Troy slowly climbed across a branch of an apple tree. For a minute, he glanced in the distance at the rows of apple trees blossoming in the hilly orchard, a sight that always inspired him. As he dragged himself across the branch, he watched his older sister, Heather, and her boyfriend, Patrick, who were sitting on a red, wooden bench below, softly kissing one another. After picking an apple off its stem, he tossed it down at them, hitting Patrick in the back. "Knock that off, Troy!" Heather shouted.

Troy quickly scooted back to the trunk of the apple tree.

Patrick walked over to the tree, causing Troy to grin and crouch like he was about to leap. "Just leave him be," Heather said. "All he wants is to be chased."

Patrick shook the tree as Troy held on excitedly. "Not enough apples on the ground?" a voice asked.

Patrick looked to his right and saw Mr.Humboldt, the owner of the apple orchard. "No... I'm sorry," Patrick said. "Troy is up there."

Mr.Humboldt watched Troy's animated gestures, and then glanced at Heather, who had a disgusted look on her face. "Troy, I have been looking for you," he said. "I'm going to the Drenic Caves. Are you coming with?"

"Absolutely!" Troy replied. He scurried down the tree and ran past Patrick, who resisted the urge to push the little boy down.

Heather threw a half smile at Mr.Humboldt. "What time do you want us to begin working for the festival on Sunday?" she asked.

"Oh, anytime between eight and nine. There won't be too much to do," he replied. "I will see you two then."

"Bye," Heather and Patrick both uttered at the same time.

Mr.Humboldt left to follow Troy, who was already one hundred paces in front of him, skipping down the dirt road that led to the caves.

Patrick sat down next to Heather. As they looked at one another, they felt whole once again, a feeling they had shared since they were young, when Patrick first moved to Cauhon to live with his great aunt. They played with one another as children, and as they grew older, their love blossomed, and loving each other became a part of who they were. They shared their dreams, hopes, and sorrows, and when they argued, it seemed like the world was coming to an end. After Troy's great aunt passed on, Heather's parents welcomed him into their home.

Years ago Troy and Heather began to work in the orchard, after Mr.Humboldt purchased it. They started out doing odd jobs for him, cleaning his equipment and assisting the apple pickers, but eventually they were put in charge of festivals and entertainment, including after school games for children, concerts in the evening for adults, and the food and craft markets on the weekend. "I love you," Patrick said, kissing her lips.

"I love you, too," Heather said, kissing him back.

As Mr.Humboldt and Troy walked towards the caves, Troy chased frogs on the side of the road. "I read that book on the Himalayas," he said. "I can't wait till I go there."

"There's so much around here that you haven't seen," Mr.Humboldt said.

"That's easy for you to say," Troy said, as a frog leaped away from his right sneaker.

Troy had a dream to be an explorer, a dream that was instilled in him by the stories Mr.Humboldt told. At one time Mr.Humboldt had lived an adventurous life, working as a sailor, a soldier, and a merchant, traveling across the globe from the Beiring sea to the streets of Mexico City to the Appalachian Mountains. Eventually, he bought the orchard and settled down in a small spot in the world that has made him happier than all his adventures did. But the way he told his stories, with rich details of different people and exotic lands, the children became enthralled hearing them, and they demanded to see his collection of artifacts from his travels that he kept in a glass case in his house. "You keep forgetting about all the lonely nights away from your family, and the terrible things you will witness," he said.

But Troy didn't reply, for now he saw the entrance to the caves, and he ran full speed toward it.

Year after year passed gracefully, like a swan flying home from a long journey. Each spring and summer, the life of the village- from the songs of birds to the bright smiles of children- beatified the orchard. Soon autumn arrived with its vibrant colors sparkling all over, and then winter covered the apple trees with its white coat, causing snow men to rise from their cold graves. The love between Heather and Patrick deepened, like layers upon the earth, and Troy's desire to be an explorer increased as he grew into a tall, muscular body that could fulfill all his ambitions. Mr.Humboldt grew old, with his silver hair displaying the same warmth one could see in his smile, even though he was often sick, in need of doses of medicine to keep him healthy. Each day his love for the village children grew, but Heather, Troy, and Patrick became like his own children to him, and he planned on giving the orchard to Heather and Patrick after he passed on.

