When Dorothy awoke the next morning, the sun was shining brightly over her slender form. Her hair and clothes had dried, and the crate rocked gently from the movement of the waves.
The clucking of a hen woke Dorothy from her slumber. "What's that?"
"Oh, I was just trying to lay my egg, that's all." Answered a shrill feminine voice.
Dorothy pushed herself up into sitting position and saw Billina sitting in the corner edge of what she realized was a chicken coop. "Billina? What are you doing here? Have you been here all night too?" she asked in surprise.
"Yep! Right after your aunt found out I couldn't lay any more eggs, she decided to have me shipped to the butcher's shop. When the storm blew over, the car crashed into a ditch and the coop fell into the river, including me." Billina explained. Then she sneezed. "Ah-choo! I have never been so wet in my life."
Dorothy stroked Billina tenderly from the neck to the back. "It's alright now, Billina. We're safe as long as we stick together. But, when did you learn to talk? I thought chickens can only cluck."
"I've never spoken before in my life, but how's my grammar?" asked the hen.
"Very well for a beginner," replied Dorothy.
"How big is this pond anyway?"
"What do you mean pond? I thought we were in the ocean." Dorothy stood up and peered over the edge of the coop. Sure enough, the coop was in the middle of a small pond, surrounded by boulders stuck within sand. And nearby was a field of grass and trees. "It does look like a pond."
"I told you so," remarked Billina, before noticing something else. "Hey! Where did all the water go?"
The water beneath the coop began to vanish within the sand.
"You know, Billina, if we were in the Land of Oz, then you wouldn't be able to talk," Dorothy said.
"Perhaps that's where we are," said Billina, hopefully.
Dorothy's eyes widened in sudden realization. "Oz…..Maybe this is the Land of Oz!"
"Well, I think I'll go look around and see if I can find any breakfast." The chicken prepared to jump out of the coop when Dorothy suddenly wrapped her arms around her, pulling her close to her chest.
"Wait, Billina! If this is Oz, then this is the Deadly Desert," she said, warily.
"Deadly Desert?" Billina gulped, nervously.
"Yeah," said Dorothy. "It surrounds all of Oz. Anything living that touches it turns to sand. Twice, I flew over it in a twister and a rainbow."
With Billina in her arms, Dorothy climbed over the railing of the chicken coop and landed on one of the boulders. One by one, Dorothy hopped from one boulder to the next, careful not to slip and fall. Finally, she hopped off the boulder and her feet touched the soft grass that meant they were safe.
"Whew! At least we made it," sighed Billina, as Dorothy put her down.
"C'mon Billina, let's go see if we can find some breakfast, and then we can go to the Emerald City to see my friend, the Scarecrow."
"Scarecrow?" Billina looked up at her, puzzled.
"He's the King of Oz, and one of my best friends," Dorothy smiled. "There's also the Tin Man, the Lion, Wiser, Marshal Mallow, China Princess, Tugg, and Glinda. Once you meet them all you're sure to like them."
As they walked further on down the grassy lane, Dorothy's eyes gazed at the lovely scenery before her. Beautiful blue and pink flowers bloomed everywhere, the air smelled fresh and clean, some of trees bore rich and delicious fruits, and mountains went far out in the distance. But one these trees bore something that drew Dorothy towards it. Red lunch pails dangled from the branches and the leaves were all green napkins.
"Look, Billina! It's a lunch pail tree!" exclaimed Dorothy. "Now I know we're in Oz."
"Whatever happened to breakfast?" Billina questioned.
"It doesn't matter," grinned Dorothy. "When one is hungry, one must eat."
"Now make sure you don't pick a green one," warned Billina.
Since she was now tall enough to reach for something that was high up, Dorothy stood on her tip toes and picked one lunch pail, and then picked another lunch pail. "Here are some ripe ones. One for now, and one for later."
Dorothy sat down underneath the tree's shade, put one lunch pail down to the side, and put the other in her lap. "Come share my lunch with me, Billina."
"As long as there's no fried chicken inside," said Billina.
Dorothy took the lid off and found some delicious good things to eat. She gasped in amazement. "Oh, look! A ham sandwich, a pickle, a slice of cheese, an apple, a piece of chocolate cake, and a thermos filled with orange juice are in here."
"I'll eat some of the cake and bread crumbs if you like," said Billina.
Dorothy giggled, taking bits of bread off her sandwich and scattered it on the ground for Billina to eat. Then Dorothy placed the cheese and pickle in her ham sandwich, and took a bite.
