Disclaimer, the usual

As Dorothy and Zeb walked into the small town the first thing that caught Dorothy's eyes was the library, it and the town hall were the largest buildings in the town apart from the school. However, as they walked into a shop immediately the voice of a woman snapped her to attention.

"Oh, Zeb, not here to put little talcum powder bombs in the grapefruit stand, again are we? Oh, who's this pretty young thing?" The voice asked.

"She's my cousin, and no Ruth, that was a one-time thing, so unless you or big john at the drug store sell me talcum powder I can't make any more." Zeb said

"well you won't be getting any from me." Ruth said.

"Zeb, what did you do?" dorothy asked.

"Oh, this trouble maker, he rigged these little spring loaded capsules which he taped under a select number of grapefruit which when they were picked up would send a cloud talcum powder into people's faces." Ruth said.

"Hey, you laughed at the first few." Zeb said.

"yes, and that was immature of me, but it was even more irresponsible for you to do." Ruth said.

"dorothy, take a look around." Zeb said.

"That's a pretty name." Ruth said.

"Thank you, ma'am." Dorothy said.

"Oh, call me Ruth, everyone else in town does, where you in from sweetie?" She asked.

"Kansas." Dorothy replied.

"that's a bit, far, isn't it?" Ruth asked as if trying to calculate the distance in her head.

"yes, I came here on the express." Dorothy said.

"So, you departed on Monday then." Ruth said.

"yes ma'am." Dorothy said looking at the produce section.

"Um, Ruth, can I get a bag of apples?" Zeb asked.

"your aunt was here yesterday and bought a bag of them." Ruth said.

"From which she made apple pie today." Zeb said.

"you like apples?" dorothy asked.

"Love them, problem is I'm not allowed to touch them if auntie Melinda is going make a pie, so when that happens I get some money that I've saved up over time and buy a bag." Zeb said.

"Freshest apples in town, grown locally at Loretta's ranch and orchard." Ruth said.

"It's the Martin Ranch and Orchard, Ruth, Lorretta wont own it until her parents either retired, or in the more likely case, kick the bucket." Zeb said

"Yes, um, miss, you looking for something?" Ruth asked.

Dorothy nodded and eventually pulled out the small purse.

"How much for a bag?" Dorothy asked.

"3 dollars." Zeb said.

"I'll take two bags, one for me, one for Zeb." Dorothy said taking out a ten-dollar bill.

"Dorothy, you don't have to, I brought…" But that was as far as Zeb got before dorothy walked over and clapped a hand over his mouth.

"I know I don't, but I want to." Dorothy said removing her hand from his mouth.

Zeb opened his mouth to say something, but immediately shut it again.

"Wow, someone actually managed to make it so he didn't have a quip, I'm impressed." Ruth said.

Dorothy turned to Ruth and smiled. Ruth was a woman who couldn't have been much older than her aunt Em and aunt Melinda. She had tanned skin and graying, but jet-black hair. On her face, she wore thick glasses. She was wearing a dark red shirt and a white apron. She was wearing a black knee length skirt and on her feet, she wore a pair of boots like her own.

"How's your husband doing by the way?" Zeb asked.

"He's fine, still getting over that cold." Ruth said picking up two bags of apples from the nearby stand.

"warm weather colds are terrible, my uncle keeps saying that, but I've never gotten one." Zeb said.

"Spend some time around my husband, maybe you'll learn a thing or two." Ruth said bringing the bags to the counter.

Dorothy smiled and chuckled, and payed for the bags one of which she handed to Zeb.

"Keep the change." Dorothy said.

"are you sure?" Ruth asked with her hand about to take the change from the register.

"Quite sure." Dorothy said.

"Well, thank you dear, and have a nice day, and keep a close eye on Zeb he's a bit of a trouble maker." Ruth said.

"Aunt Melinda said if I caused her any harm I'd have to take weekend tutoring lessons." Zeb said.

"School on weekends?" Dorothy asked.

"that's what I said." Zeb said.

"Well, it would serve you right after getting thrown out of school for the year." Ruth said.

"alright, before my life story is given out, thank you Ruth, we'll see you around." Zeb said dragging dorothy out of the shop.

As they left the shop they walked along the road to the center of town where there was a park. There they sat and ate apples as zeb pointed things out to her.

"So, that down there is a sandwich shop?" dorothy asked.

"uh, which one?" Zeb asked.

"the one with the large sandwich picture on it." dorothy said.

"Sandwich shop and diner." Zeb said.

"Oh, how quaint." Dorothy said.

"oh, wow, Zeb who's the pretty lady?" Came a gruff voice from behind them.

Turning dorothy was met with a heavy-set boy around their age. He had tanned skin, and was wearing a black shirt and blue jeans.

"Oh, hey Charlie, this is my cousin, Dorothy, she's in from Kansas to help me on the ranch." Zeb said.

"Oh, pleasure to meet you, I'm Charlie black, my dad runs the sandwich shop and diner." Charlie said.

"oh, nice, apple?" dorothy asked offering him the bag.

"no thank you, my mom will have my hide if I spoil my appetite before dinner." Charlie said.

"I thought you didn't have many friends Zeb." Dorothy said.

"oh, I have plenty of friends, they just don't hang out with me, for the obvious reason." Zeb said

"well, if you didn't pull so many pranks and jokes people would probably like to hang out with you more." Charlie replied.

"I know." Zeb said.

"Well, I'll see you two around I imagine, I have to get home and help mom with dinner." Charlie said running off.