The only shadow that loomed over the village was a ogre named Tero who lived in a nearby woods, hunting squirrels, bears, foxes, badgers, and birds of all kinds, and selling their hides in nearby regions. Tero had a pudgy, ugly face, two beady eyes, and a balding head covered with rashes and a circular row of puke yellow hairs. He lived with a group of younger ogres who helped him with his hunting, terrifying the creatures of the woods. Desperately, Tero wanted to take over the orchard, keeping its riches for himself, but no one in the village would have anything to do with him.

One day Troy went to climb Wartha's Peak, the highest peak at the Yuti Mountain, a place he never dared climb before. He just finished his schooling and was about a year away from having saved enough money to leave Cauhon. He climbed and climbed, reaching higher and higher, until he was near the top. As he looked at the village in the distance, he felt his dreams were within his grasp. He tried to keep climbing, but the top of the peak was steep with little, sharp rocks embedded in the side, and he made no headway. He was determined to keep going, so he thrust his body higher and higher. But then his feet slipped on the rocks and he hurtled down the mountain. He broke his fall by grabbing the branches of a bush sticking out between two rocks, but he lost his grip and stumbled down the mountain, his limbs striking hard boulders as he fell. Eventually, he hit the ground, where his broken body laid unconscious.

That night, when Troy didn't return home, the villagers went searching for him. After canvassing the base of the mountain, they found him and were horrified at the sight of his mangled legs.

Troy survived and his body healed, but his legs were so badly damaged that he couldn't walk, and no one knew if he would ever walk again. His dream of exploring the world vanished, and he sat in his parent's home day after day, the bitterness growing inside him. He refused to talk to his family, friends, and neighbors, who were worried about him and wished to ease his suffering; and he refused to see Mr.Humboldt, who hoped Troy would stay at the orchard to relieve his depression.

One morning, after his mother and father left for work, Troy sat next to his bedroom window, looking at the buildings of downtown Cauhon in the distance and listening to the bustle of happy workers. "How are you, young one?" a voice asked.

Troy peered out his window. To his right stood Tero, dressed in a brown vest, green pants, and black boots, and wearing a grin that wrapped around his nose. "What do you want?" Troy asked. "Just get out of here."

"I thought we could be friends," Tero replied. "Everyone ignores you as they ignore me. They go on as if nothing has happened to you."

"Just leave me alone," Troy said.

"I just wanted you to know what Mr.Humboldt said, because I thought he was your friend" Tero said. "I overheard him as he walked through the woods with a little boy. He blamed your fall on your own incompetence, and he said it was better this happened now, instead of when you went out in the world where you would have killed yourself and probably others."

"I don't care what he says," Troy said.

"Maybe so," Tero said, "but I think it is wrong for him to put children in danger with lies about his adventures. He wastes that orchard on his own glorification, instead of making money for his workers."

Troy remained silent, staring in the distance. A minute later Tero crept away.

As the weeks passed, Troy's family, especially Heather, reached out to him, but he increasingly became isolated. One day he called his parents to his room and said, "I appreciate want you have done for me, but I want to accept Mr.Humboldt's invitation to stay at the orchard. I think it would help me relax and find peace."

"Well, things have changed recently," his father said. "Mr.Humboldt's illness has worsened, and he can barely take care of himself. We can't ask him...."

"It would be better for you to stay here," his mother interrupted. "We can take care of you."

"I don't need anyone to take care of me!" Troy yelled. For a minute he was quiet, calming himself down. "I won't be a burden," he said.

So they took Troy in a wheelchair to see Mr.Humboldt, who was delighted to see Troy out again. Appearing weak and gaunt, but with a cheerful demeanor, Mr.Humboldt embraced the idea of Troy living with him. "I have been feeling much better since the doctor gave me new medication," he said.

