Chapter 2- A familiar face at last

Chapter 2- A familiar face at last

Dorothy rushed to get up. She'd overslept and she didn't have time to wonder about her dream. She had to get going. She wished that she could get back to Oz, but she was scared to try the slippers. Anyway, if they did work, Aunt Em would think she'd been kidnapped. She didn't want to worry her family. She couldn't. She knew how much they all cared for her. She had to find a way to leave when they wouldn't worry, or think she'd been kidnapped or run away.

Dorothy sighed and hugged Toto. She heard her Aunt Em calling "Dorothy! Hurry up, we have to get to that cornfield and get lots of work done today! Come on Dorothy!" Dorothy called back to her, sighing. "Coming, Aunt Em!"

Dorothy sighed one last time. "I wish I was in Oz!" But she was careful not to move her feet and transport herself there. She rushed downstairs to meet her Aunt Em.

There was work to be done.

It was a 2 hours drive in the truck to the cornfield. Dorothy spent it by simply staring vacantly out of the window, thinking about Oz. No one here believed that it was a real place; they all thought that it was simply a dream. Dorothy couldn't talk to anyone about her friends, and that upset her. She desperately missed them, particularly Scarecrow. She'd known him the longest, and the funny, clever, kind and sweet nature of her friend made her miss him all the more.

Dorothy sat there and thought of her friends, and all the adventures she'd had in Oz. While she was thinking, she didn't register the two hours flying by, and was surprised when they finally arrived at the corn field.

Dorothy spent most of the time gathering corn in the field furthest away from the scarecrow. She didn't want to be reminded of her friend when she looked at the burlap face and the straw which fell out of its chest.

The reason they were in a field so far from their own farm was that the farmer who owned it had been good friends with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. With no family to leave it to, he'd decided to leave it to his best friends, Emily and Henry Gale. When he died peacefully in his sleep, the Gales were distraught. But they now owned his farm and they desperately needed his harvest of corn, as theirs hadn't been much good. They planned to start using the farm next year, but for now they had to collect the corn and take it back to their own farm.

Dorothy worked well, although her Aunt hadn't thought she should help at all. She'd worried that it would be too hard; Dorothy could get hurt, and that sort of thing. However, Dorothy was helping nonetheless, and she was getting a lot more done then they'd expected. She carried on working, and eventually there was only a little more corn to be picked: The corn that was right next to the scarecrow. Dorothy sighed. She couldn't constantly be hiding from scarecrows. It would be very hard, living on a farm! And she had to get this work done.

So she walked up to the scarecrow to pick the corn, avoiding looking at it. In the end she had to look up at it, and as she saw its face she gasped. "Wow!" she breathed "That scarecrow looks so much like my friend scarecrow! I miss him so much!" She looked in the scarecrows blue painted eyes, exactly the same as her friend's. She heard a familiar voice.

"Dorothy?" came the surprised, whispering voice. Dorothy looked up again, shocked. "Why, I could have sworn I heard Scarecrow just then! It was probably just Hunk calling me, though. I'd better go!" And she raced off to see what Hunk wanted before the Scarecrow could say another word. The scarecrow couldn't fight it off any longer. He fell limp again, as limp as any old Kansas Scarecrow.

Dorothy raced over to Hunk. "What did you want?" she cried. Hunk looked surprised. For a moment he didn't know what to say. "Dorothy, I didn't call ya!" He told her awkwardly. "You didn't?" Dorothy gasped. "Then who-? Scarecrow!" she cried as she suddenly raced back the way she had come.

As she reached the scarecrow who she could hardly dare to believe could be her friend, she said uncertainly "Scarecrow? Is it you?" Scarecrow fought hard, unable to speak for a moment. During this moment Dorothy stopped, uncertain, thinking she must have imagined it. Then suddenly she heard his voice again. Croaky and whispering, but still the same voice. "Dorothy? Is it really you?" It asked croakily. Dorothy gasped, crying in joy "Oh yes, Scarecrow, it me! Dorothy! I'm here! You're here! Oh Scarecrow!" she cried as she hugged him close. Hunk, Hickory, Zeke, Uncle Henry and Aunt Em had run after her to see why she had run off like that. Now they approached just in time to here what she said to the Scarecrow. Aunt Em looked at the others worriedly and put her arm around Dorothy. Dorothy gasped with surprise as she hadn't realised they were there. Then she saw their faces and went as white as a sheet. They herd me, but not Scarecrow! They think I'm crazy! She thought. Aunt Em said gently to her "Dorothy-scarecrows don't talk!" and the former King Of Oz looked at her in surprise. "They don't?" he cried. Aunt Em fainted.