"See ya later Charlie!" Zeb called.

"I like him, he seems nice." Dorothy said.

"One of the nicest people I know, and one of the smartest, he works at the shop on weekends, that's when the group, being myself, Lorretta, and Joe when he's around, since those two are the only people who really tolerate me, that and they always seem to be one step ahead of me so I can't pull anything on them." Zeb said grunting.

"power of deduction?" dorothy asked.

"Power of I don't know, but it irritates me a bit." Zeb said.

"I see." Dorothy said finishing off an apple and chucking the core into a nearby trash bin.

"I feel like they may be part psychic or something." Zeb said.

"you believe in that?" dorothy asked.

"I believe in a lot of things, that falls under the things I do." Zeb said.

"What about magic? Fairies and stuff?" dorothy asked.

"I like to believe in those things, Loretta says she's seen a fairy, Joe believes her, so, you never know." Zeb said.

Dorothy smiled and shined an apple on her dress. They sat there for a few minutes more before finally getting up and starting back for the ranch.

Meanwhile back in Kansas.

As alex walked home from the gale farm house, he looked around town. it seemed quieter than usual, less buzzing with life. However, he was snapped out of thought when he passed Trot and her mother.

"Seems quiet around, here doesn't it?" Trot asked her mother as she looked around.

"yes." She replied.

"It's because dorothy isn't around." Alex said.

"huh? Oh alex, good afternoon." Trot said.

"good afternoon." Alex said.

"you know, the town seems a lot less active than usual as well." Mrs. Griffiths said.

Alex shook his head and sighed. Then he debated going back to the gale farmhouse and asking Mrs. Gale to let him into Dorothy's room so he could grab the scepter. But he immediately decided against it and continued on his way without another word to trot or her mother. When he was nearly home a hand grasped his shoulder, he turned to find the tall figure of Jon Foreman standing before him.

"Cheer up my boy, you'll see her in a few months when we go up there." He said.

"I know Jon, but still haven't you noticed that the town as fallen into a more depressed and grey state without her here?" alex asked.

"Well, yes, but she's also one of the most popular people in town, and one of the few people that manage to keep happy during the day to day routine." Jon said.

"yep." Alex said walking to the curb and sitting down.

"Alex, this town has always been dull, there always has to be someone to brighten it up, when Dorothy's parents moved out of town, they left it bright and sunny, I remember the day they died though, it was like a black cloud had hung over the entire state, after which I packed up and left with..." and at that point Jon trailed off.

"With what?" Alex asked

Jon sat down next to him and closed his eyes. It was as if he was recalling the worst memories of his life. He shook his head and

"It doesn't matter, what matter now is that you try and find a way to put that spark of life into our town that dorothy carried." Jon said getting up and helping alex to his feet.

"thanks Jon, but I don't know if I can do it." Alex said.

"Well, try, that's what I told all your families so many years ago," Jon said.

Alex smiled and turned towards his house. He could see his mother standing in the living room window with Annabella in her arms.

"it seems always to be up to the youth of this town to keep it aglow, no matter what someone needs to break the monotony, Dorothy's cheeriness was what does it now. When all your parents and their siblings were younger, they did it by playing games in the park and organizing social events, we didn't use to have town meetings you know, then Dorothy's mother, your mother, and Your uncle alexander suggested we start doing that." Jon said.

"Oh, how interesting, Jon, I'd like to stay and chat but I just had an idea, bring an instrument the next time you come 'round." Alex said.

"which one would you prefer?" Jon said.

"Dorothy said you were good at the violin, try that." Alex said running off towards his house.

Back in California.

As they got back to the ranch, Zeb decided to show dorothy around. Taking her all the way back to the horse stable along with Jim the Cab horse and the cab both of which he put in stable.

"Jim is very finicky around people he never met, but feed him enough and he'll soften up to you." Zeb said.

"Have you got any sugar cubes?" Jim asked.

"No Jim, she hasn't got any sugar cubes, or salt, or carrots, but we do have apples." Zeb said taking one from his bag and feeding it to him.

"How'd you know he wanted food?" dorothy asked.

"Oh, I've worked with Jim long enough to the point where's driving me crazy, when he gets that look in his eyes, I know he wants food." Zeb said.

Jim immediately neighed in response. Which made both of them laugh.

"Well, it's nearly supper time, we should get inside and wash up now." Zeb said.

"and not eat any more I assume?" Dorothy asked.

"probably a good idea." Zeb said.

Dorothy smiled and walked back towards the house.

"How many pies did aunt Melinda make?" dorothy asked.

"Um, Apple, pumpkin, cherry, pecan, cinnamon butterscotch, lemon merengue, strawberry, and chocolate crème I think." Zeb said.

"you named…all but one of my favorites." Dorothy said.

"what did I miss?" he asked curiously.

"Raspberry." Dorothy said.

"Couldn't find any, and don't you just hate it when the seed's get stuck in your teeth?" Zeb asked.

"Oh, yes, it's a pain in the backside, but they taste good, which kinda outweighs the inconvenience." Dorothy said

"Fair." He replied as they walked in through the back door.

"Oh, you two are just in time." Melinda said taking a large chicken from the oven.

Now the kitchen was plastered with pink floral wall paper that was cover in a light dusting of flour, and dorothy could smell it on the air. As well as the scents of all the pies which were all covered in tea towels. Dorothy took a deep breath in and sighed.

"Smells delicious." Dorothy said.

"it really does, auntie Melinda may be a bit disheveled at times, but boy, can she cook." Zeb said.