"Hmm-Mm. This is really good. Oh, Billina, we're back in Oz for good." Dorothy sighed, happily. "Now I can show you all the people and places that nobody believes in."
But little did they know that they were being watched. A demonic looking face carved in a boulder had been watching them from a short distance. He had listened to their conversation and realized who they were, he vanished from the upper ground, going deep underground, to report to his master.
"Your Majesty, she has returned to Oz," said the rock minion, in a low, raspy voice.
"Good. What do we have to fear of a little girl?" answered a deep, rumbling voice.
"Uh, she is not a little girl anymore," said the minion, "she has grown up."
"I see," said the voice, "just keep an eye on her." But the rock minion hesitated. "Well, what's the matter? What is it?"
"She has – a chicken with her!" replied the rock minion.
"A CHICKEN?!" The voice shook the caverns like thunder and it frightened the rock minion greatly.
-0o0o0-
A pair of bright blue eyes fluttered open and was met with nothing but stone walls and floors. The Scarecrow, King of Oz, shot upward and tried to move forward. But he discovered in vain that his wrists were synched tight in shackles and the chains were attached to the wall behind him.
"Gadzooks! What happened to me? How did I end up in here?" cried the Scarecrow. "The last thing I remember is being in the Wizard's chamber, the guys and I were preparing to ask Glinda to send an invitation to Dorothy to attend Marshal Mallow and China Princess' wedding, the floor yawning opening before us and lots of stone monsters crawling out. Then those monsters stole all the emeralds, kidnapped Glinda and…..Oh yeah! I used her wand to send the key to Dorothy's world so she could find Tiktok and.….something covered my eyes and…..I guess the next thing I know I'm in here, all alone." He sighed heavily. "I wonder what to Tin Man, Lion, Glinda, Wiser, Tiktok, and everybody else."
"Talking to yourself is a sign of insanity. Your new brain must be malfunctioning."
The Scarecrow's eyes searched the dungeon room for the deep, rumbling voice he had heard. "Who said that? Who are you?"
"I am the true King of Oz, and you are my prisoner," said the voice.
"But I'm the King of Oz around here! The Wizard put me in charge when he left Oz! You're just a kidnapper and an imposter!" shouted the Scarecrow, angrily.
"We shall soon see," purred the voice. "By the way, an old friend of yours has returned to Oz and is looking for you."
"What friend!?" The Scarecrow asked, still shouting. But the voice didn't respond. The Scarecrow thought about what the voice had said and when his brain finally clicked to who he was referring to, panic filtered his straw head. "Oh, no! Dorothy!" Scarecrow gasped. "If she does come back to Oz, who knows what kind of danger she'll run into! Oh, how do I get out of here? I've got to protect her!"
A ghostly mist of green light appeared before him, taking the shape of a girl, as it approached him. The Scarecrow backed up against the wall, thinking it must be some sort of torture sent to him by his captor.
But the ghostly shape placed an object down on floor by his feet. "This mirror will help you keep an eye on Dorothy throughout her journey." Her voice was soft and gentle, with a hint of elegance.
"But how do I know I can trust you with this mirror?" The Scarecrow asked, dubiously.
But the ghostly shape grew fuzzy and she disappeared from the dungeon.
With a shrug, the Scarecrow picked up the mirror by the handle and looked into its reflection. "Show me Dorothy Gale."
The oval glass shape began to ripple and glow, and the image of a beautiful girl appeared, walking through a grassy meadow, carrying the second lunch pail in her hand, and with a chicken trotting at her feet. Though she looked different than she had in her childhood, the straw man king recognized her instantly.
"Dorothy…"
The Scarecrow was beside himself, as he stared at her like he was almost possessed. She definitely looked older and mature now, and ever so beautiful.
"Gosh, kiddo. You've grown up over the years." The Scarecrow breathed in silent wonder. "You're quite a beauty now, aren't you?"
-0o0o0-
After a few miles of walking, Dorothy and Billina came to a sign that read 'Welcome to Munchkinland.' Dorothy eagerly rushed through the fields and entered the little Munchkin village. Surprisingly, there was nobody around, which struck Dorothy as odd.
"Huh? Where is everybody?" Dorothy wondered aloud. "Where are all the Munchkins?"
"This place looks like a ghost town," clucked Billina.
Up ahead, Dorothy spotted her old farm house that had landed in the middle of the village long ago. Dorothy ran up to it, Billina followed.
