- The next morning, when Bridget tells Merle she's not old enough to help with preparing the dragon orchids, Merle tells her mother that she's going to wander over to the village, though she's really going to check on that painter. Sneaky girl.
- When she comes to his house, she lurks around outside for a while and notices an apple orchard. Delicious.
- Merle heads over to explore and sees loads of tasty fruits just hanging there. Maybe she'll just try one…
- She opens the gate around the house and heads in. As she grabs an apple, the painter suddenly appears and yells at her to get away from his house. Yikes.
- Merle is terrified and she runs away as fast as she can. Once she's about halfway up the hill toward home, though, she realizes that she still has the apple, so she stops to eat it. Delicious, just as she thought.
- By the time she has had her apple and arrived home, Merle is feeling fine and dandy again. Huh. Maybe an apple a day keeps the dragons away, too?