He looked out his window. Was today the right day? "Liir! Come help with the supper." Not today. Soon. "Liir! Come down here now!" Very soon. The horizon was tempting him. Who knew how far it would go? How long would it take to actually get East? "I'll get your father!" He sighed and walked to the kitchen. "How hard is it to listen when I tell you to? If I had to wake your father you would be dead right now." He didn't say anything. He'd escape soon. To that Emerald City he'd heard so much about.
"Fat chance you'll get there." Said his friend, Nor, always the pleasurable one. "You have to be rich to get up there. By the looks of it, your family couldn't even afford to live on the streets." He didn't respond. Emerald City, that sounded good... but farther East. That's where his aunt was. She had a good life over there, he supposed. A good man to stand beside her (for she couldn't do much standing), a position of power, and of course there were her jeweled shoes. Those shoes had a legend to them. "They make wishes come true, Liir." She had told him. Of course he had asked to wear them for just a minute. "But only," she added then, "if the shoe choses you. They're magic, Liir. They won't come off unless someone else worthy comes by/" He frowned. Who was worthier than she to wear those shoes?
"Liir! You aren't helping! The new neighbors are going to be here any minute! Set the table!"
Soon. Very soon.
---
Dorothy half jogged, half walked back to her home. She was anxious to get there; Auntie Em was sick because she was gone!
What a day, she thought, as she stumbled over some dirt, but managed to balance herself. Just this morning I was collecting the chicken eggs, making breakfast, and doing the dishes-
But her train of thought got interrupted when she noticed a twister not far from the farm. She froze, full of fear; not a twister, not a twister…
She mustered up the strength to get back. She had to, she had to…or else bad things might happen…very, very bad things…