"Look, Billina! This is our old farm house," said Dorothy. "The one that the twister blew away years ago. That's how I got to Oz in the first place."
"Sounds like it was a rough trip," said Billina.
"See that spot down there?" Dorothy asked, pointed to the beam of the house. "That's where I landed on the Wicked Witch of the East."
"Wicked Witch?" The chicken mumbled in mild surprise.
"And here's where all the Munchkins were celebrating her demise and called me a hero. And this spot is where I was greeted by Glinda the Good Witch of the North, confronted by the Wicked Witch of the West."
"Which witch are you going on about?"
"Glinda is a good and beautiful witch. Only bad witches are ugly like the wicked sisters of the east and west…"
Dorothy's heart froze when she saw the yellow brick road. The once golden path was all torn up. The bricks had faded to a dull yellow color, and weeds had grown between the bricks that remained in place while the rest of them were askew or broken.
"Oh, no…" Dorothy picked up a broken yellow brick in shock.
"What? It's just a yellow brick," shrugged Billina.
"No, Billina. You don't understand!" Dorothy gasped through the verge of tears. "This was the Yellow Brick Road! It leads to the Emerald City!"
Panic and worry filled her heart as Dorothy made a dash for it down the broken and uneven yellow brick road.
"Dorothy, wait for me!" Billina clucked and flapped wildly to try and keep up with her.
'What's happened here? What's happened to everyone?' These thoughts raced through Dorothy's mind. 'I hope nothing bad has happened to my friends! Please let everyone be alright!'
-0o0o0-
"No, Dorothy! Don't go to the Emerald City! It could be a trap or an ambush waiting for you!" The Scarecrow watched with worry as he stared through the mirror. "But if you do find Tiktok, I do hope he can protect you."
Meanwhile, the rock minion had returned to the underground, after having watched Dorothy and Billina leave Munchkinland.
"Your Majesty, they have discovered the Yellow Brick Road and have taken the path that would lead them to the Gillikin Country."
"Good," chuckled the voice. "They won't get past Mombi."
-0o0o0-
Dorothy had tripped over a loose brick in her rush to get to the Emerald City, and tumbled down a steep hill, landing on a patch of old dried up grass. Billina clucked and fluttered down the hill to get to Dorothy.
"Are you alright, Dorothy?" Billina asked, worriedly.
Dorothy sat upward, groaning. "Ugh. I think so."
"Well, don't rush out on me like that again!" scolded the hen.
Then they noticed their surroundings and they didn't like it one bit. It was a dark and creepy forest, with trees that seemed to have ghost-like faces. An owl hooted from within one of the trees and buzzards screeching from high above.
"Eesh! It's spooky down here," shuddered Billina, huddling close to Dorothy.
"Billina, look. Golden berries." Dorothy pointed to a bush filled with beautiful gold berries.
As Dorothy curiously reached out to grab one of gold berries, the leaves parted and the face of a Jack-o-Lantern gave Dorothy and Billina a fright. The Jack-o-Lantern put a finger to his lips to silence them severely.
"Oh my gosh! Y-Y-Your alive!" Dorothy stuttered.
"Yeah, but I don't know how long I will be," said the Jack-o-Lantern, coming out from bush. He looked quite as tall as the Scarecrow and the Tin Man, and a couple inches taller than the teenage Dorothy. His head was a pumpkin carved with a jack-o-lantern's face that moved its mouth and eyes whenever he spoke or blinked. The pumpkin headed man was dressed in a long sleeved cream white shirt, a dark green vest with gold buttons, a light green scarf wrapped around his wooden neck, brown-gray pants with a brown belt wrapped tightly around the waist, and old brown worn out shoes attached to his feet. His hands were made of wood and his entire body was made entirely out of stick and wood underneath his clothing.
Billina clucked loudly. "What's the idea scaring us to death like that? It's not Halloween yet! What are you anyway? A man or a melon?"
"A pumpkin, if you please, now hush up!" hissed the pumpkin headed man.
"Hush yourself!" huffed Billina.
"Please don't start a fight here. Let's be polite and introduce ourselves." The farm girl stuck her hand out for the pumpkinhead to take. "How do you do? My name is Dorothy Gale, and this is chicken Billina."
Looking at her hand and up at her friendly pretty features, the pumpkinhead took hold of her hand and shook it gently. "Hello, Dorothy. My name is Jack Pumpkinhead. You're just as pretty as my mother."
