Disclaimer, the usual.
A few months had elapsed since the entire incident with Glinda, dorothy and Madeline had spent their birthday having a picnic in the clearing with jack and alex. however, the rest of the summer was relatively quiet and boring in comparison. Now it was nearly late fall, and dorothy found herself sitting on the porch outside the farmhouse. The sun had long since set and it was dark out, and alex had long since departed for home. As the cool autumn breeze blew across the field she sighed and shivered
"bit chilly to be out without a jacket." Madeline said appearing next to her.
"yes, but I don't mind it much." Dorothy said looking up at the sky.
"I know you don't, but still." Madeline said
"anyways, I'm hoping to spot a shooting star I think I've seen one in my life time." Dorothy said
"your mother was a stargazer at one point, we all were." Em said coming out of the farmhouse.
"Really?" dorothy asked curiously.
"oh yes, one of the things we loved doing was trying to see who would see a shooting star first, sometimes we'd go to the park late at night, or out in the fields of your grandparent's, and lay there looking at the sky, your father would get a good campfire going if we were in the fields, it was peaceful, your mother kept score on who had seen a shooting star and how many they've seen." Em said looking up at the sky.
"how many have you seen?" Madeline asked turning to Em.
"at last count, 1." Em said.
"how many had my mother seen?" dorothy asked curiously.
"3 if I remember, I'm not sure what your mother did with her notebook." Em said.
"Emily? Oh you did come out here, the triplets are asleep." Henry said coming outside with a blanket which she draped over Dorothy's shoulders.
"thanks uncle henry, did you and my father ever see shooting stars?" dorothy asked.
"between us, two, your mother saw either three or four, I can't quite remember" henry replied sighing.
"do you think Jon still has his telescope?" Emily asked.
"probably, we could ask tomorrow, it's supposed to be a clear night again." henry said.
"well, dorothy, Mr. and Mrs. Gale, I should be heading back to emerald city, I only came because I was worried about her." Madeline said getting up and smoothing her dress.
"I assume we'll see you tomorrow?" dorothy asked.
"well, you have school, but tomorrow's Friday so ill set you a place in the dining hall for dinner tomorrow" Madeline said before vanishing.
Dorothy sat there for a moment before pinching the bridge of her nose and rubbing it.
"did I just get invited to dinner at emerald city?" dorothy asked
"sounded more like an open invitation to me." Em said
"but an invitation nonetheless." Dorothy said
"right, well, you can go if you want dear, its vegetable soup tomorrow and we're all getting tired of it." Em said
"we could try growing different vegetables next season, maybe we'll actually succeed in growing cabbages for once." Henry said
"henry, can't you just face it, our fields aren't meant for cabbages." Em said.
Dorothy sighed and rolled her eyes. She heard her aunt and uncle have this argument at least once a growing season. Continuing to look at the skies she wished she could see a shooting star, though the idea of wishing on one hadn't appealed to her since she was a kid, and seeing as she had never seen a shooting star in her life wishing on one didn't matter as she felt the sight of one would suit her fine. However, as she looked up into the crisp autumn night she found herself remembering something she hadn't thought about for more than a passing second.
"Momma? papa?" little dorothy asked looking out the back door
"Yes, my child?" Madeline asked
"What are you and papa doing?" she asked walking outside and standing next to her mother.
"We're watching the stars." Madeline said taking little dorothy onto her lap.
"Hoping to see a shooting star, your mother always has all the luck, she writes each one down in her little journal." Frank Gale said picking it up from the garden table, "keeping score," he added under his breath
"A shooting stars?" little dorothy asked curiously.
"Yes, it's a star that shoots across the sky, normally you can just catch them with your eyes, and if you do, you get to make a wish." Madeline said smiling.
"Like with birthday candles?" little dorothy asked curiously
"exactly." he said continuing to look at the sky.
Little dorothy smiled and looked up at the sky. She could see many stars in the darkness. But now she was hoping to see a shooting star.
"What's the most recent one I have in there?" her mother asked turning to her husband.
Her father smiled and skimmed through the notebook for a few moments.
"Um, ah, yes, about a week after dorothy was born, eleven o'clock" Her father said
"well frank, I guess I have to make another glass of iced tea for our little fairy" Madeline said taking dorothy off her lap and moving so that dorothy could sit down on the garden chair.
"ooh, the sweet one with lemon?" Little dorothy asked
"yes, my little fairy." She replied heading inside
Little dorothy sat there smiling, looking up at the sky hoping to see a shooting star.
"Papa, how many shooting stars have you seen?" little dorothy asked
"Not as many as your mother, she just has the luck I assume, we only write it if we see it streak the skies." He said, not sounding to thrilled about it.
"mama always thanks her lucky stars; do you think that's it?" little dorothy asked
"hah, your aunt asked that same question once." He replied chuckling.
"auntie Em?" little dorothy asked.
"yes, your only aunt." He replied.
"well, we need to get more lemon tomorrow, there was just enough to put on the rim of the glass." Her mother said coming back outside.
"I'll get some while I'm in town, they're only a nickel a piece down at market." He said taking a sip from his own glass.
Little Dorothy smiled and got up so her mother could sit down again. once she had done so little dorothy took her place back on her mother's lap and looked at the sky.
"I hope we see one tonight." Her mother said smiling.
"oh, I hope so." Little dorothy said taking a sip from her tea.
"maybe you'll get to see one if you can stay awake." She replied.
"Oh, I'll stay awake." Little dorothy said with a yawn as she took sip of tea.
"we'll see." Her father said teasingly before stifling a cough.
"dorothy?" came the voice of her aunt snapping her out of it
"hmm?" dorothy asked.
"you were remembering." Em said sitting down next to her niece and wiping the tears from her face.
"I was remembering stargazing with them, I never stayed awake that night, not long after, their health started to decline." Dorothy said sniffing.
Em said nothing, she simply smiled and wrapped her arms around her niece.
"I miss them too sweetie, not a day goes by where either uncle henry and I find ourselves thinking about them." Em said kissing her cheek
"and you have traits from both of them, your father's hair, your mother's eyes, your mother's ability to sing, father's ability to add things up in your head." henry said before realizing he wasn't helping.
Dorothy sighed and hugged both her aunt and uncle before getting up and heading back inside. Going to her room she found toto and pockets already asleep. Quickly changing into a nightgown, she sighed and climbed into bed. she decided there that she would go to emerald city after she got out of the school.
