Into the Wild(38)

“Eh?” The ogre peered down at her, and then he squatted, enormous knees jutting forward, for a better look. “Ooh, so you are! Like a tiny doll.”

Look at the size of his hands. He could crush her like an ant. “Yep, that’s me. A doll, not an Englishmun. I mean, Englishman. And this is my brother, Puss-in-Boots.”

“Leave me out of this,” Boots said out of the corner of his mouth.

The ogre spread his hands apologetically. “Unfortunately, this changes nothing. You are still human.” He straightened to his full height and thundered: “Be he alive or be he dead, I’ll grind his bones to make my bread!” The drawbridge throbbed with the volume of his voice. Julie clapped her hands to her ears. “Why have you entered my domain?”

Good question—what had she been thinking? How did storybook heroes ever escape him? A memory of a story tickled her mind: something about a cat and a carnivorous ogre. Try it, her mind whispered. It couldn’t possibly make things worse. “Because I heard of your awesome powers,” she squeaked.

He smiled, exposing hubcap-sized yellow teeth. “You’ve heard of me?”

“Oh, yes.” Please, let this be the right story. She didn’t want to be crushed. She didn’t want to be eaten. “I heard that you could change shapes.”

“Yes, I am all-powerful!” roared the ogre.

Leaning close to her ankle, Boots said, “Julie, what are you doing?”

Julie shook the cat off her foot. “Play along,” she whispered to him. “I heard that you can turn into a dragon,” she said to the ogre, “but I didn’t believe it. Who could turn into something as great as a dragon?”

Boots covered his head with his paws. “Oh, no. Don’t bait him.”

“You doubt my power? I will prove it to you!” With his thumb and forefinger, he drew a tiny stick from his pocket. He tapped himself with it. “From an ogre to a dragon!”

Suddenly, he bulged. His stomach distended and his arms flattened. His torso elongated and turned green. Scales burst out over his skin. His face lengthened into jaws, and his eyes narrowed into yellow slits. His hands curled into claws.

Julie swallowed twice. She felt like Jell-O. How had she thought it couldn’t get worse? This was obviously worse. If Mom was such a great hero, why couldn’t she save herself this time too? Why was it up to Julie? She didn’t belong here. She just wanted to go home. Boots quivered behind her.

Spitting tendrils of fire, the dragon pranced around the castle foyer. His claws echoed on the tile. “Can you deny I am the most powerful creature you’ve ever seen?” he said. Sword-sharp teeth flashed.

Staring at his jaws, she couldn’t find her voice. She wet her lips. “I’m . . . impressed.” Her knees shook. She closed her eyes and said in a rush, “But it’s not so hard to make yourself bigger. What would be really impressive is if you could make yourself smaller, like a dog or a cat or even a mouse.”

“I can do that!” With the wand in his claw, he tapped himself again. “From a dragon to a mouse!” His green skin grayed, and his bones shrank. His body collapsed inward. In seconds, a mouse sat on top of the wand.

“Aha!” Puss-in-Boots pounced on the mouse, knocking the wand out of his claws. Julie pounced on the wand. The mouse-ogre squealed.

Yes! Julie clutched the wand to her chest. Her hands shook. Before she lost her nerve, she said, “Now, Mr. Ogre, if I turn you back, will you promise to behave and take us to the magician?”

Boots licked his muzzle. “Don’t promise. I’m hungry.” The mouse shivered and squeaked, “I promise! Promise!”

He had to keep his promise, right? The Wild wouldn’t let him lie. “Stand back,” she told the cat. Boots backed away from the mouse, and Julie touched the mouse’s nose with the wand. “From a mouse to an ogre.”

The mouse grew into the ogre. “Good show,” the ogre said. “Nicely done.”

Not trusting her voice, she nodded thanks. Her heart rate slowly returned to normal. She tucked the wand in her back pocket.

“Would you like that ride now?” the ogre asked. He held down his hand.

Julie hesitated for a second. What if he closed his hand on her? Stay brave, she told herself. You’re almost to Mom. It’s almost over. Picking up the cat, Julie climbed onto his palm. The ogre lifted them to face level. “Um, sorry about earlier,” he said. “Part of the rules, you know.”

“I know. You wouldn’t really have eaten me.”

The ogre looked embarrassed. “Actually, I would have. But don’t worry, I’d have cooked you first.”