A/N: Hello! This story was originally written from an idea posted by KarenDani4Ever, go check out her stories too.
I dont own the Wizard of Oz, or anything related to it.
Under a gray, cloudless Kansas sky, grassy plains drift gently in the breeze, dusty dirt roads burn hot, and many family farmers tend their fields, care for livestock, and toil to feed and support their families. Life in the countryside was difficult, but rewarding for those who had become self-sufficient. The young children of these families often could not afford to send them to school, so they would have to help. Everyone was struggling; the country was still recovering from the Great Depression, and food and jobs were scarce. If enough farmhands were working on a family farm, the children could receive an education from either the local schoolhouse or, if they could afford it, a private school in the city. Most ranch families did not own a car, and traveling was a luxury.
Dorothy Gale was special for a farm girl. Two years ago, she got to have an experience unlike any other. She and her small dog, Toto were whisked away by a tornado to a mystical land called Oz. While there, she met Munchkins, Witches, Talking trees, and more other-worldly creatures. She met a scarecrow, a man made of tin, and a cowardly lion during her adventures, and formed a friendship that could last a lifetime. She got to wear gleaming ruby slippers when walking down the Yellow Brick Road.
Dorothy was a hero in Oz because she killed the Wicked Witch of the East immediately upon arrival. Her old Kansas homestead landed on the witch when she fell from the sky to Munchkinland. When she finally got back, the house was still there, undamaged by the storm and the impact. Her Auntie Em and Uncle Henry told her that her adventures in Oz were simply a dream, but Dorothy refused to believe that. She believed Oz was just as real as Kansas. After a while, everyone got tired of hearing her rant and rave, and she decided to stop talking about it once Auntie Em took Dorothy to a psychiatrist.
The doctors wanted to put Dorothy on medication to control her delusions, but the family couldn't afford it. So, Auntie Em had very sternly asked her to stop talking about Oz, because it wasn't real, and no amount of pleading would change their minds. This made Dorothy sad, but she stopped talking about Oz and all the wonderful things she did and the friends she made. She missed them all so much, and all she had to remember her friends by were the memories she shared with them. How could that possibly not be true?
Most days were spent walking to school, helping out around the farm, and taking walks with Toto. Of course, he had been there with her, and he knew it was real. So, he was the only one Dorothy could talk to about Oz, even if he couldn't exactly respond to her. This weekend was particularly gloomy, and Dorothy was lying atop a stack of hay bales in a wagon, much to the dismay of Auntie Em, who was always telling her to "stop lollygagging and fetch some water from the well". Today, however, Dorothy didn't feel like following the rules and had snuck away from the barn, which was being cleaned. The farm hands had the day off, so she couldn't talk to them or ask them to play cards.
A young Dorothy didn't mind the daily grind of feeding farm animals and helping in the garden. However, she had been introduced to a vastly different world and a different way of life. Now, this didn't make her feel conceited or deserving of finer things, only that there was more to life than dirty hands, smelly animals, and arduous work. Now that she was almost 12, Dorothy yearned for more. She wanted to be able to venture out to the city with her friends and take walks beyond the confines of their and the surrounding properties. She also wanted to wear stylish dresses, get her hair professionally styled, and other luxuries that city kids got to enjoy.
Her aunt and uncle always told her to stay humble; to not want beyond her means, and to keep living a simple life. Some days, living a simple life was too boring for a growing girl like Dorothy. She never stopped missing Oz, or her friends and wanted so desperately to go back. Most nights, she hoped she would dream of Oz and go back, but it never happened. One day, when Kansas was hit with another tornado, she stayed in its path, hoping it would whisk her away once again. It had worked with the last tornado, so why couldn't it work again?
Unfortunately, one of the farm hands found her standing out on an open stretch of road as the tornado was approaching, and quickly got her back to the farm. Once they rode out this storm in their basement, Dorothy was promptly scolded. "What were you thinking, Dorothy? You could have been hurt! Or worse, killed!" and "I certainly hope you weren't thinking about that Oz nonsense again" had been Auntie Em's response to such a bold move.
Admittedly, Dorothy was scared, doubtful for a moment, that maybe the storm would harm her this time, and that her trip to Oz was her first and her last. For a while, she felt resentment toward them because they stopped her. She didn't have her magical ruby slippers when she returned, and clicking her heels together in her loafers didn't do anything, despite trying. Why hadn't the magical shoes come back with her? Perhaps, if they had, her Auntie Em and Uncle Henry would believe her about Oz, or at least believe that she had been somewhere else. She hadn't brought anything back from Oz, so it would naturally be discounted as a tale if there was no proof.
Dorothy sang Somewhere Over The Rainbow once a day to lift her spirits. She often did this when she was alone or ignored. It was the song she sang on the day she left for Oz, and she felt like it might help take her to Oz, or bring Oz to her. This drove her aunt and uncle crazy, but she stopped caring because it always made her feel better.
During the song, Uncle Henry came out of the barn, covered in mud and slop and who knows else, toward Dorothy, looking disapprovingly at her. "Dorothy Gale, that song will be the death of us all. Why don't you go inside and read a book if you're doing nothing else?" He glanced around, wiping sweat from his brow. "Uncle Henry, singing this song makes me so happy, and… makes me remember Oz". She hadn't meant to utter that last part and put her hands over her mouth. Throwing his hands up, Henry looked sternly at Dorothy. "Young lady we have told you, time and again, that this Oz of yours doesn't exist. It was a dream. We can't do this again, Dorothy. You need to forget about Oz. This is where you belong. This is your home."
Furious, Dorothy hopped off the wagon, stamping her foot in frustration. "This is not my home, Uncle Henry! Oz is my home! In Oz, you or Auntie Em wouldn't have to do all of this tiring work every day. We could have maids. Farm hands take care of the animals for us. We hire gardeners to grow our fruits and vegetables. Auntie Em could have the most luxurious dresses in the world and never have to cook again. You could have the finest suits and never have to worry about getting dirty again. "Enough!" Henry shouted, raising his palm and slapping Dorothy across the face. "What has gotten into you?! Stop this right now! You sound like one of those spoiled city slickers." Taken aback, Dorothy steps away, hot tears pricking her eyes.
"WE have a good life here in Kansas, an honest life. It's all you've ever known, Dorothy. Whatever you think you know about this Oz business, it's not real. It's okay to indulge in flights of fantasy from time to time, but that's all Oz is, was, or ever will be. A fantasy." Dorothy's fists were curled at her sides, and she was staring at her uncle with hurt in her eyes. "You've got to start living in reality, Dorothy." After a moment of silence, Dorothy stares daggers at her uncle, and growls, "If this is reality, Uncle Henry, then I want a new reality!" With that, she turned away and took off in the opposite direction of the farm, tears streaming down her face. Toto sat up and ran after her. Henry called to her, "Dorothy! Wait!" but she was already too far ahead to chase. He watched his niece and her dog disappear beyond the dirt road.