> I've read some other help messages from people at about the same spot in the game (trying to get the ring), and I'm confused. Their inventories always include 6 apples, a torch, and a magnifying glass, which mine doesn't. I had a torch, but it burnt out.

You need to make a torch out of stuff you collect; it's not the torch Blood Drops gives you.

>You probably need night to fall to get the magnifying glass, but how?

You don't need night to fall; it just needs to be dark.

>And where the heck do the apples come from?

Most likely, that question will answer itself as you go through the game.

Hope that helps!
Naomi