Chapter 2: Meeting the Munchkins

To our heroes, a unknown woman was approaching them. To Dorothy, it was her Aunt Em. She was a middle aged woman wearing a teal bonnet and a dress mixed with violet and light violet colors. She and Dorothy then embraced in a hug.

"There you are Dorothy, me and Uncle Henry are going into town for a meeting."

"That sounds nice, I understand it's grown-ups only, so me and my new friends will watch the farmhouse," Dorothy replied.

"New friends? What about Toto?"

The four men who accompanied Dorothy realized they were being mentioned. Since Dorothy knew Aunt Em, they figured she could introduce them to her. Surprisingly, Aunt Em said "Well, you, Toto, and your four 'friends' will ensure the house is standing." All four of them noted Em was referring to the lot as if they were imaginary. Then it hit all four of them, there were rocks stacked so that only their eyes could be seen.

"Come on Em, the council is waiting" Uncle Henry shouted from afar. Dorothy ran up to wave the two goodbye, smiling all the way. After they left her eye range, Dorothy looked sad and went into the farmhouse.

"The girl and her dog have been left alone here," Takeo stated. The four made their way to the farmhouse shortly after Dorothy and Aunt Em left the hillside. Sadly, they could not catch a word with either of them due to Aunt Em having turned around once they realized their mistake with the rocks.

"Yes Takeo, apparently, her Aunt und Uncle trust Dorothy and Toto. For now, we should ask if anything needs done," Richtofen replied.

"Hey, where did Dorothy go anyways? Toto's out here scaring chickens!" Dempsey remarked. Indeed Toto had just scared a group of chickens.

"Toto, lunchtime. If you four want to eat too, then please enter," Dorothy shouted from the farmhouse.

"Well, we get food, then figure out plan da?" asked Nikolai. No one answered him. Toto ran into the house, with the soldiers (and scientist) following.

Inside, Dorothy was sitting on the floor next to Toto. Toto was happily eating his lunch: a piece of pie.

"I don't feel lonely at all when I'm with you Toto," Dorothy was talking to Toto who had just finished eating. "Well, I miss Aunty Em and Uncle Henry a little bit I guess, but they said they'd be back before supper time."

Our four heroes sat around the table, leaving one spot open for Dorothy. Dorothy fed Toto more pie, then sat at the tables with another plate this one with bread and cheese. The four heroes ate the meal.

"So are you enjoying the bread and cheese?" Dorothy asked all four.

"This is the best meal I've tasted since the war, my basic rations were barely edible," Dempsey stated.

"This meal is nice, and it is nice that it is shared equally amongst all of us," Nikolai said.

Takeo didn't reply, instead he merely ate in silence.

"Unlike those mysterious drinks, this meal is exceptionally edible," Richthofen spoke.

"What drinks?" Dorothy asked, curious as to why a battlefield would contain drinks in the middle of it. At once the four men huddled together, wondering if it was safe for anyone to know.

"Listen, I know we only met Dorothy, but I think it's important to tell her what happened back in France. It can only strengthen our case should we be captured." Dempsey said this, then immediately began telling his side of the story to Dorothy. Nikolai and Takeo followed suit, while Richtofen looked outside.

Just as Takeo was explaining about how Richtofen was talking about the staves and what they did, the real Richtofen said "If I may interrupt to ask a question. Dempsey, why did you decide to use your staff outside this farmhouse? There are now multiple clouds in the sky that weren't there when we entered."

"What are you talking about Richtofen? I still have full ammunitions for my staff!" Dempsey replied.

Dorothy and the crew went outside to observe this phenomenon. Indeed, dark clouds were rolling in fast. "There wasn't a cloud in the sky a minute ago. But now look at it. Oh well, at least I don't see any Twisters out there." As soon as Dorothy finished saying this, Toto was barking like crazy in another direction.

"I have read that animals have keener senses than us. Maybe Toto noticed something?" Richtofen asked.

All five of them looked in the direction that Toto was barking and immediately saw it. In the distance was a small tornado.

"Oh no," Dorothy stated. "We have to get back to the house."

Everyone ran back to the farmhouse with Toto in Dorothy's arms. It was chaotic, the wind was causing curtains to blow and flower pots to tumble to the ground. All five made it to the door when Nikolai looked back.

"The wind appears to be coming closer. Perhaps we should seek shelter, while we are able to." Nikolai finally spoke.

Opening the door was easy, yet all five of them struggling to close the door.

"The storm cellar, we have to get into the storm cellar c'mon," Dorothy said.

Eventually, the sky was nothing but dark clouds. The tornado was inching closer to the farmhouse. Dorothy opened the storm cellar and attempted to climb in.

"Wait a second, where did Toto run off to?" Dempsey asked.

All five of them looked around the entire farmhouse, worried that Toto might end up in the twister itself. Eventually, they heard him cowering in fear under a bed.

"There you are," Dorothy exclaimed. She started to climb under the bed reaching out for Toto. At this point, the Tornado had grabbed the farm and lifted it straight into the air. The farmhouse started to shake as it was being lifted right from it's foundation. Yet not one member of the house had entered the storm cellar, Dorothy wanting to ensure Toto was safe, and the men ensuring Dorothy was safe.

"Ahhhhh!" Dorothy screamed as the farmhouse was lifted into the air sending wood and animals everywhere. The house then tilted at an angle, sending Toto to Dorothy's arms.

"Now would be a good time to use the staves. Don't waste ammo, it would only make this storm worse," Richtofen stated. All four men whipped out the staff they were carrying and sank it into the ground, being careful not to fire a shot.

