LOOKING BEHIND THE CURTAIN
AN: Um, don't ask? My mind is a strange, strange place at times. This is rated K+ to be safe for a little language.
Review, pretty please. It'll give you something to do while you're waiting for tomorrow night.
The Tin Man never understood the need for a heart. His body was a state-of-the-art machine complete with a top-of-the line brain mechanism and he had the latest in cutting edge axes. What else could he possibly need? Feelings would only interfere with efficiency and provide unnecessary distractions. So he worked in the woods beside the aptly named Yellow Brick Road contemplating the math and science that held everything in place and over the years he slowly became as rusty as his old, beat up Datsun.
Until the day she came skipping by with her little son Toto, who was also made of tin, and her scarecrow friend Ray. And he felt a twinge of…something. Ray the Scarecrow kept singing 'If I Only Had a B-Ray-n' at the top of his lungs until the Tin Man began begging them to apply oil to his mouth 'if only' so he'd have the opportunity to tell the Scarecrow to pipe down.
Not only did Dorothy oil his jaw, she applied healing oil to all his stiff and creaky components even the ones his own creators hadn't understood much less maintained. He didn't want to admit how much better he felt when she showed him that kindness. When he was well-oiled and functioning at optimal capacity again, he listened with some confusion and a bit of contempt to their stories and their frivolous desire to seek out the Wizard of Oz for help with their quandaries.
"Would you like to come with us?" Dorothy asked. Toto nodded enthusiastically in encouragement while the scarecrow kept dancing around them and singing.
He had no desire to see this Wizard. He considered wizardry junk science and wishful thinking for those with less superior brain mechanisms.
Frowning, he told the others that while he clearly saw they all had needs, he himself needed nothing. That's when Dorothy leaned toward him and put an ear to his hollow metal chest. He was unused to contact, so he froze. He inhaled sharply and her intoxicating lavender scent teased his nostrils.
If he was made of flesh, he might have been embarrassed when she straightened and said, "It's just as I suspected. You have no heart. You should come to Tinsel Town with us and ask the Wizard if he can get one for you." Instead of the scorn or ridicule he was accustomed to, the look in her eyes was soft and her expression was full of sympathy for him.
And in that instant, he had an overpowering desire to acquire a heart if it would please her.
"Okay," said the Tin Man, his face full of skepticism with a dash of cautious hope, "but I'm not skipping and I certainly won't dance."
Dorothy just smiled and rolled her eyes. She grabbed his hand and began singing as they started on their way. Her voice was lovely and against his conscious will, the Tin Man's feet began to move to the cadence of her musical tone. He preferred hearing her sing to any other sound he'd ever heard and wanted to do what was necessary to keep her singing.
When the Tin Man noticed the little tin boy was becoming tired, he offered to carry Toto. Dorothy called him 'sweet' and smiled at him as no one had before. Nobody had ever used a word like that to describe him either. Not understanding why, he had the desire to live up to her assessment just to hear her say it again and keep looking at him just that way.
They continued on the journey, and soon they met a cowardly lion named Sylvester. Dorothy convinced the lion he should join them on their quest. She was optimistic the Wizard could supply their new lion friend with courage too.
As they went along, the Tin Man found he was growing rather protective of his little group of misfits. For the first time ever he knew a sense of cohesive belonging, of being an integral part of a whole, of importance outside himself and his own thoughts.
They decided to settle for the night and found a nice field of flowers in which to rest. Sylvester the Lion and the little Tin Boy Toto were frightened by the sounds coming from the neighboring forest. So, the Tin Man showed them the stars as a distraction. While all three were proficient at counting and labeling them, Dorothy told them all the accompanying stories and myths behind the twinkly little lights in the sky. Even though the stories were preposterous, the Tin Man was rather enchanted because he had never seen the stars in quite that way.
The roaring of a motorcycle startled the Tin Man awake early the next morning. He was still so drowsy, he could barely open his eyes and wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep beside Dorothy and Toto.
However, a warm rain began to fall on them and they heard a grouchy voice saying, "Hey, dummies! You know those are opium poppies you're napping in, right?"
The rain quickly revived the troop and they hesitantly approached the surly person on the motorbike, the lion hanging back and trying to hide his bulk behind the others.
Dorothy was busily wringing out her apron and using the dry corners to wipe the rainwater from the Tin Man's and Toto's faces, guarding them from rust. "Who are you?" Toto asked curiously, doing his best to evade his mother's fussing.
