copyright 2005

copyright 2005, Gripper Products

The Ogre Who Held Up the Sky

by Riddles the Magician

On top of the hill, at the edge of the town
There lived an ogre who never sat down
He stood all day long, his hands over his head
He told the villagers, "Without me, you'd be dead."

"I hold up the sky. I keep it in place."
"Without me, it would crush the whole human race."
"Not true," said young Jack, who hated the giant.
"You're too lazy to work. You're just defiant."

This ogre got hungry while he slept standing up.
He took Jack's sheep when he wanted to sup.
He took Meg's goats, Sam's chicks and Ann's deer.
When he wanted to eat, he took whatever was near.

This ogre was big, and this ogre was strong.
No one could stop him, but the town thought he was wrong.
Beatrice was his daughter, smart as could be.
The tallest girl in her class, she came up to his knee.

Beatrice went to the regular school.
The teasing there was unspeakably cruel.
The children said, "All ogres are bad."
Beatrice came home dirty and mad.

How would you like it if kids said your dad
Was evil and mean and a horrible cad?
That's what they told Beatrice, all that and more.
They said her dad stole sheep by the score.

Beatrice replied nicely, in her usual way,
"My dad holds up the sky, all night and all day."
The children scowled and gave her that look.
"Your dad is a liar; your dad is a crook."

Beatrice loved her dad, and knew he worked hard.
He held up the sky over everyone’s yard.
How could she show them? What could she do?
If they met her dad, they’d all love him, too.

Beatrice thought and thought -- there must be a way.
Her idea was this: "Come to my house to play."
"I don't know," said Jack. "There must be a trick."
"If I go, I’m bringing my stick."

Beatrice could barely hold back her tears.
When Ann came to the rescue, "I have no fears."
"Okay, we'll be there," said Jack in a huff.
He wasn't planning to play, that's sure enough.

After school, the children followed Jack up the hill.
They climbed past the orchard, the goatyard, the mill.
Higher and higher, they climbed; they all carried sticks
Ann had plans to give that ogre some kicks.

Beatrice sobbed giant tears when she saw
Jack wave his stick with a mighty guffaw.
Her mother knew better; her mother was wise.
She gave the children cookies, cakes, and pies.

First Ann took a cookie. Then Sam took a bite.
Soon even Meg was acting polite.
The other children skipped and hopped in the field.
Jack held his stick, and also a shield.

At first, no one spoke, then Jack made a speech.
"No one holds up the sky. You're just a leech."
"Oh Ho!" shouted the ogre, his voice loud as thunder
"Would you like me to let go? Would you? I wonder."

"Yes, indeed," said Jack, brave as could be.
"Let go of the sky. It won’t fall. You'll see."
The ogre put his hands down. The sky did not fall.
Jack said, "Nothing happened. Nothing at all."

The children looked up. The sky was still there.
The clouds rolled on by; the wind blew their hair.
"Wait," said the giant. "Wait one and all.
I've been holding it high. But you'll see it fall."

"Let's play while we wait," Beatrice said with a smile.
"The sky will fall in a little while."
The ogre lay down, his knees in the air.
Beatrice climbed his legs quickly; she hadn't a care.

"This is fun!" she shouted to all who could hear.
"Climb up with me. There’s nothing to fear."
The other children followed, having a lark.
Soon, however, it began to get dark.

"I'm having fun, too," said the ogre with glee.
"I'd forgotten how good this game can be!"
The sky twinkled. The first stars came out.
A star started to fall! Beatrice gave a shout!

The star fell closer and closer. It hit the ground hard.
It burned up the grass and shook the whole yard.
"Daddy, stop playing! You must hold up the sky!"
"If you don’t do your job, we’re going to die!"

"Don't worry," said the ogre. He picked up the star.
He gave a great puff and blew it afar.
"Let's get on with our play. The fun's only begun."
The children all climbed his legs, every last one.

Then a cloud fell down on the ogre's house top.
It cracked the roof. But Jack shouted, "Don’t stop!"
"Daddy, quit playing and hold up the sky!"
Beatrice begged him, "You've got to; we'll die!"

"Oh no," cried Ann. "The sky is so near."
"Don't worry," said the ogre. "There’s nothing to fear."
He picked up the cloud and blew it away.
"Come on, climb my legs. We're just starting to play."

Beatrice saw there was no time to delay
She’d have to keep that dark sky away!
She climbed a rock and reached as high as she could.
She balanced the sky on her hands as she stood.

But Beatrice was short, and her arms soon grew weak.
She called "Help me, Dad!" She could barely speak.
But her dad kept on playing. He was spinning a hoop.
Despite all her efforts, the sky started to droop.

The sky came closer and closer. It sagged down the hill
Where the parents and townsfolk felt a slight chill.
"Our children are in danger," they said to each other.
"We must rescue them now. Every sister and brother."

The parents carried candles as they climbed up that hill.
The sky bumped their heads, when they climbed past the mill.
They couldn't stand at the top; they all had to stoop.
The ogre and their children were still spinning that hoop.

They saw Jack's stick abandoned in the grass.
They saw stars falling and knew the truth at last.
They saw the ogre laughing with glee.
They didn't see Beatrice, only as tall as his knee.

The sky shook in her hands; it shuddered with lightning.
She couldn’t let go; the results would be frightening.
The people around her would be crushed by the sky
Everyone she loved and even strangers would die.

She was tired, she ached, but she wouldn't let go.
The drooping sky wobbled her hands to and fro
"What's going on here?" Jack’s father wanted to know.
"Send our children home, where it’s safe down below."
 
"Help me, Dad," called Beatrice, still perched on her rock.
The parents all turned; they looked, then they gawked.
"Holding the sky is no job for a child."
Jack's father shouted. His eyes were wild.

The ogre stopped his play and looked at the sky.
It hadn’t yet fallen. He didn’t know why.
He saw young Beatrice standing up tall
His little daughter had saved one and all!

The ogre gently lifted the sky with his hands.
"I'll hold it up high, and protect all the lands
I’ll protect all the people, houses, chickens and cows
The mill with its wheat, and the farms with their plows."

As he lifted the sky, the people stood straight.
"Let's go home," said Meg's mother. "It's getting late."
"Don't go yet," said the ogre. "I had fun today.
"It's been years and years since I took time to play."

"Your children and I had so much fun,
I forgot that the sky weighs many a ton."
The sky above them grumbled and thundered.
The people looked up and the people wondered.

The townsfolk watched the ogre lift up the sky.
He really worked hard. It wasn’t a lie.
They'd told their children the ogre was mean.
They never gave him so much as a bean.

This ogre was strong, this ogre was tall.
He lifted the sky up over them all.
Jack's father made a speech quite brief:
He said, "I'm sorry I called you a thief.

"We’ll make sure you are fed," said Meg's mother with pride.
"You can take what you want from my countryside."
"Mine, too," said Ann's mom, and Sam's mom, and Jack's dad.
"Take what you need. It will make our hearts glad."

Now Beatrice smiled, her plan had succeeded.
Her family would have all the food that they needed.
And what’s more important than respect or food
They loved her dad dearly, and ended the feud.

When Beatrice grew tall and strong like her dad
She helped hold up the sky, and she often felt glad
That the day of playing when the sky nearly fell.
Was a favorite tale that folks love to tell.

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