking for the one who dared to patronize him. Seized with fear, the grocer ducked out of sight, staying hidden ’til sunrise.

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The strange man had only taken one of the apples, and didn’t even touch the glass of milk. No houses were broken into, and no one was killed. For decades, the town continued to place out an apple or two every night, even long after a single apple stopped dissapearing.

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68 thoughts on “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away”

  1. ? Uh, guys, this was the first story I saw on here, and I’m not some weirdo who goes around killing people and eating apples, WTF? Look, I gotta go, but please, don’t think I’m a murderer.

  2. Looks to me the killer was crazy doctor and he was probably losing his mind with out food so he would kill people until that very night when that grocer placed 2 apples and a glass of milk out side. Thats why its called an apple a day keeps the docter away.

  3. “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”

    Amy gave Matt Smith an apple and he didnt come back for 12 years… :/ :/

  4. …….
    May 24, 2013
    Only if that bastard would have left pizzas instead of apples.

    ‘A pizza a day keeps doctor away’ sounds much more delicious…

    You know, I have to agree with that one. XD

    Anyways, nice little short story and I rate this 5/10!

    Sincerely,
    Grim Gamer

  5. I cant believe how rude and arrogant alot of you are when no one really can admit they have a full grasp on the story and all clutching at straws or apples if youll pardon the pun. We could also infer that anyone seeing him could mean simply when you simply see a doctor for a consult because you are very sick which these people were and thus didnt survive. However if ihe was a doctor he was extremely lousy like a lazy office temp on a bad day who had no success rate of curing anyone. Also if he was either a doctor or serial killer it explains he ate scraps of food sso if he was happy eating apple scraps inside why did he need to kill them or operate on them since it explains he doesnt do either once he eats these stupid apples. If there was a famine on however why just eat one apple why not 2 and some milk unless it was a mummy but that doesnt make sence either and therefore because of a poorly written story and all of you too superficial trying to look sophisticated saying you understand it when u clearly dont will gibe it a high rating so no one sees you puzzling over sometning, oh no heaven forbide gen y knows everything dont you.

    1. I’m having trouble deciphering your post. But it seems like you’re just over thinking this story. A lot.

  6. I thought this story was going to be about Happy Appy when I saw the title, that’s why I clicked on it, seeing as I really want to find that happy appy original creepypasta. Anyone know where to find it?

  7. A poisened apple a day keeps the insane demented crazy doctor away

    A happy meal a day keeps Ronald McDonald away

    A child a day keeps pedobear away

    There are way more that I could make up but Im to lazy.

    A post a day keeps the ghost of creepypasta away

    That’s the last one.

  8. Anyone ever seen “Death Note” (The Japanese Film)

    Reminds me off the weird death figure who have the note to Light :D

  9. Chromeninja obviously knows exactly what we want. Pasta was good, but the history is wrong. But that’s okay.

  10. Ghostly_girl, writers don’t always have to straight out tell the reader that the guy was a doctor.. You’re supposed to actually use that thing your skull is holding..

  11. My biggest issue with this pasta: the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” was coined by Ben Franklin. The Gold Rush wasn’t until 1849. LEARN TO HISTORY

    1. Just because he coined it, doesn’t mean that he heard it somewhere else. Haven’t you ever had that friend who tells a funny joke, then you find out later it was “coined” by someone else?

  12. Holy crap that was AWESOME.

    For some reason I pictured an old west version of the Doom Patrol’s Negative Man.

    I think my geekiness is showing.

  13. I thought it was because the friction of biting an apple helped remove plaque and was over-all good for your insides?

  14. Chromeninja, your horrible writing aside, the answer to your question is simple if you actually take the time to read, rather than skim. The drought was meant to underline the previous statement of ‘food was scarce’… and the later statement about ‘Nothing was ever stolen, save for a few scraps of food.’ shows that this doctor simply wanted a bite to eat. Indeed, he wasn’t breaking into homes to kill, he only killed those who saw him in the act.

    The drought just shows a motive: Hunger. Survival. It was so bad, that it drove this doc to kill, for mere scraps of food

  15. “An apple a day keeps the Doctor away. But if the Doctor is cute then screw the fruite.”
    Well, I can see why he picked apples. They’re gewd.

  16. good but what on earth does that have to do with ceeping the doc away
    we dont really under sand y u added the part about the drought did not really help
    we think u should go into more detail with the killings or what the bodies looked like
    okay we say maybe it was like a doc cause he has a bag with shiny stuff in it and he had bandages

  17. First Last Period and Classq

    “Sir, he’s not taking the apples anymore.”
    “….OH SHI”
    “What should we do?”
    “I’ve got the solution. Reeses Puffs.”
    “Reeses Puff’s? Candy? For BREAKFAST?”
    “Not candy, Reeses Puff cereal! JUST ONE BITE AND MY TASTEBUDS ARE LOST IN SEA OF CHOCOLATELY FLAVOR!”

    1. Only if that bastard would have left pizzas instead of apples.

      ‘A pizza a day keeps doctor away’ sounds much more delicious…

  18. I’m not Burt but I gathered the doctor bag aspect. I’m not sure why he’s wrapped in bandages beyond creating a pretty neat mental image. A Mummy with doctor’s tools stalking the residents of old West mining towns sounds awesome though.

  19. Burt, he was carrying a black bag with metalic knives, doctors used to have a doctar bag, full of all there stuff, it was black.

    1. It’s not that the killer is the docter @Burt Reynalds. It’s that because he took the apples instead of takin lives and so no docter was needed for the victims.

    2. “a man, carrying a black bag stuffed with dully shining metal tools and covered from head to foot in cloth bandages”

      hence, The Doctor.

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