Author's note: This story will be based on the movie version of The Wizard of Oz. I haven't ever read the books or anything but I do really love the movie and such so I'd like to base this off the movie, the 1939 version. Enjoy :)
Chapter One: Home At Last.
Dorothy stared out across the vast desert that was once her home. Aunt Em, uncle Henry – both now long gone up to the skies somewhere, and she… well she was here, now alone as the three men that stood by her side for so long were forced to leave too or else starve to death. The farm, everything aunt Em and Uncle Henry had worked so hard to keep had gone, nothing grew in the soil here, nothing flourished as it once used to.
She felt alone, deserted by all those around her, her beloved dog was now too gone to the big place in the sky, that place that's not over the rainbow but beyond the sun and far, far out past all the stars and beyond all time, safe with Aunt Em and Uncle Henry no doubt.
So what was left for her now? A girl of 18 now she was, young and absolutely stunning. She'd flourished like the lily. She used to think herself the black sheep, but now the beautiful maiden in distress, but nobody was going to be around to help her, not this time.
Stepping out of the place she once called home, Dorothy Gale moved slowly across the sandy soil and stopped a few meters from the front door to observe the surroundings. Broken bits of wood lay scattered by the barn, tools and such were no longer lying in the ground or sat on the bench, the sound of laughter and music gone.
"Where to now?" She asked aloud, reading over and over the words on the front door of her home; 'Scheduled for demolition.' Her home – her once magnificent home, scheduled to be demolished. But what could she do? She had but one job that paid just enough to feed her for the week, she hated it.
Her hands in her pockets, Dorothy knew of only one place to go. But she couldn't even get there, she wanted to go and be with her friends, her wonderful caring friends. Though as hard as Aunt Em and Uncle Henry had tried – they could never erase her memory of that most glorious adventure, nobody could. They were real, they had feelings and hearts and courage. They'd know what to do – should they be here right now. But they were not.
"Somewhere over the rainbow…" Dorothy said the first line of the song, for not the first time that day. She couldn't bear to finish it, for the fear she'd break down and loose all self control. She'd grown quite accustomed to thinking like an adult now instead of child, she was grown up and had been for some time.
"Dorothy…" The wind swept from behind her carrying her name and brushing her forward a little.
"Dorothy…" It whistled in the winds again, turning slowly she did the buttons up on the coat that came down to her knees. The cream knee length skirt she wore underneath was the only presentable skirt she had, even that was tattered and torn. The shirt also, white with some frills down the front, though she kept clearly covered up, that too was dark and ripped in places, with no money to buy repairs she simply left it. The coat she wore was made from a type of thick carpet like material it was a very expensive buy but it held her slender slim figure perfectly.
The wind was picking up and with each gust of wind came the whisper of her name in the distance. "Yes?" she called out; knowing quite well if anyone could hear her they'd have her committed.
"Dorothy…" The whisper came once more but as Dorothy turned to walk away, she saw her Aunt Em, far across the open field just at the edge of the tree's lining the beginning of the very small forest. The trees were the only thing left now and even they were few and far between. But none the less this did not concern Dorothy for she could see Aunt Em waving her on, calling for Dorothy to come to her as if she needed help.
Dorothy with nothing left but the clothes she was wearing ran, ran like she had never run before, ran like a farmer's girl. Almost falling over several times across the hilly sand that they used to grow corn, now more like the deserts she'd heard so much about in Egypt.
Dust flew through the air making it harder and harder for Dorothy to make Aunt Em's figure out. When a very tired and breathing heavily Dorothy arrived at what she believed to be the position Aunt Em was standing at, there was nothing to be found, not a footprint in ground, not even a marking of any kind.
"A dream." She said aloud, Dorothy began to start believing in the words of Hunk and the others. Dorothy had often seen Aunt Em before across this vast field, but Hunk and the others told her they were only dreams, dreams becoming of such a longing to see them again, touch and feel them around her.
The wind calmed and Dorothy looked around sighing loudly into the now calm breeze that had settled in. Memories of her goodbyes to Hunk and the others came back to her, it wasn't easy and they had, had to leave so suddenly.
Looking down to the ground Dorothy picked up the tattered and torn hat of one of the old scarecrows they used to have in the fields before it all dried up. It was filthy, but complemented her attire completely. Dusting it off with her hands, she smiled fondly to herself as she thought of the Scarecrow man, she really did miss him most of all.
Then as she stood there and pondered, new feelings arose. She suddenly felt a sense of more than just a liking to him, she felt a strong well of emotion, but not sad emotion this was different, it felt like…Well it felt like love to be honest.
He had been so very kind to her, so gentle and his touch never placed a bad memory or a terrifying ordeal, she loved his company, loved his manor and demeanour, his whole persona was beautiful. Even when he got his brains for the most of what she saw of him before she left she was overjoyed, he was complete.