The next morning Troy moved into Mr.Humboldt's house. Day after day he wheeled through the orchard, monitoring the apple pickers at work, inspecting the health of the apple trees, and watching children play games in the late afternoon sun. At times the atmosphere of the orchard relieved his anxiety, but his anger ate away at his heart, and as he looked at Mr.Humboldt and listened to his deep, gruff voice every day, his hatred grew and grew.

One night, after all the workers and villagers left the orchard, Troy made two cups of tea, and he and Mr.Humboldt sat in the patio outside the house, engaged in their nightly conversation. They talked for several minutes and listened to soft music that flowed off Mr.Humboldt's record player and gently circled the apple trees. As Mr.Humboldt drank from his tea, he collapsed and fell to the ground. "Troy, get my medicine," he said, clutching his chest.

Troy rolled his wheelchair over to Mr.Humboldt, peering down at him. "Troy, get my medicine, please!" Mr.Humboldt said.

Troy remained still, for he had slipped poison into Mr.Humboldt's tea. Mr.Humboldt tried to crawl towards the house, but his frail body was too weak to move. He begged Troy for help, but Troy sat expressionless until all the life left Mr.Humboldt, leaving his body sprawled on the patio. After retrieving a candle from the house, Troy rolled out of the orchard and went to the edge of the woods, where he sat for an hour, calling for Tero.

Finally, Tero popped out between two oak trees and stood, talking to Troy for several minutes.

The next day the villagers heard about Mr.Humboldt's death, and everyone mourned the loss. Days later they held a funeral and a memorial at the orchard, complete with soft, lovely music from violinists, beautiful flower arrangements hanging from tree to tree, and speech after speech from villagers, recalling Mr.Humboldt's joy, humor, and dedication. But a day after the funeral, when the apple pickers returned to work, they saw the little ogres carrying tools back and forth through the orchard. "Get out of here! You don't belong here!" the workers said.

"Yes they do," Tero said, walking up to the workers. "You aren't needed here anymore. Mr.Humboldt gave the orchard to Troy, and he has hired new workers."

"This is outrageous!" a young man shouted. "This isn't his orchard!"

At that moment Tero pulled out a small revolver, and the other ogres walked over to the workers, armed with rifles. "You must leave now," Tero said, pointing his gun at the crowd. "We will waste no more time with you."

Troy watched the workers from the house, peering out the kitchen window with his binoculars. The workers stood nervously for a minute, and then quietly left the orchard. That night the ogres kept the orchard clear of any villagers or children whose little eyes filled with tears at the sight of the ugly ogres walking through the rows of beautiful apple trees. After witnessing the changes made by Troy, Heather talked with Patrick. "I don't know what has happened to him," she said. "He has become so different since his accident."

"Your family has let this go on too long," Patrick said. "He can't take his pain out on everyone, no matter what happened. It is one thing when he kept to himself, but now he is hurting the whole village."

"You can't imagine what he has been through," Heather said, touching Patrick's arm. "I will talk to him. The three of us should own the orchard together, so we can share it with the village."

"Own it together!" Patrick said, pulling away from Heather. "Mr.Humboldt wanted us to have the orchard. We worked there year after year, while your brother was lost in his dreams. We planned on raising our family there."

"Don't be so cold," she said. "I love my brother and he needs our help."

"I am not putting up with those monsters in the orchard!" he said, pointing his finger in her face. "Explain yourself to the workers and to the children."

Heather reached out to Patrick, but he pulled away from her and stormed off. The next night Patrick snuck into the orchard, creeping around the apple trees as the little ogres causally walked around, checking the grounds. Heather went to the orchard to see her brother, but two ogres stopped her, telling her Troy refused to see any visitors. After watching Heather leave the orchard, Patrick rushed up to the house past the two ogres, who immediately grabbed their rifles and followed him. He ran into the house where he saw Troy and Tero talking in the living room. "Why are you here?" Tero asked.

"This orchard belongs to Heather and I," Patrick replied. "Mr.Humboldt wanted us to care for it."

Then the ogres arrived, their rifles pointing at Patrick's back. "Do you know what you are doing to your family?" Patrick asked, turning to Troy. "Do you know what you are doing to the village?"

