Chapter 3 (How Bridgette and Scarecrow Met)
It did not take Bridgette long to find the Yellow Brick Road. As she and Toto were walking, she noticed on how the sun shined brightly and the birds sang sweetly. Soon, the Munchkin village was behind her and this made Bridgette feel better about being alone in the strange land. She was quite surprised to see how beautiful the country was around her. There were neat fences surrounding the sides of the road, painted in a blue color, and beyond the fences were fields of grain and vegetables. The Munchkins were good farmers and always had plenty of crops. When Bridgette passed the houses, they reminded her of the same buildings she saw in Munchkin Village; round, with a big dome for a roof. All of the houses were painted blue, for in the East, that was the Munchkins favorite color.
Toward dusk, Bridgette was tired from all of the walking and was looking for a place that she and Toto could spend the night. She came upon a house that was quite larger than the rest. On the green lawn, many men and women were dancing. Five musicians played lovely music and the people were laughing and singing, while a huge buffet with fruits, nuts, pies, cakes and so much more was located near by.
The Munchkins of the party greeted Bridgette so kindly, and invited her and Toto to spend the night with them; for this was the home of one of the richest Munchkins in Oz and he and his friends were celebrating their freedom from bondage.
After Bridgette had a huge dinner, she was waited upon the rich Munchkin himself, whose name was Boq, (Yet Boq told Bridgette that Locasta calls him Cameron and he calls her Zoey) and they both watched the people dance. [1]
When Cameron saw the ruby slippers in the basket, he said,
"You must be a great sorceress."
"Why?" asked Bridgette.
"Because, you have the ruby shoes and have killed Evanora. Also, you have white in your dress, and only sorceresses wear white."
"My dress is blue and white checkered." Bridgette replied while smoothing the wrinkles out of it.
"It's very kind of you to wear that," said Cameron, "Blue is the color of the Munchkins, and white is a witch color. So we know that you are a friendly witch."
Bridgette did not know what to say, for all of the people seemed to think of her as a witch, when she knew that she was just an ordinary girl who had came to this strange land by the cyclone.
When Bridgette was tired of dancing, Cameron led her into the house, where she received a room with a pretty bed in it. The sheets were made from blue cloth, and Bridgette received a good night's rest with Toto curled up beside her. The next morning, Bridgette had a wonderful breakfast and watched a tiny Munchkin baby, who played with Toto by pulling his tail. Toto was a fine curiosity to all the people, for they had never seen a dog before.
"How far is it to the City of Emeralds?"
"I do not know", answered Cameron, "for I have never been there. It's better for people to stay away, unless they have business there. The country here is rich and pleasant, but you must pass rough and dangerous areas for several days before you reach the end of your journey."
This made Bridgette nervous, but she knew that only Oz himself could get her back to Kansas again, so she vowed never to turn back.
She put on the ruby slippers (and they were actually not bad, but once when she put them on, they could never come off), bid her friends good-bye and continued her journey on the Yellow Brick Road. She walked for a little while until three roads of Yellow Brick were in front of her.
"Follow the Yellow Brick Road? Follow the Yellow... Now which way do we go?"
Suddenly, Bridgette heard a voice that said to her,
"That way is a nice way, eh?"
Confused, Bridgette looked around. She saw a fence and beyond the fence were fields of corn, pure ripe corn. Not far away, she saw a Scarecrow, placed high on a pole to keep the birds away, pointing to the left. Toto started to bark at the Scarecrow.
"Don't be silly Toto," Bridgette said, "Scarecrows can't talk."
"It's pleasant down that way too, eh?"
"That's funny. Wasn't he pointing the other way?" Bridgette asked when she saw the arm pointing to the right.
Curious, Bridgette walked up to the Scarecrow. She lifted her hand and leaned it onto her chin and she gazed thoughtfully at the Scarecrow. Its head was small, with a toboggan as a hat, painted eyes, nose, mouth and facial hair. It wore a hoody, with pants and boots, all worn out and faded from the sunlight. The Scarecrow was raised up by the pole stuck up its back.
While Bridgette looked into the queer painted face of the Scarecrow, she was surprised to see one of the eyes wink at her.
Bridgette looked mistaken, for none of the Scarecrows back in Kansas ever winked. The Scarecrow surprised her when he said,
"Of course people do go both ways!"
"Why you did say something!" Bridgette said.
The Scarecrow shook his head, than he nodded.
"Are you doing that on purpose? Can't you make up your mind?"
"That's the trouble. I can't make up my mind. I don't have a brain, only straw."
"How can you talk if you don't have a brain?" asked Bridgette.
"I don't know. Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't they, eh?"
"Yes, I guess you are right."
