Four of the five Stone children sat around a small table and waited for the old man, who still hadn't revealed his name, to come back from the other room. A tiny fire as crackling in the smallest fireplace Ocean had ever seen, with a tiny pot of simmering water inside. "Ah! Ow!" They heard Davis shriek as the old man bandaged him. Ocean jumped up from her seat and silently peeked into the other room. Davis was on his belly with the old man crouching over him with a wad of bandages and a rag with ice rapped in it. He was pressing the icy sack against the wound and soaking the blood with the bandages. Davis hissed through his teeth in pain. "Shut it, stop squirmin'!" The man requested gruffly. Davis attempted to still his motions, but occasionally there was a jerk or a sharp breath. Ocean slipped back into her chair and waited. Finally, the old man limped in and walked to a pot of water, where he dumped the ice into it and dropped the rags in. Then he took the now boiling water from the fire and placed it on a pillow that lay on a small counter next to the soaking cloths. "You wanta some soup?" He rasped as he dropped chopped tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, peppers, and other vegetables into the pot. The four all nodded eagerly and were told they needed to be patient as the man plopped himself down on a barrel. After a moment, Rupert said a little unsteadily, "Sir? It's hard to know you if...if we don't know you name. Could you say it?" The old man sniffed a great sniff and muttered, "Call me sir. And after yer brother is fine enough to go back home, yer all goin'." Eliot shook his head. "We can't. We told you. The tree was chopped down and someone lit the house on fire." At this, the old man froze like he had in the garden. "The tree- did it have a message?" They all gasped and Collins murmured, "How did you-" "What did it say?" He interrupted. Ocean replied, "'The Lits will pay.'" The old man gasped, then started sobbing. This struck the children so strange that they didn't know how to react. "He told me...he swore...I thought he wouldn't...." The old man wept. After a moment of tears, they heard Davis call from his couch, "Uh- guys? The men that were chasing us- they are coming toward the house." The old man gasped and stood up. "Rupert, take Davis to Johnny the horse hitched to the cart outside. Eliot and Collins, get Johnny the dog into the cart. Ocean, help me." Collins asked, "How do you know our names?" The old man turned away and muttered, "Not now."
