Sorry it took so long to update, the site didn't like me. It wouldn't upload the document when I had finished it, so I put it off. Now it works though! R&R!

I hear a soft knock on my door. "Come in!" I snap. Nikko enters cautiously, opening the door open only a crack and slipping in. He looks dumbfounded to see me pacing the room angrily, ripping the petals off of a large orange poppy.

"I hate her, I hate her not." I say, ripping off one petal at a time. "I hate her, I hate her not. . ." Tearing up the rest of the flower in a frenzy, I say, "I hate hate hate HATE HATE HER!"

Nikko starts to retreat toward the door, fearing another of my outbursts.

"Come back, Nikko, it's not you I hate." He takes a couple more tentative steps forwards. "I'm sorry I've been so mean lately, I'm just under a lot of stress. Oz himself must have ordained that brat to enter my domain. But no matter, I just need a way to get her here before me."

I start to pace again, forming a plan in my mind. "Yes, yes," I mutter, "I've got it. Perfect! I'll surround them with the Winkies, and then . . ."

"Winkies!" I shout. "Winkies, come forth!" Their steady marching footsteps start to be heard, as I hurry down to the main hall.

"Yoo-hee-hoo, yo-ho! Yoo-hee-hoo, yo-ho!" they sing, marching in and forming ranks in front of me. "Yoo-hee-hoo, yo-ho!"

"Enough, that's enough." I say loudly.

"Yoo-hee-hoo, yo-ho! Yoo-hee-hoo, yo-ho!" they still sing.

"Quiet!" I yell.

"Yoo-hee-hoo, yo-"

"SILENCE!" I screech. They finally stop, and stand at attention in silence. "Must you always sing that revolting requiem?" I ask, irritated.

"Since you put your foot through our drum, my lady, how else can we keep in time?" the general answers.

"Did I put my foot though the drum?" I vaguely remember something, but it's a shadow. "Well, remind me to get you a new one soon. Do the words mean anything?"

"You mean," the general sings, "yoo-hee-hoo, yo-ho!"

"Yes, yes that. Do the words mean anything?" I say, hoping they won't sing anymore.

"It's an old Winkie marching song," he says, "meaning roughly, yoo-hee-hoo, yo-ho!"

"Ahh! Enough singing! I can't stand it!" I yell. "I'll get you a new drum as soon as I finish with the brat Dorothy. Back to your posts, in silence."

They march out, singing, "yoo-hee-hoo, yo-ho!"

Massaging my temples to keep myself from getting a migraine, I say "Nikko, the next time I enslave a nation, remind me to check out their intelligence first."

Finally, when I can't hear their singing anymore, I turn to Nikko, saying, "Take your strongest and toughest of soldiers and bring me that brat, her dog, and the Lion."

He gibbers something in reply. "What do you mean you're exhausted? . . . Well it's not my fault you were out all night looking for me!" He gibbers some more. "It was raining! You honestly didn't expect me to go flying in the rain!" Nikko grumbles something incoherently. "This argument is getting us nowhere. I'll send something ahead of you to take the fight out of them."

Nikko looks doubtful. "I've been up reading the Grimmerie for a long time, I know exactly what I'm doing. Now, which one of these handy beasts shall I send to plague them. Hello Kitty?" Nikko recoils in fear. "No, not frightening enough. Barney?" Nikko retreats even farther, shivering with dread. "Still not scary enough. I have it! The Jitterbug!" His eyes bug out in horror, approaching me slowly and gibbering. "No, I will not show mercy! How dare you plead for her! There's nothing so horrible in the entire book! Once bitten, they can never stop dancing until they drop. Then you can scoop them up without any trouble or fight."

He gibbers a little, looking at the complicated steps I have to complete to summon it. "I told you, I know what I'm doing! I won't fail this time. They're about to enter the Haunted Forest. The Jitterbug is unbelievably fast, so you can fly on ahead. Don't look at me like that, I'll send it along in time. Now fly!"

He jumps out the window, spreading his wings and calling some of his fellows to accompany him.

"Fly! Fly!" I turn back to the Grimmerie, beginning the preparations. "Soon those ruby slippers will grace my dainty feet!" Pausing, I look down at my feet. They are very large. I begin to rethink things. "I wonder if any of those Winkies do shoe repair. . ."