The Ogress and the Orphans

The townspeople periodically find gifts from the Ogress on their doorsteps. They don’t know who is leaving the treats, and they hurriedly hide them before others see them and demand to know where the food came from. Each is grateful because the food helps in the increasingly difficult times, but they all remember the warning from the Mayor: “The more they know you have, the more they will try and take from you” (63).

Meanwhile, the Mayor opens his door one morning to find yet another pie. He doesn’t care where it came from, only that it is his now. He brings it inside and closes the door on the lovely sound of people arguing.

The stone reveals that a dragon burned down the Library. While the rest of the town tried to stop the fire, Myron rescued as many books as he could, sustaining burns to his skin and damage to his lungs. The stone managed to warn Myron that the books were not safe because “he is still here” (67). Myron moved the books to the Orphan House and never told anyone.