In a tonelessly bored voice, as if repeating a speech from rote, the leather-clad woman replied, "I'm Happy the Good Witch. I mean you no harm. I'm only here to act as a guide and alert you to any possible dangers you may face. Blah. Blah. Whatever." She crossed her arms, then added, "Oh, and fix all your mechanical issues," as an afterthought.
"W-we don't have anything mechanical to fix. A-and exactly what dangers are we talking about? M-maybe I should go back?" The lion stuttered, looking fearful.
"Uh, hello? Don't you have two tin guys here? Mechanical enough for you?" Happy the Good Witch gestured haphazardly at Toto and the Tin Man and glared back at the lion. "And as for the dangers, they are on a need to know basis. The rain I conjured saved you from the poppies, didn't it?"
The lion cowered behind the others, but said defiantly all the same, "Well, I'm not riding on that organ donation machine of yours. You can forget it. Motorcyclists are 27 times more likely to die in a crash than passengers in a car."
"Well, my predecessor floated around in a bubble! My ride's gotta be safer than hers! But if you insist…" The Witch stomped the kick stand into place, waved her magic wrench and the bike disappeared. "I guess we can walk." Then she mumbled under her breath, "No matter how lame and slow that is."
The group set off together toward Tinsel Town making good time and enjoying each others' company; none more than the Tin Man. For some reason, the sun shined brighter, and the colors in the world grew more vivid as he went along hand-in-hand with Dorothy and Toto and beside his other friends. Soon they could see Tinsel Town in the distance.
Only one danger befell them as they pressed onward. A flying monkey called Drew tried to capture Dorothy and Toto and take them away to his castle in Maine. The thought of losing those two had everyone very upset. So, they fought valiantly and eventually defeated the monkey sending him back to his lonely castle empty handed. No one put himself in more peril trying to save Dorothy and Toto than the Tin Man. He was uneasy thinking that losing them might destroy the new-found stability of the team. He told himself that fact was obviously why he was so concerned. The Tin Man was very fond of facts.
They arrived at Tinsel Town just as the sun was setting. There were two armed guards outside the city gates. One was called Cabe and the other was called Tim. The Tin Man narrowed his eyes at the guard called Tim when he noticed the man was staring at Dorothy as if he was captivated by her.
Dorothy was the team's elected spokesperson, so she explained to the guards the purpose for their visit to the city. As everyone watched the Scarecrow romp and gambol around, Cabe the older and stern looking guard said, "Well, I can see that guy is in dire need of a b-RAY-n! We will personally lead you to the Wizard's house."
So, two more were added to their number. It took a while for the Tin Man to trust the older guard, but he eventually accepted him as a member of their clan. He inexplicably never warmed up to Tim even though the younger guard was amiable and everyone else seemed to welcome him. Something bitter and dark filled up the empty, heart-shaped space inside him when Tim walked with Dorothy or made her laugh or touched her in any way. It was illogical and he knew it, but he was unable to control it. So, he did his best to pretend everything was fine. After all, he told himself firmly, it would be a detriment to the equilibrium of their group if the Tin Man dominated all of Dorothy's attention all the time.
At last they arrived at the Wizard's house, but it didn't look much like a house. It resembled a casino more. And when they entered the main floor, their senses were inundated with flashing lights and resounding bells. It was all very dazzling.
As their eyes became adjusted, they heard a booming voice say, "Who dares enter the Wizard's lair?!"
Sylvester the Lion started to sweat and whimper while everyone else looked around for the source of the voice.
"Ha! That rhymed! Are you suitably awed? It's just one of the many wizarding services I provide. Just drop your money in a slot machine on your way out." the voice was a little softer as if the volume had been adjusted.
"No! No! Don't look behind the curtain," the voice warned, sounding a trifle panicked as Happy the Good Witch tromped toward the back of the room. Not heeding a thing the voice said, she yanked the curtain aside to reveal a man in an emerald green fedora, looking at a bank of monitors and speaking into a microphone.
"What the hell!" The witch said, frowning. "If you're a wizard, then I'm an underwear model!"
The man behind the curtain had the grace to look a little sheepish and he gave a little wave before he muttered between his teeth, "I would definitely pay to see that."
"Uh, gross!" The witch scoffed. "Not in your lifetime which is going to be considerably shorter if you don't start talking. We came to see the famous Wizard of Oz! You're trying to tell me you're him?"
Sylvester the lion didn't know who to fear more in that moment and decided the fake wizard was less threatening than the witch, but he still shrank behind the Tin Man. Dorothy, trying to calm the turbulence as always, said, "Let's everyone just calm down and give him the chance to explain."