Troy spun his wheelchair around and rolled away. "The orchard belongs to him," Tero said, grabbing Patrick's arm.

Patrick pushed Tero away and ran over in front of Troy. "I don't feel sorry for you," he said. "You don't have any right to steal this orchard. And I won't let you do it."

Troy slowly turned his head up to look at Patrick. "I don't know what you plan to do now," he said.

Troy gestured to the two ogres, who knocked Patrick to the ground. Patrick fought back, but the ogres tied him up, dragged him to the old cellar underneath the tool shed, and chained him to the floor.

The next day, when Patrick turned up missing, the villagers became concerned. For days they searched everywhere for him, scanning the countryside and making inquiries in nearby villages. Heather became worried about her love and looked for him day and night. Tero told the villagers that Patrick stole Mr.Humboldt's collection of artifacts, but nobody believed him. So he ordered the ogres to destroy all of Mr.Humboldt's collection, except for an old pocket watch and a gold ring, which Tero gave to a thief traveling through the countryside, bribing him to come to Cauhon. The thief arrived at the village, carrying the watch and the ring. "I heard you were looking for a young man," he said to the villagers. "The other day I bought these objects from a stranger. He said they belonged to his relatives, and he needed the money. He was sick of all the people in Cauhon and wished to never go back."

The villagers, including Heather, examined the pocket watch and ring, and recognized them from Mr.Humboldt's collection. "What did he look like?" Heather asked.

The thief described the young man, which fit Patrick's description perfectly. The villagers were shocked, but they believed the story, and Heather was heartbroken.

Over the next few weeks the apple pickers had to find work elsewhere, work they could never love as much as they loved working in the orchard. None of the villagers were allowed in the orchard, and the animals and birds that once called the orchard their home were scared away by the ogres. The villagers blamed Troy for everything, so they badgered Heather and her parents relentlessly. Depressed, Heather's parents left the village to live with relatives far away, but Heather stayed, hoping she could change the mind of her brother and wishing that her love would return to her, explaining the reason for his disappearance and proving the theft was a misunderstanding.

The ogres built a barb wire fence around the orchard, and, day after day, they picked the apples and sold them to ogres, trolls, witches, and warlocks in far away lands, making Troy and Tero a handsome sum. Eventually, as the conditions of the village worsened and the hearts of the villagers grew bitter, they harassed Heather until she was afraid to go out in public anymore. So she begged her brother for help, and he took her into his home under the conditions that she take care of him and do all the housework.

As the years passed, the villagers went about their lives, working hard and raising their sweet children, but the village was never the same. The orchard became Troy's fortress, with the ogres as his satanic guards. The money piled in, even though the apples didn't receive the same care as when the villagers tended to the apple trees. No trade was made between the village and Troy; he left them alone as long as they stayed away from the orchard. He wouldn't even ask for use of the river, for he dug up wells deep in the land, taking all the water that he needed from the orchard itself. Patrick was imprisoned in the cellar, without every seeing the light of the sun. Twice a day the ogres brought gruel down for him to eat, and occasionally they would wash him, spraying him with a hose. They told him that the love of his life, Heather, got married to a wealthy man and moved to a different village. At first he didn't believe them, but they constantly talked about it, giving him details of their life and Heather's newborn son, and as his paranioa grew from living in the cellar, he came to believe his soul mate was lost forever.

Gradually, Heather deterioated. She hoped Patrick would return, but he never did, and she became convinced that he was the thief and liar that everyone said he was. Did she ever really know him? If she didn't know the person she loved, how could she know anyone on this precious earth? As she worked day after day, cleaning the main house and the cottages of the ogres, cooking meals, and tending to the yard, her broken heart crushed her spirit, and she kept to herself as much as she could. Her brother always demanded work be done, never displaying any appreciation to his sister, and when she took walks in the orchard, she would hear villagers laughing in the distance, laughs she imagined were aimed at her. At times the orchard seemed desolate, for the villagers were afraid to go near it, so the ogres didn't waste much time guarding the apple trees anymore, and spent hour after hour drinking and shooting off their rifles.

