A slightly different fate….

Elphaba groaned.

"Oh, come on Elphie, it's just church!" said Nessarose, as she struggled to wheel herself up the handicap entrance. Father was already inside, preparing for the mass.

Elphaba groaned louder "Why do you think praying to some unnamed force will save your soul? It's ridiculous!"

"Well, it isn't like we make you come every Sunday, just today. That new 'Wizard' told father and I about this "Christianity" religion, he told us the story as well and I found it intriguing. Today is their "Easter", when Christ rose from the dead-"

"Wait, wait, wait: they worship zombies???" Elphaba looked appalled as she settled into the shadows in the back corner of the church.

"No! Are you mad? There are no such things as Zombies! I thought you knew that already…."

Elphaba did know that already, but she ignored her sister. It didn't matter however, because she was already halfway up the aisle, over-enthusiastically greeting the few parishioners who actually bothered to attend. They responded half-heartedly.

Soon, the organ started up, it's player obviously hadn't had proper training in music reading. Elphaba watched her father and the altar servers proceed up the aisle, and a surprise, the man who visited her house earlier that week; the Wizard. She had heard rumors that he would soon be taking over the throne, replacing the Ozma Regent.

"Brothers and sisters," her father started, "today is a very special day, one where we will practice our open-mindedness and explore a different religion. As many of you know, we have a guest today, a man of great power. The Wizard."

Some clapped, one cheered, awkwardly. The visitor rose from his seat in the front, turned around and raised his arms as if he was calming an out-of-control crowd. Then sat down, awkwardly.

What an ego Elphaba thought, realizing how few attendees there actually were.

"However, what many of you don't know is that he is not from around here, but from another land. Kansas. In Kansas they practice a religion called "Christianity"….."

'Father Thropp' continued to tell the lengthy story of the Christian religion, all the way from the six days of creation to a short history of the Popes all the way up to today.

As Elphaba listened, she realized it was quite a good story, but still just that- a story.

She didn't think it was any better of a religion than her family's, but at least it had some documentation to back it up. She looked up at the foreign-looking book in her father's hands: a Bible. Her eyes drifted back to the pamphlet in her hands, it was strange, some words were foreign, like the first eight words in the mass' opening hymn, "hallelujah".

The mass itself was interesting enough, when her father got around to starting it at least…

Elphaba did wonder why they kept changing positions however: sit, stand, sit, stand,

kneel, stand, sit….Maybe Christians were specifically concerned with the health of their

leg muscles?........

Unfortunately, she was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice their 'guest' coming down the aisle sprinkling 'holy water' on the parishioners. He was making sure to include every one of them, essentially baptizing each one into his own religion. Also successfully dousing them so when they stepped outside into the early spring day they'd be frozen to the bone. Elphaba looked up and saw a dripping olive branch coming down through the air towards her, little droplets flying, a burning sensation……

Then nothing……