C25
-oOo-
"Well, well. How uncommon it is to hear the happy sound of prisoner's laughter! Might one be permitted to share in the jest?"
Silence abruptly descended in the tower room at the Magenta Mage's words. Grinlaff jumped down off his chair and stood rigidly to attention. Charlie and Dorothy separated and sat upright on the bed, Dorothy unconsciously patting her hair back in place. The Mage swept his gaze over each of his three prisoners.
"Not feeling like sharing? Such a shame. I would have appreciated something to laugh about. Oh, wait a minute...Why! I do believe I have already had news which caused my frown to turn itself upside down briefly. Would anyone like to know what my jolly bit of news was?"
Charlie began to feel the first tremors of anxiety, it wasn't possible, it couldn't be about...? She glanced at Dorothy, who was looking at the Mage calmly.
"Ohhh, let me have a guess! I know. Someone's told you it's your birthday and it's traditional on your birthday to set free anyone you're holding prisoner in a tower. Am I close?"
The Mage gave Dorothy a humourless smile.
"Wouldn't that be just lovely my dear? Unfortunately for you, that's not the case. My news is that I became aware of talk about two strangers wandering around Oz. Now it seems that they are on actually on their way here, and getting closer. Isn't that exciting? Visitors, coming to see me. Of course, that means there is work to be done, in order to greet them properly. But, I already have a few ideas on how I could make them feel welcome. I am dispatching an armed escort to, er, intercept? No. Meet? Yes! That's what I meant, to meet them, and to ensure they don't get lost trying to find their way here. Isn't that kind of me? ... Anyway, I just wanted to pop by to say hello and to share my exciting news. Do please continue with whatever it is you were all so happy about before I interrupted you."
The Mage turned to the Munchkin and gave him a brief nod of acknowledgement.
"Grinlaff."
Turning on his heels, the Mage swept out of the room, his luxurious magenta robes swirling behind him in the way he had practiced over and over again until he felt he had the amount of sweepage just right.
-o-
Charlie viciously punched and pounded at a pillow.
"Son-of-a-bitch! They're walking into a trap and there's no way I can warn them...Oh...Unless?"
Dorothy watched Charlie keenly, she recognised the unblinking look in the other woman's eyes. Charlie was considering some idea that she'd had, mapping it out, looking for the risks, weighing those up against the potential gains. Dorothy followed the direction of Charlie's gaze, seeing nothing special, just their own rumpled bedclothes. Puzzled, Dorothy turned back to Charlie.
"Charlie girl? What's going on in that pretty head of yours? Are you going to let me in on it sometime soon?"
Charlie gave a quick shake of her upper body, opened her eyes and grinned.
"Soon as you need to know. In fact, I'm going to do better than that. You and Grinlaff are going to help me put it into action. Grinlaff? Come and sit with us, while I explain my idea to you both."
-o-
Dean was now heartily sick of the colour yellow. Whereas in the beginning the yellow brick road had looked sort of cheerful and kooky, now it just made him think of walking on the surface of lumpy custard, or along a never ending, utterly monotonous, garden path that was suffering from a severe case of jaundice. He'd love to have been able to get his boots nice and muddy, just so he could leave dark, dirty footprints all over it. Course, he decided, in this place there's probably some kinda Road Clean-up Crew sittin' up a tree who'd slide down it's trunk, then two step on over here with their mops shouldered and buckets of soapy water at their side. He kicked at one of the bricks with the toe of his boot, a childish mean streak deep inside him wanting to see the brick break, crack or even just chip a little bit.. All he got was scuff marks on his boot; and the knowledge that he loathed the colour yellow even more. Up ahead, Sam and Merrick were engrossed in conversation whilst Sam explained to Merrick what a Hunter was. Sam had been fascinated to hear that there was no such things as ghosts or spirits in Oz, immediately curious about what "Ozanians" believed happened after death? And what about if someone from his and Dean's world died while they were in Oz? Dean knew that one would keep Sam's mind occupied for a long while, possibly even for days! Hearing a scurrying, rustling sound to his left, Dean stared at the rough, overgrown edge of a borage field, his keen eyes looking for grass that was moving when everything around it was not, or the head of a bright blue flowered borage plant twitching in a way that said something had nudged it's stem in passing. Seeing nothing, he was about to turn away, when the same noise came from the rough edge a couple of yards behind where Dean had been looking. Slowly and without a sound, Dean side stepped back to the area and leaned over slightly, looking for any signs of so-goin'-to-wring-it's-neck squirrel activity.
-o-
Sam loved the theory.
"So your essence leaves your body and joins with the essence of the first bird to pass by?"
Merrick nodded.
"In a nutshell, yes. That's why there is so many birds of so many kind in Oz, no one kills or hunts them, in case the bird carries the essence of a friend or family member. That and the instant death penalty which is carried out underground and the body sealed up down there, so the essence cannot move on."
Sam looked confused.
"But, then you do have ghosts and spirits, they're just trapped underground. Kinda like those who end up in Hell in our world. And, what about when the bird carrying your essence dies? What then?"
Merrick chuckled.
"Isn't it obvious? Your essence transfers into the next bird of course. And those offenders who are executed and sealed underground? After a few weeks, they aren't."
"Sorry? They aren't what?"
Merrick shrugged.
"They just...Aren't."
"Aren't there?"
"Aren't at all, they cease. We think they just shrink out of existence, become nothing, nowhere, simply end. A terrible fate. As for birds? Who knows what happens to the essence of any creature. Some believe they actually move into us and become landbound. Some that they move on to some other animal, and there are those who believe every creature's essence goes nowhere, also simply ceasing to be, although that then leads to the question regarding the fate of any other essence the bird may have been carrying. Then, of course, there are the radical thinkers, who say no creature actually has an essence, that they're not worthy of one in the eyes of the all knowing, all seeing, Author. I think, Sam, that it would perhaps be easier for you to understand if you read the Wonderful Book. It explains everything. How Oz came to be, how the Munchkins were born, my kind, the Jenposson, everyone and everything, how we all became and how the land, and therefore all inhabiting Oz, will eventually come to an end."
"You mentioned an all knowing, all seeing Author?"
"Some call him The Creator. I prefer The Author. Before him, we are taught there was nothing. Oz simply did not exist."
Sam had begun to open his mouth to respond, when he and Merrick were distracted by the sudden sound of a shocked cry, one that managed to disturb a handful of pale pink birds from a field just ahead.
-o-
Turning quickly, Sam saw his brother bending over at the waist, one hand flat against the top of his thigh; the other hand Dean was rubbing over his face as he forced his rapid breathing to calm down. He looked like a man who had just run a half marathon without prior workouts. Glancing at one another, Sam and Merrick began running back to Dean. Hearing their rapid footfalls, Dean held a hand up, signalling he was ok as he stood himself upright again.
"S'ok. I'm ok."
Arriving by Dean's side, Sam looked his brother over in concern.
"What is it Dean? What happened?"
-oOo-
Reviews help to keep Munchkin appearances to a minimum! ;p