The only thing that brought Heather solace was the company of a few animals brave enough to return to the orchard, especially the squirrels, which played near her as she sat out of eyesight of the ogres. She saw them whenever she had a spare moment, and soon she could understand their language.

One day, as Heather sat near the edge of the orchard watching the squirrels chase one another around, four children approached the orchard, staring at her. "You can come in," she said. "No one else is here."

Cautiously, the children crawled under the barbwire and into the orchard. They sat, talking with Heather, watching the animals and birds play, and enjoying the slight breeze swaying the branches of the apple trees. The next day Heather brought an apple pie for the children, who returned to the orchard, bringing their friends. Day after day she brought food for them- everything from apple cider to apple crumb cake to caramel apples- and she took delight in the little souls, playing their quirky games in a small corner of the orchard. But one day three ogres heard the children laughing and playing, and they informed Troy of the little party.

"What do you think you are doing?" Troy asked Heather when she returned to the house. "You are lucky I let you live here at all after your lover stole from me. There are only a few simple rules you have to obey. And you will obey them. Those children are not allowed in the orchard!"

Heather was silent. During the next few days, she wasn't allowed to go for walks, and Troy gave her enough work to keep her busy from dawn till dusk. But the children didn't stop. Even though they didn't see Heather anymore, they still snuck into the orchard, playing games and eating apples, until the ogres chased them away. Every day they came to the orchard, often with a few of them distracting the ogres as the other children snuck into a different part of the orchard. The ogres threatened to shoot the children, but it did not dissuade them. "What do you want me to do with these children?" Tero asked Troy. "They are distracting us from our work, and we cannot catch them."

"We have to scare them away from here permanently," Troy replied. "Plant a few bombs where they like to play. That should rid us of those brats."

So Tero went to work with the attention to detail of a master craftsman, making two bombs that looked exactly like apples. As he completed the bombs in his cottage, a squirrel, which was hiding on the trunk of an apple tree nearby, watched him through a window of the cottage. Tero left his cottage carrying the two bombs, and he left his revolver on his table. The squirrel ran as fast as he could to Heather, who was on her hands and knees scrubbing the cement pathway behind the house. Frantically, he gestured to Heather, but his movements appeared crazy. "Calm down. What is it?" Heather asked.

The squirrel quieted its body enough to signal Heather, who understood that the children were in danger. Heather ran to the kitchen, grabbed the largest knife she could find, and then went out looking for Tero, who was busy planting one of the bombs among a bunch of apples lying under a tree. Heather ran through the orchard until she saw Tero in the distance clutching the other bomb in his right hand. "Stop! What do you have there?" she said, approaching him.

Tero turned around, spotting Heather. "Get out of here and go back to work before we throw you off this land forever," he said.

"Give me that," Heather said, waving the knife.

Then she slashed Tero, causing a slight wound on his right arm. He stood frozen, staring at Heather. She thrust the knife at his face, but he quickly ducked and ran away. She chased him through the orchard, running as fast as she could, attempting to slash him from behind, until they ran behind the tool shed. Then, as Tero looked back, he flipped over and fell down a well. He plummeted into the darkness as Heather quickly stopped her feet at the edge of the short brick wall surrounding the well. As Tero fell, he dropped the bomb, which fell towards the bottom a few feet in front of him. With his eyes spread wide open, he frantically tried to catch the bomb, but it was out of his reach. Then it hit the bottom of the well, causing a explosion that thundered through the earth, killing Tero instantly. The ground heaved up, with shreds of rock flying into the air, causing Heather to protect her face as she fell to the ground. Troy and the ogres felt the land rumbling and peered outside their windows, but they ignored it. The cellar walls of the tool shed crumbled, causing the entire shed to collapse. Wood boards and cement bricks fell on Patrick, who curled up on the floor with his hands protecting his head.

At that time, children were sneaking into the orchard with ease, for Tero had ordered the ogres to let them come in. The children began singing, as they darted back and forth through the apple trees. After picking herself up, Heather looked at the violent hole the bomb created, searching for any signs of Tero. Then she realized the children were still in danger, so she left the well and ran through the orchard looking for them. She ran and ran, unaware of the knife embedded in her hand, until she spotted the children in the distance. "Stop! Stay where you are! You are in danger!" she shouted.