Dorothy cried "Oh Aunt Em! Are you alright? He didn't mean to scare ya, honest! Oh Auntie Em!" Her aunt groggily sat up. She shivered.

"Dorothy? Did-Did that scarecrow…speak?" She asked, scared. Dorothy nodded, realising she hadn't introduced them yet. "Oh, how rude of me! Scarecrow, this is my Aunt Em, My Uncle Henry, and our farmhands: Zeke, Hunk and Hickory." She told him, pointing to each one in turn. "And everyone , this is Scarecrow, my friend from Oz. I told you about him, remember? And Lion and Tinman and Glinda? You thought it was all a dream, but it wasn't! It was all real, every last bit!" she cried happily. Scarecrow looked at Hunk. "Why, Hunk here looks just like me!" He said in surprise. "Only of course, he's not made of straw!" Scarecrow laughed nervously. Hunk looked carefully. "Why, you're right! We could be twins, if you were made of flesh and not straw!" Hunk cried.

Everyone laughed, as Dorothy lifted the Scarecrow down from his pole. "Oh but Scarecrow, what are you doing here? You don't belong in Kansas, you belong in oz. Why on earth were you here, especially stuck on a pole like that?"

The tired old Scarecrow sighed. "Well, Dorothy, I'd love to explain, but I thought Glinda would have explained it all to ya? She said she'd contact you to tell you."

Dorothy cried out. "Oh yes, Scarecrow, I nearly forgot! I had a dream last night, but she only told me that she desperately needed my help. Then she gave me the Ruby Slippers. Of course, I thought it was just a dream until I woke up and saw my feet!" and she showed everyone her beautiful, sparkling ruby slippers. The Scarecrow gasped. "Well, now we can get to Oz, but maybe I'd better explain first. This is very complicated, Dorothy, and it's a very long story. You might want to sit down." They helped him stumble his way over to the truck and they all sat down to listen to his story. "Well, it all began just a little while after Dorothy here left Oz…"

END OF CHAPTER-Sneak preview again (sorry if you don't like the sneak previews, I like writing them. If you don't like them just skip them, and either go to the next chapter or review if I haven't written it yet)

SCARECROW: Well, it all began just a little while after Dorothy here left Oz…

(FLASHBACK)

WITCH: I'M MELTING!! MUAHUAHUAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!! Glinda, you'll pay for this! Just because I was always better then you in Witch school!

AUTHORESS: I know you're an evil, wicked, naughty, old, ugly, blab la bla Witch, but can you PLEASE restrain yourself!

WITCH: You may be the Authoress, but you didn't create me and you have no control over me!

AUTHORESS: That's true. L. Frank Baum created you. I had nothing to do with it, because I could never come up with such amazing characters as he did. But I am the one writing this PARTICULAR story, so I can stop you from telling everyone what will happen next!

WITCH: you're no fair!

AUTHORESS: Life isn't fair, you nasty witch! Now shut up and stop ruining my suspense!

WITCH: Can I at least kill Scarecrow and that interfering little farm girl before they can do anything else?

AUTHORESS: Not unless I say so, and , luckily for Dorothy, unluckily for you, I say you have to shut up and leave Dorothy alone until I say otherwise! Now go and get the flying monkeys to make you a bubblebath!

WITCH: I'm allergic to water, you idiot!

AUTHORESS: Uh uh uh-No name calling! I can still have you killed off again if I want you to be. I never liked you much anyway!

WITCH: I'll get you my pretty….And..Your…little…umm….story too! MUAHUAHUAHUAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!

(Witch vanishes in a puff of smoke)

AUTHORESS: She is so annoying! I wish I could just kill her off already, the stupid little witch!