But there was then an overwhelming need to be the one that protected his happiness, to protect that bond that she'd created and the more she looked at the hat the more she thought of him and the more she understood this ran deeper than just a lust for some company again, she really did have feelings for him and she really just had to share them with him before it was too late – if it wasn't already.
"But there's no way I can…" She was cut off, the voice had returned and the wind had picked up once more. Dorothy looked around frantically for Aunt Em, that's when she saw her. Running deeper into the forest, she griped hold of the old hat in her hand and ran towards Aunt Em faster than ever before, though this time Em never disappeared, quite the opposite actually – she did.
She felt the ground give way below her, her feet were no longer on solid ground and she felt as if she were falling, looking around her she truly indeed was falling, falling faster than ever, down into the darkness more than ever, until finally her whole body crashed into the water.
At first she didn't know what the heck had happened and panic arose as she realized she was in water and that she shouldn't panic but swim upwards. Doing as her body instructed she thrust herself out the top of the water and took a long and much needed gasp of air.
Coughing and spluttering she looked around; there was nothing but darkness no light at all. She felt something collide with her, something heavy and wooden; her hands surveyed the surface to see whether she could climb aboard. But there wasn't enough room, so she simply took a hold and held on for dear life.
She was moving, moving down a dark tunnel. Though her eyes had adjusted to the darkness it made little difference, she had no idea of where she was or even how she'd got here. Had this hole in the ground always been there?
Maybe she'd tripped and knocked herself out and this was all a dream? She didn't know, but she did no for sure that the water was icy cold and getting colder, she wouldn't survive long just holding on to the crate. But what choice did she have? She couldn't see a thing but she knew the tunnel had to lead somewhere, she could only hope that it lead somewhere very soon.
Though hours had passed, Dorothy began to get sleepy, her body was obviously being drained into the water and she was turning into a floating ice cube. Looking up ahead of her, her eyes were so very blurry and she was so completely drained, she'd been drifting for so long and now the water had reached almost freezing point, was this her final demise? Was this how she'd die, where would she go now?
"Scarecrow…" She whispered still unbelievably clutching the hat from before. Though slowly her eyes closed but not before catching the glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel, her hand opened and the hat she'd held on to for so long drifted away further in front of her until she finally saw it disappear into the light before her and she passed out.
"Good day sir!" A young man dressed in clad green stood beside the water flow, a river that ran directly through the heart of Oz.
"Well good day young sir Maxwell and how are you this fine morning?" A much older man asked walking over to the younger man stood beside the river flow. Their chat drifted into a deeper conversation of what not and who's done what and of course the weather, when it was the older man in fact who caught a glimpse of the unusual object floating in the water.
"Dear lord!" He exclaimed, walking over to the edge of the river flow as it lead into a small fountain off to one side, following the object to the fountain where it made it's final resting place, he picked it up and shook the water from it.
"Young Maxwell, what DO you make of this?" He asked as a crowd started to form and he gave the younger boy a quizzical look. Young Maxwell shook his head when the sudden sound of a small bump to one side broke his thoughts.
"Oh my word!" He exclaimed and literally froze. Turning back to the crowd he yelled at one of them "fetch his highness and the aids immediately." He fiercely growled.
Scarecrow sat in his usual posture at the head of the table while Tin man and the Lion sat either side of him. There was a small laughter before the doors to the room were thrown open and a young man dressed also in green came running through and across to the table.
"What's this?" Tin man asked looking at his companions.
"Sir there's something in the river, in the heart of Oz, you must see come quickly!" He said out of breath not giving them a chance to reply but simply running out the way he came in.
Lion looked from the Scarecrow to the Tin man. "What do you suppose?" He asked. Tin man shrugged and stood.
"Let's find out." Scarecrow said and the three ran out of the doors. In mere moments the three were in the centre of the town. A pathway was opened up and whispering voices in the crowd spoke, though not available to the ears of Tin man, Lion or Scarecrow.
Leading the group, Lion froze as the elder man in green moved away from the ledge of the water fountain. Tin man abruptly collided with him and almost immediately cover his mouth in shock. "It can't be…"
Turning as the man himself made his way through the crowd slowly, he looked at his two friends who looked like they had seen a ghost. Stopping Scarecrow wondered what was going on, but it didn't take him long to realize. "No…" He said simply, walking slowly over, he kneeled down next to the fountain and leaned over.
Brushing the young woman's hair from her eyes he gasped, covering his mouth with his hand and pulling away. "Dorothy…" He whispered and ran his hand down across her cheek. His Dorothy had returned… Picking her up into his arms, like he never thought he would he quickly turned to his two friends, "Get Glinda!"
I hope you guys like this, if you do leave me a review please so I know whether to continue or not. Thanks a bunch for reading this first chapter anyway:D