But the children ignored her and kept running through the orchard, their little feet coming close to kicking the bomb. Frantically, Heather ran over and waved her knife, making the children flee towards the fence. But two children kept running through the orchard, unafraid of Heather. "Stop! Stay away from the apples!" she shouted.

But the children kept running, so she ran after them, pleading with them to stay away from the apples on the ground. When she was just about to catch them, she accidently kicked an apple, and the bomb exploded. Heather fell to the ground, with the side of her body covered in black dust, while the two children tumbled in the distance. After ducking from the explosion, the other children scrambled back into the orchard, while the ogres quickly ran out of their cottages. The villagers also heard the explosion, and they were frightened for their children, so they grabbed sticks and shovels for weapons and raced to the orchard. Soon everyone was at the scene, except for Troy, who watched from the distance, looking through his binoculars. Parents ran to their injured children. The children were okay, except for a few cuts and bruises, but Heather was unconscious, her body lying prone on the ground.

"Did you try and murder our children?" one of the parents asked, looking with disgust at the ogres.

"Get off the orchard!" one of the ogres said. "All of you off! Now!"

But before the ogres could shoot their rifles, the angry villagers pounced on them, beating them until the ogres dropped their guns and fled from the orchard. Immediately Troy wheeled himself outside. "Take me with you!" he yelled, watching the ogres run away. "Tero, where are you?"

Then the village doctor went to Heather, who didn't respond to his touch. "Pick her up carefully," he said to three villagers standing next to him. "We need to get her to my office now."

Hundreds of villagers, including the children, followed the doctor and the people carrying Heather, while the other villagers began marching to the house, waving their weapons in front of them. Frightened, Troy wheeled into the house, making his way to the kitchen. The villagers continued marching to the house, and then they rushed inside and went through each room until they opened the kitchen door. There they saw Troy slumped over, with a bottle of poison lying on the floor underneath his left hand.

Then a few of the villagers went to the destroyed tool shed. They looked below and saw Patrick's body intermingled with cement blocks, splintered boards, and dirt. Carefully, they walked down, dragged him out of the rubble, and carried him to the doctor's office.

The doctor gave Heather the best care, cleaning her wounds and keeping her warm, but she remained unconscious. As the doctor tended to his injuries, Patrick woke up, and slowly took in food and water, before falling into a deep sleep. When he awoke the next morning, he was still weak, but he was inspired by the cheerful faces in the room and the sunshine beaming through the window.

"They told us you were a thief," the doctor said. "We are ashamed that we ever believed them. But now the ogres are gone and Troy is dead."

Patrick paused, thinking of all his years lost in the cellar. "What about Heather?" he asked.

"She's here," the doctor said. "She was badly hurt by a bomb."

"Please take me to her," Patrick said.

They led Patrick into Heather's room, and he sat next to her on the bed. "Heather," he said, holding her hand.

Slowly Heather's eyes opened. At first she could barely see, but then she recognized Patrick's face and smiled. "I love you," Patrick said.

"Why did you leave?" she asked in a soft voice.

"Your brother took me prisoner, but I was never far from you," he replied. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine now."

They embraced one another, giving them more energy than they ever had before. After a short period of recovery, they were well again, and Heather sent for her parents, who happily returned to the village, welcomed by their old neighbors. Heather and her parents were depressed thinking about Troy's life, but they only had forgiveness in their hearts. The villagers took back the orchard with a new appreciation for what they had lost. They torn down the barb wire fence, burned the ogres' cottages, and covered up the wells. Heather and Troy were married in the orchard, and the entire village came to celebrate. They moved into the main house and brought the old workers back to care for the apple trees. Once again the orchard contained the life of the village, with the sound of children playing, the lovely songs of birds, and the beautiful music of the festivals. Heather and Troy lived happily the rest of their lives, working hard and raising a family in a place they believed was heaven.

Fairy Tales          Next