"I'm not feeling well," said the Scarecrow dully, "for it is very tedious being perched up here night and day to scare away crows."
"Can you get down?"
"No. For this pole is stuck up my back. If you will please take away the pole, I shall be obliged to help you."
Bridgette reached up and freed the Scarecrow; unfortunately he just fell flat to the ground.
"Ohhh!" Bridgette cried out as she saw parts of the Scarecrow fall out of him.
"Ha-ha, there goes part of me again, eh."
"Does it hurt you?"
"Oh no, I just keep picking it up and putting it back in again. My goodness it's good to be free!"
"Oh! Oh! Oh!"
"Did, I scare you, eh?" the Scarecrow asked Bridgette.
"No, No, I- I just thought you hurt yourself." she replied.
"But I didn't scare you?"
"No, of course not."
"I didn't think so."
Around that time, a crow comes and lands on Scarecrow's shoulder while he and Bridgette are sitting near the fence. The Scarecrow notices the bird and cries out,
"Boo! Scat!"
The crow picks up some of the Scarecrow's straw and flies away with it.
"Boo! You see, I can't even scare a crow! They come from miles around just to eat in my field and laugh in my face!" the Scarecrow said sadly, "Oh, I am a failure because I don't have a brain."
"Well, what would you do if you had a brain?" Bridgette pointed out.
"I could walk and scare away the crow, you know that, eh."
"Wonderful!" she cried out, "Why if our Scarecrow back in Kansas could do that, the crows would be scared to pieces!"
"They would, eh?"
"Um-humm."
"Wait! I must ask you, who are you and where are you going, eh?"
"My name is Bridgette and I am going to the City of Emeralds to ask the Great Oz to send me back to Kansas."
"Where is the City of Emeralds?" he inquired, "And who is Oz?"
"Why, don't you know?" she returned.
"No, indeed. I don't know anything," he answered sadly.
"Oh, I'm awful sorry for you."
"Do you think that if I went to the City of Emeralds with you, that Oz would give me some brains, eh?"
"I cannot tell," Bridgette returned, "but, you may come with me. If Oz does not give you any brains than you will be no worse off than you are now."
"That true, you see," he continued confidentially, "I don't mind my legs and arms and body being stuffed from straw, for that can not hurt me. If anyone trends on my feet or sticks a pin into me, it won't matter, I can't feel it. Yet, I don't want people to call me a fool, and if my head stays stuffed with straw instead of brains, how am I to know anything, eh?" [2]
"I understand how you feel. If you will come with me, I'll ask Oz to do all he can for you." Bridgette said to the Scarecrow, who was truly sorry for him.
"Thank you, I feel like a new man." he answered gratefully.
Bridgette helped the Scarecrow to climb over the fence. Once over the fence, the Scarecrow said,
"To Oz, eh?"
"To Oz!" Bridgette replied.
Together, both of them started on the path of Yellow Brick toward the City of Emeralds. Toto did not like this new addition to the party at first. He smelled around the Scarecrow as if he suspected there might be a nest of rats within the straw. He often growled at an unfriendly way, at first, at the Scarecrow.
"Don't mind Toto. He never bites."
"Oh, I'm not afraid. He cannot hurt the straw. Do let me carry the basket for you. I will not mind, eh. For I never get tired. I'll tell you a secret, there is only one thing in the whole world that I am afraid of."
"What is it? The Munchkin farmer who made you?" Bridgette said while giggling.
"No, it's a lighted match." answered the Scarecrow.
After a few hours, the road began to get rough. The walking grew so difficult that the Scarecrow would often stumble over the yellow bricks, which were very uneven. Sometimes, they were even broken or missing, leaving holes that Toto jumped over and Bridgette walked around. As for the Scarecrow, having no brains, he just walked ahead and stepped into the holes and fell full length onto the bricks. It never hurt him and Bridgette would help him up and he would laugh at his own mishap.
The farms were not so well cared here as they were further back. There were fewer houses and fewer fruit trees. The further they went, the more lonesome the country became. At noon, they sat down near a little brook and Bridgette opened her basket and took some bread. She offered a piece to the Scarecrow, but he said,
"I am never hungry and it's a lucky thing. For my mouth is only painted, and if I should cut a hole just to eat, the straw would come out and it would change the shape of my head."
Bridgette saw at once that this was true, so she nodded and continued to share her bread with Toto.
"Tell me something about yourself and the country you come from." said the Scarecrow when Bridgette got finished eating her piece of bread.
So she told him all about Kansas and how grey everything was and on how a cyclone carried her to the Land of Oz. The Scarecrow listened carefully and said,
"I cannot understand why you would want to leave this beautiful country and go back to Kansas."