Happy the Good Witch looked belligerent, but she gave one hard nod and glared at the offending 'wizard'. "I bet he doesn't even have a magic wand," she grumbled.
"While you're just my kinda witch and I'd love any opportunity to show you my wand and all the magic I can do with it, I guess I'd better explain first. I'm obviously not a wizard. But I am a genius. And a doctor. Harvard trained. You've heard of Dr. Oz? …well, I'm not that quack on TV either. I'm Doctor Awes. Because I'm awe-some. Get it? Really? Nobody?" He shook his head, "People around here are a little more impressed with the title of wizard than doctor, so that's what I put on the business cards. Word gets around…," he shrugged, "And I'm sorry about the theatrics. I use it to set the mood."
Cabe the Guard snorted impatiently. "Can you help these folks or not? Or is all this just a sham? Or a mockery?"
"A schmockery?" Everyone said in chorus.
Dr. Awes held up his hands. "I'm not a total fraud. Tell me all the problems and between all of us, we should be able to come up with answers for everyone."
Dorothy stepped forward, not only because she was the spokesperson, but in the interest of peace because everyone else wanted to throw things at Dr. Awes. She told him all of their tales of woe and friendship using honesty and open communication.
During this exchange, Happy the Good Witch pulled the Tin Man aside and told him, "On the off chance this glorified shrink can pull an answer for Dorothy out of his backside, you do know she will go to Tahoe and leave you behind for good, right? Doesn't that bother you? If it does, you'd need to speak up soon. Tell her you want her to stay before it's too late."
"Well, it doesn't bother me," the Tin Man argued stubbornly, "It's best to stick to the original goals of the team." But his chest echoed and felt empty as he said it.
After hearing the whole story, Dr. Awes stated he'd thought of a solution for everybody. The Tin Man thought he was just acting like a know-it-all until one at a time, he began to address their issues. First, he pointed out that Ray the Scarecrow had a brain the whole time, but he hadn't engaged it because he was too consumed with a past tragedy. He acted the buffoon to cover his sorrow. When that tragedy was dealt with, Ray began to act normal. And, sure enough, everyone was as awed as promised.
Then the Harvard alumnus turned to the lion and pointed out he actually had more courage than the rest of them. Courage, after all, is not the absence of fear. It is being afraid and moving forward anyway. Sylvester had looked into the yawning maw of fear and loss more than any of them, and yet he pressed onward not only surviving, but thriving. In fact, no one but Cabe the Guard could rival him for bravery. Toto high-fived the lion and the two of them went off to spend the weekend playing video games to celebrate.
The doctor pointed out to Dorothy that she had the power to go Tahoe to hear music anytime she wished to go, she just had to say the words. Looking confused and a little torn, she turned to the Tin Man and asked, "Do you want me to stay here with you instead?"
The Tin Man shook his head sadly. "No. I think it's best that you go."
Her smile seemed forced and turning to the younger guard, she said, "Would you like to go with me? You can take the Tin Man's place. You can be my Tim Man. Would that be okay?"
Tim gave her his most charming smile and nodded. The two of them said 'Tahoe' and disappeared in a heart-shaped cloud of red smoke.
The Tin Man clattered to his knees unable to identify the sensation sweeping through him. In the last few days, he'd had a glimpse, just a glimmering, of something infinitely precious and he had the awful feeling he'd lost it for good. He'd realized too late. He felt the void in his chest more acutely than ever.
Dr. Awes helped him to his feet and said, "I'm sorry. A cyclone brought her here, but that cyclone wasn't enough to keep her with you. You needed to ask her to stay. Believe me, it gives me no pleasure to tell you this. You've always had a heart. It just doesn't dwell inside your metal casing. It lives and beats in Dorothy."
And the Tin Man had let her go over the rainbow with someone else…
XOXOXOXOXO
Walter woke with a jolt when the wheels touched down at LAX. He'd closed his eyes the minute the plane took off from Tahoe. Pretending to sleep was easier than facing Paige and Tim and the disbelieving looks they were both throwing him. Obviously, he'd actually gone to sleep on the hour-long flight.
Megan always watched The Wizard of Oz when she was sick as a child. She said it was her comfort movie. He never understood the appeal, but he'd sat through it with her many times because he didn't like leaving her side when she was ill. He could almost recite each line verbatim. So it was no wonder his mind used the premise while he slept.
And it didn't take a Harvard trained psychiatrist to understand what his subconscious was trying to convey either. He had to find a way to tell her. Walter just hoped he wasn't actually too late.