"I've got you Dorothy," Takeo shouted over the noise of the tornado. He had grabbed Dorothy shortly after she grabbed Toto, ensuring the two of them would not be thrown asunder. Dorothy then took a look towards the storm cellar but only saw the tornado. Eventually, the house evened out, allowing the staves to be returned.

"What's going on? We're flying!" Dorothy yelled over the noise. She went over to the window and saw various tools and pieces of a chicken coop just floating in the air. Toto then made a scared yelp as he was hanging onto the storm cellar entrance for dear life.

Suddenly, Toto fell over the edge. Dorothy grabbed him, but suddenly went over the edge too. Just before the two were lost to the tornado, Nikolai grabbed the two, with the other three holding onto him, Richtofen using the Staff of Lighting to hold himself steady from the wall.

"Show caution near open spaces, maybe sitting on the bed would calm us all down da?" The five of them sat on the bed, Dorothy holding onto Toto so no more accidents could occur. As for the farmhouse, it was going through another portal, this one green all around.

Some time later, the farmhouse had landed, the bed covers going up a few feet before coming down. Eventually sunlight hit the five on the bed and they examined the ruined farmhouse.

"Where are we?" asked Dorothy.

"Does this have anything to do with you Richtofen?" Dempsey suddenly wondered aloud.

"Nein! That portal was also unexpected. Not to mention, Dorothy traveled with us this time." answered Richtofen.

"Oh! The house is in ruins but look outside, the storm is over!" Dorothy exclaimed, running towards the door, the soldiers following her. "Oh I hope we're on the ground," Dorothy stated before opening the door. A bright yellow light engulfed the house as everyone shielded their eyes. When Dorothy was able to see again, she gasped.

They were in an area where the sky was yellow and everything was glistering. Butterflies were hovering near flowers, birds were flying out of trees. The entire area looked right out of a fairy tale.

"Evidently, we seem to have left Kansas," stated Takeo.

"I've never seen anything so beautiful," said Dorothy.

Toto exited the house shortly after the Origins men left the house. He turned around and noticed something beneath the farmhouse.

'Arf Arf'

"Toto what's wrong, what have you found? What is it boy let me see?" Dorothy asked as she and the others ran over to see.

What they saw was not what they expected to see. A pair of orange shoes with curled up toes were sticking out from the body, which appears to have been crushed by the house.

"A pair of shoes!" Dorothy exclaimed before grabbing Toto and gasping. "and and... and they have feet in them!" Dorothy was backing away from the house, the Origins crew not far behind her. They did not know if the rules of this place would allow the four of them to escape a death, and they weren't about to find out. Unbeknownst to all of them, people were watching from the nearby flowers.

"Whomever we have accidentally crushed occurred because of the house landing here." stated Nikolai. From behind all of them, the same people who were observing from afar wanted to get a closer look. Well, to call them people would be absurd for they are actually Munchkins. As each Munchkin has a different body, they are easily recognizable by their uniform, which is topped off with a Do-rag of near purple coloring. Suddenly, a whole group of Munchkins came right next to the farmhouse area, startling the group.

Dorothy tried to explain that it was an accident, but none of them paid any attention to her or the men.

"I don't believe it," one of the Munchkins stated.

In Dorothy's arms, Toto turned around to see more Munchkins staring at them from the bush. This caught the attention of Dorothy and the soldiers, who were still processing what they have done.

"Hello?" said Dorothy. No one answered her. "Oh who are these people and who's under the house..." a strange noise filled the area "...and what's happening?"

"I think we better check it out, it may help to understand the situation better," Dempsey stated, knowing that not knowing what was occurring under your nose was bad news, remembering his first encounter with the Panzersoldat back in France. The five of them could only see a glow, for the shoes were now glowing and vibrating.

"Oh get back quick." exclaimed a Munchkin, and every Munchkin under Dorothy's house scattered. Smoke was starting to appear as the smoke formed into a bat that flew away. At once the Munchkins started talking amongst each other laughing all the way, leaving Dorothy and the four men very confused.

Dorothy asked them to explain, but as the Munchkins started to talk, a nearby purple flower started to move. In a puff of orange smoke came an unknown woman, also dressed in purple, looking like a typical fairy godmother.

"Oh my goodness who's that?" asked Dorothy.

"Don't you know?" replied a Munchkin. The woman was brushing her left leg, evidently it had snagged the flower.

"Sorry dear sloppy landing." The woman said to the flower. She then turned towards the group and said "Well now names please."

"Tank Dempsey,"

"Nikolai Belinski,"

"Takeo Misaki,"

"Edward Richtofen,"

"My name's Dorothy, and who are you?"

"Me?" The woman replied before grabbing the bottom of her robe and fluttering over to the group. "Well, let's just say I am a friend and benefactor. At your service Dorothy and friends."

"Well then, could you please tell us what's going on?" asked Dorothy. The woman had a surprised look on her face, as if she was confused about the question that was asked.

"Well I'd be glad to my dear. When your house landed, it landed smack on the Wicked Witch of the East leaving nothing but her magic shoes there." The woman stated.

"So the one we crushed..." started Richtofen.

"...was a witch and as wicked as they come. You've done us all a great service." The woman finished for Richtofen.

"Do you mean it?" all of them asked at once.

"I do indeed!" replied the woman.

All of the Munchkins in the area started celebrating around our heroes, but they could only look upon the house in shock at what they heard.