Chapter 13: A Journey Gone South

Jack took one last look at the Emerald City before going on. "Nice place," he whispered.

"They were very good to us," Nick agreed.

"I don' know," the Lion said. "It was hard being cooped up in a room every night, and the cobblestone was startin' to hurt m' paws. I'll be glad to get back to the woods."

The journey south was very pleasant at first, with rolling, green meadows with lovely flowers. Jack was beginning to wonder where this danger he was warned about could be.

Then they came to a thick forest. The trees stood narrowly together, and there was no way around the forest. The Scarecrow decided to find a way to squeeze through first. As he tried, though, he was thrown back.

"What happened?" Jack asked.

"It was so strange! The trees just bent down their front branches and threw me aside!"

"Well, that was rude," Nick observed. "There's another space over there. Perhaps the trees aren't as disagreeable over there."

The Scarecrow tried, but the trees threw him away over there too.

"Maybe all they need is some diplomacy," the Scarecrow suggested. So he went up and talked to the trees, setting up a treaty or something. They still threw him away.

"Try politeness," Nick suggested. And the Scarecrow did, with the same results.

"It's no use," Jack said. "These trees have no ears to hear our pleas. There is only one thing to do. Nick, you get the trees on the left. I'll get the trees on the right."

Jack drew his sword. He and Nick immediately whacked off the branches that tried to pick them up and toss them. The foursome ran through the gap as quickly as they could. To Jack's surprise, the trees had no problems with them after that.

"Maybe they were just guarding something," Jack suggested.

"But what could that possibly be?" the Scarecrow asked.

They found out as soon as they made it through the forest. A big white structure that sparkled in the sun came into view.

"What is that?" Nick asked.

"A great wall of china," the Scarecrow answered.

"No it is not!" Jack argued, who had seen the real Great Wall of China.

"Why not? It is a great wall, and it's made out of china."

The Lion thumped the wall with his toe. "Well, so it is."

"Whatever it is, we must get over it," Jack observed.

"Good thing I brought some wood," Nick said. "I can make us a ladder." And he did. Jack agreed to hold the ladder steady as the others climbed up.

Nick climbed up first. "Oh my!" he said as he looked up over the side.

"What?" the Lion asked.

"You'll find out when you come up here," Nick called down. He sat on the wall as the Scarecrow climbed up.

"Oh my!" he said.

The Lion was next. "Well, I'll be!"

Jack came last. He didn't say anything, but his face was full of awe.

Behind the wall was a city made entirely out of china. There were people living normal lives with clothes Easter-egg colors and perfectly smooth, white skin.

"How are we going to get down?" Nick asked.

"You can jump on me. I won't get hurt, and you won't break anything." So they did. Jack could barely stand on the slippery china ground of the country. In the end, he had to take off his sandals.

"We must walk as cautiously as possible," Jack said. "We do not want to cause any harm to these delicate people."

But as he spoke, he and his friends ventured toward a milkmaid milking a china cow. Seeing the strange people made out of flesh, straw, and metal must have startled the poor cow, for she kicked her back leg, breaking it and chipping the maid's shoulder.

The maid looked at our heroes angrily. "Now see what you have done! My dear Bessie will have to be mended again, and that will cost so much. Why did you go past the fighting trees and over our china wall? Those were put up so that we would be protected by people such as you!"

Jack tried to apologize, but she stormed away. So our heroes walked away. Then, Jack saw a princess with the most beautiful colors and form that he had seen. The thing that really surprised him, though, was that he recognized here: Toshi Okugi, otherwise known as--

"Samurai Jill! You are here?" She acted like she didn't here him, so he tried to run up to her. But then she ran as well.

"Don't chase me! Please don't chase me!" she cried.

"I am not chasing you! I just want to talk to you!"

"All right! Just so long as you do not break me!"

Jack caught up to her and spoke from a safe distance. "Why are you so fearful of me? We are good friends."

"It's not that I do not like you, but I know how easily I can break. I could be mended, but you know I won't look as perfect as I do now."

"Do you not get tired of being in the same place and not seeing new things?"

"Maybe sometimes, but I cannot leave. Once anything made of china leaves this wall, it stiffens up and is only fit for a mantle piece. We'll get all dusty and never be able to move again."

"I am sorry to hear that. Well, since you are my friend, I will keep my distance."

"Thank you. It was a pleasure talking to you."

The princess walked on, and Jack told the others, "Let us get out of this country as soon as we can."

It was a trick trying to climb up the wall again. The lion toppled over as he climbed up again and accidentally smashed a tiny church building. Finally, they did make it over.

"That was indeed a lovely place," Nick observed.

"I wouldn't want to live there, though," Jack answered.

"Live there?" the Lion said as he continued picking china out of his tail. "I don' think I ever wanna visit again!"