I've had this idea in my head for a while now. (I think a year!) And I watched the movie again last night and I knew I had to give it another go! I'm rather proud of this draft. My previous one was rubbish.

The Scarecrow's Sorrow

There once was a girl named Dorothy Gale who came to our land quite by accident. She was a small, sweet young thing with pretty brown eyes and a gentle nature. As she wandered into my cornfield that bright sunny morning, I couldn't help but feel that there was something about her that was so extremely beautiful. I knew in my heart that expressing such a powerful emotion to a girl so young was not the most ethical thing to do. So I said nothing of it, the pain of not being able to hold her or kiss her growing larger each passing day. But my heart truly broke when it was time to tell her goodbye. She held me close and gave me a friendly kiss on the cheek, leaving a kind-hearted whisper in my ear. A few minutes later, she clicked her heels and she was gone from my life. I didn't know if I would ever see her again.

With the Wizard gone, I became Mayor of the Emerald City. It was an awfully big responsibility. Brain or no brain, I was not able to handle the workload because no matter how much I tried, my thoughts always seemed to be about Dorothy. There was no doubt about it. I was in love with her and I was missing her. My friends and colleagues, though not aware of my feelings towards her, knew I was depressed and they did everything they could to cheer me up but nothing worked. I spent the next ten Ozian years crying myself to sleep every night, wondering what had happened to my dear Dorothy and if she thought of me. But one day, there was a rumour in the air. The people of the Emerald City believed that our brave heroine would someday return with the help of her ruby slippers. My enthusiasm restored, I marched right back to my old field to wait for her. I waited for days – maybe weeks; I lost count – but all who used the path were the Munchkins, come to take care of their fields. Then one day, my wish came true.

There was no stupendous fanfare or honorary procession. She simply walked down the Yellow Brick Road, humming and singing to herself. The moment I laid eyes on her, the urge to leap with joy suddenly died. I'd almost forgotten how much time had passed. Her lovely plaits gone, she wore her auburn hair in a neat bun with the slightest strand of curls hanging over her face. Instead of her blue chequered dress, she sported a green silk blouse and a black knee-length skirt and dark tights. As she grinned at me, I noticed the red lipstick on her lips. She was no longer a little girl. She'd grown up and was now a woman.

" Oh, my dear Scarecrow!" she cried and approached me, a graceful glide replacing her old playful skip.

" Hello, Dorothy," I answered, smiling to hide my disappointment.

" Oh, I've missed you so much!" she continued, bringing me in for an embrace. When we parted, tears were leaking out of her eyes. " How is the Tin Man? And poor Lion?"

" They're perfectly well! The Lion is the king of the forest again and the Tin Man travels around Oz building houses for the destitute. And I am Mayor of the Emerald City!" I told her, chuckling as I proudly placed my fists on my hips.

Another grin spread across her pretty face. " That's just brilliant. I'm very proud of you. You know I have news of my own," she said.

" Oh? What's that, then?"

She held up a hand, revealing an elegant diamond ring on her finger. " I'm engaged!" she proudly announced.

When the news began to process – for I was still a little bit brainless – it felt as though she had punched the stuffing out of me. My smile faded, the pain in my heart becoming almost unbearable. My gaze slipped down to my feet, unable to look her in the eye. Taken aback by my reaction, Dorothy tenderly touched my arm to see if I was all right. Not uttering a word, I turned away from her, folding my arms like a spoilt child who didn't get his way.

" Scarecrow?" she asked, the worry thick in her voice. " You're not happy about this. It's all right. Jasper is a very nice man and he loves me. He'll take good care of me, don't you worry." She smiled again, though she did not mean it.

I shook my straw head. " It's not that," I muttered glumly.

" Then why aren't you congratulating me? When someone announces that they're engaged to be married, their friends congratulate them; wish them well," she replied in a tone suggesting that she was annoyed.

" I don't want to wish you well," I said truthfully.

Heartbroken by my hurtful words, she paused before speaking. " W-w-why not?"

I could never admit it. I didn't want to. She would never accept love from a bundle of straw and cloth. I started to walk away from the scene but Dorothy stopped me, demanding an answer. Heaving a sigh, I turned, preparing myself for a disastrous mess after I was done talking.

" When you first came here when you were a little girl…" I trailed off. This was harder than I initially thought.

" Yes?"

" All I wanted was…was for you to tell me that you loved me."

Dorothy's face dropped. Before she spoke, she looked to her feet, a moment of awkwardness following until she looked up. Our eyes met again but this time, there was a magical connection between us. Giving a small sad smile, she softly nodded her head as if she understood how I felt. We stood there, in the middle of the Yellow Brick Road, staring at one another in silence and after several moments of this, we hugged like we did all those years ago.

" What a little predicament we've got ourselves into," she muttered.

" What do you suggest we do about it?" I asked tentatively. " What if you take me back to Kansas?"

Dorothy shook her head. " No. If I did that, you would lose all your magic. You wouldn't be able to talk!" I opened my mouth but she stopped me, knowing what I was going to say. " I can't stay here!" she hissed. " Jasper Cooper is a good man! He's kind and gentle and he's honest and he's hardworking. I love him and I made a commitment to him. I'm going to honour that."

" Just do one thing for me."

" What is that?"

" Tell me that you love me and kiss me."

I watched her consider it, praying she would. She looked at me with those lovely large eyes of brown, those raindrop tears falling like a waterfall. I cupped her face in my hands. Hesitantly, she rose up on her toes – I told you she was little! – and pressed her lips against mine. I closed my eyes in order to shut everything out, so I could cherish this moment and keep it in my heart because we both knew that this would be our last meeting. Dorothy went back to Kansas to marry Jasper; to lead a long and happy life with him. I can't say I'm envious. Unless someone lights a match, I am immortal; I cannot die. I have power in Oz's most prosperous city. I have close friends and people who are dear to me. But I can say that I'd give it all up for Dorothy because without her, I have nothing. I am nothing.