"That's because you have no brains," answered Bridgette, "No matter how dreary and grey our homes are; we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it so beautiful. There is no place like home."
The Scarecrow just sighed and he replied to Bridgette,
"Of course, I cannot understand it. If your heads were stuffed with straw, like mine, you would probably all live in beautiful places, and then Kansas would have no people at all. It's fortunate that you have brains."
"Won't you tell me a story, while we are resting?"
The Scarecrow looked at Bridgette and answered:
"My life has been so short, that I really know nothing. I was only made day before yesterday. What happened in the world before that time is unknown to me. When the farmer made me, one of the first things he did, was to paint my ears, so I heard what was going on. There was another Munchkin farmer with him and the first thing I heard was,
'How do you like these ears?'
'They aren't straight' answered the other.
'Never mind,' said the farmer, 'they are ears just the same,' which was true enough.
'Now, I'll make the eyes,' said the farmer. So he painted my right eye and as soon as it was finished, I found myself looking at him and at everything with curiosity. For this was my first glimpse of the world.
'That's rather a pretty eye', remarked the other Munchkin farmer who was watching the farmer. When the second eye was done, I could see much better than I did before. Then, he made my nose and mouth. Yet, I didn't speak since at that time, I did not know what a mouth was for. I had the fun of watching them make my body, arms and legs; when they fastened my head on, at last, I felt very proud since I thought I was a good a man as anyone.
'This will scare the crows fast enough,' said the farmer, 'he looks like a man'.
'Why he is a man,' said the other and I agreed with him.
The farmer carried me to the cornfield and he sat me up on a tall stick, where you found me. Soon, the two men left and I was left alone. I did not like to be deserted this way. So, I tried my best to walk after them but my feet would not touch the ground and I had to stay on that pole. Many crows and other birds flew in the cornfield, but as soon as they saw me, they flew away since they thought I was a Munchkin; and this pleased me and made me feel like an important person. However, an old crow flew near me, and after looking at me, he pierced himself onto my shoulder and said:
'I wonder if that farmer thought to fool me in this matter. Any crow of sense could see that you are only stuffed.'
He hopped down at my feet and ate the corn that he wanted to eat. Soon, the other birds, seeing that the crow was not harmed by me, started to eat the corn and in a short time, a great flock surrounded me. I felt very sad and about this for it showed that I was not a good Scarecrow. But, an old crow comforted me, saying,
'If you only had brains in your head, you would be as good a man as any of them, and a better man than some of them. Brains are the only thing worth having in the world, no matter if you are a crow or man.'
After the crow left, I thought it over and decided to try to have some brains. By good luck, you came along and from what you say, I am sure that Oz will give me brains as soon as we get to the City of Emeralds."
"I hope so," said Bridgette earnestly, "since you seem anxious to have them."
"I am anxious. It's such a sad feeling to know one is a fool, eh."
"Well, let's go." Bridgette said while handing the basket to Scarecrow.
There were no longer any fences on the roadside and the land was rough and tilted. Toward evening they came to a great forest, where the trees were so big and close together that their branches meet over the road of yellow brick. It was almost completely dark under the trees but the travelers did not stop, and went on into the forest.
"If the road goes in, it must come out and the City of Emeralds is at the other end of the road. So we must go where it leads us."
"Anyone would know that."
"That's why I know it. If it required brains to figure it out, I never should have said it, eh."
After a while, all light faded away and they found themselves stumbling along in the darkness. Bridgette could not see at all, but Toto could, for some dogs can see well as by daylight. However, Scarecrow declared that he could see as well as by daylight; so Bridgette took hold of his arm and managed to get along fairly well.
"If you see any house or a place where we can spend the night, please tell me; for it is uncomfortable walking in the dark."
Soon afterwards, the Scarecrow stopped.
"I see a little cottage ahead of us, built of logs and branches. Shall we go there, eh?"
"Yes, indeed. I am all tired out." answered Bridgette.
So the Scarecrow led Bridgette through the trees until they reached the cottage. Bridgette entered and found a bed of dried leaves in a corner. She laid down with Toto and soon fell into a soundful sleep. The Scarecrow, who was never tired, stood up and waited until morning came.
There! I decided to update on the night before EOC's. Note, since the Wizard of Oz books have not been renewed for copyright laws, I am legally allowed to publish this story. Onwards with the author's notes:
[1]- Boq is the name of a character that is mentioned in the first book. I decided to add him to the story to make it more fun.
[2]- That came from the book. I decided to use it nd if it sounds confusing than please understand that I can not a full 100% perfect.
Until next time: read, review, alert, favor and spread the word!