Jack blushed from the compliment he had given to Dorothy and she giggled. "Thank you."
"Since when did you have a mother?" asked Billina, rudely.
Jack stiffened at the hen. "Oh, please make her hush, Dorothy! She'll hear her. She'll come here and find me, and turn me into pumpkin pie!"
"Who will find you? Who are you talking about?" asked Dorothy.
"Mombi, who else!" answered Jack.
Dorothy looked at Jack in confusion. "Who's Mombi? Your mother?"
"What? No way! She's way too ugly to be my – wait, you mean to say you never heard of Mombi!? The most wicked witch in Oz!? Why do you come from anyway?"
"Well, Billina and I come from Kansas."
"And you never heard of Mombi there?" Jack asked. "Don't you have witches in Kansas?"
"Not officially," Dorothy replied.
"Except for Miss Gulch," Billina muttered under her breath.
"No witches, eh? Your lucky. It must be very far away from here." Jack said in amazement.
"Oh, yes. Very far from here, even by twister." Dorothy sighed, then she asked, "But why is Mombi after you? What did you do?"
"It's more like what I didn't do," said Jack. "I'm her slave, like my mother before me."
"Who is your mother?" Dorothy questioned.
Jack told her his backstory, rather sadly. "She's a girl who's just as pretty as you. My mom built me to give Mombi a good scare. She waited until I was ripe than stole me from the field from where I've grown as a seed. Took me home and carved a face on me, and made me arms, legs, and a body out of wood. She even gave me a nice taste in clothes. Then mom put me in a place where Mombi would meet me face to warty face. She came, and sure enough, she was terrified, but then she was angry. Mombi was about to destroy me with her broomstick, but then she decided to test out some of her new Power of Life she had brought from a crooked sorcerer in the mountains. She did, and it worked, so here I am."
"What is this power of life?" asked Dorothy.
"You sprinkle it on something and the object comes to life," explained Jack.
"What happened to your mother?" Billina asked.
Jack lowered his head in sorrow with downcast eyes. "She vanished. I think Mombi enchanted her. Right after that, I never saw my mom again, and Mombi made me her slave." He shuddered his wooden body at the memories of working for the old witch. "And I hate my job, I hate being a witch's helper! I don't mind stirring the magic potions or sweeping the floor with her broomstick, except for that other special broomstick she always keeps to her side. But when it comes to feeding the spiders, washing the toads, picking up after her crow – YUCK!"
"Ew! That's so disgusting!" Dorothy scowled in disgust.
"I don't think I wanna hear any more!" grumbled Billina.
Jack continued on, looking more and more scared. "And she's getting more and more of other nasty things because she's cooking up a very wicked potion for a very evil deed, which takes plenty of spiders and toads. This morning she brought in a dozen of those things and tried to force me to help her with her evil deed. I couldn't take it anymore! I ran away and hid myself here! If she finds me, she'll destroy me!"
The pumpkinheaded man began to sob. Billina rolled her eyes heavenward in annoyance. But Dorothy pitied on the poor pumpkinhead as she took hold of both of his wooden hands into her own.
"There, there, Jack. Don't cry," she said in a tone that a mother would use to calm a crying child. "I don't blame you a bit with your troubles. I won't let her find you, I promise."
"Oh, that's so kind of you. Very kind of you, Dorothy." Jack smiled, his crying now stopped.
"From what you've told me I'm beginning to think that this Mombi is responsible for what's happened to the Yellow Brick Road, and I fear she might've done something to the Emerald City and I fear that my friends are in trouble." Dorothy pondered a moment before she spoke to the pumpkinhead again. "Why don't you just come with me to the Emerald City? We can find my friends the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion. I'm sure they will protect you from Mombi. They don't like witches either."
Suddenly, a black cat pounced on Billina, who, in sheer panic, clucked and cackled in fear as she flapped her wings crazily and took off. The black cat followed her in hot pursuit, determined to make a meal out of the chicken.
"Billina, come back!" Dorothy yelled, chasing after the cat and the chicken.
Jack glanced in the direction Dorothy was heading for and fear filtered into his pumpkin head. "NO! No, don't follow him! That's Mombi's cat!" Jack called out, nearly tripping on his own legs and managed to get back up on his feet again to chase after Dorothy. "NO, STOP!"
-0o0o0-
Even from his prison, the Scarecrow became worried for Dorothy's safety as he watched her go toward Mombi's cottage. "Dorothy, stay away from that place! Mombi will kill you!"