New Friends

Author's Note: This is a pastiche of different versions of the Wizard of Oz. It owes a lot to Wicked the Musical and the ORIGINAL draft of the 1930s film. In the original casting, the wicked witch was supposed to be pretty like Elphaba, but they eventually decided she must look like a stereotypical wicked witch.

The scarecrow was tied to a wooden framework and had been for as long as he could remember. Why couldn't he remember more? Had his brain been taken away? His memories were hazy on that point. Perhaps that proved his brain was lost?

There was nothing to be seen except grassy expanses with the road of yellow brick down the middle. Nothing else today, nor yesterday… Wait!

There was a girl trotting along the yellow brick road. A little dog scampered at her heels. The first thing the Scarecrow noticed about the girl was her startlingly green face. Now that rang a bell with him… who else had a green face?

She did look a nice girl however. She had long red hair, flowing loose over her shoulders and a sensible frock. She also had bright red shoes, apparently made up of individual rubies. Blood red to contrast with her brightly coloured face. Well the slippers were valuable if they were genuine.

Could she help him? He really wanted to get free and not be stuck in this boring place day after day…

"Help!" he called, but his voice was dry and reedy and too soft to be heard by any human ear. But the dog heard it and barked.

"What is it Toto?" asked the girl. Her voice was nice too. She had a drawling, sing-song accent that he couldn't place. He had never been to Kansas before. Toto barked again and scampered over to him.

The girl put her hands to her mouth and her blue eyes widened. She ran over to the scarecrow. Close up he could see how smooth and shiny her entire face looked. As if her skin were really some kind of synthetic material brought to life.

The scarecrow opened and closed his mouth trying to speak, but this time he could make no words, only very soft sounds which caused Toto to bark all the more.

"Poor thing. You're alive, aren't you?" said the girl, cocking her head, her blue eyes quizzical. The scarecrow nodded feebly.

"I wish I could get you down…" said the girl and reached for his arms. Suddenly her green face seemed to glow bright and as she touched him, he felt a jolt as though from an electric current. Suddenly he felt strength flood through him. The girl must have felt it too, because she gave a little cry.

"Please help me down," urged the scarecrow.

"I really do want to," said the girl, standing on tiptoe and straining to reach the ropes that tied him to the wooden frame. Suddenly the ropes began to move of their own volition as if they were snakes. They were unwinding and unknotting. They fell away and the scarecrow slid to the ground. He could stand. He was a little dizzy, but he could stand.

"Oh you're alright!" squealed the girl, flinging her arms around him. "I don't know how I did it, but you're free now. I'm Dorothy and this is Toto, my dog."

"I'm just a scarecrow," said the scarecrow, "and I'm missing a brain. Perhaps your magic could help?"

"I don't have magic," said Dorothy, her wide blue eyes puzzled.

"You made those knots unwind with magic," the scarecrow pointed out.

"I don't know how I did that. I'm going to see the Wizard of Oz. He's going to help me get my face back."

That puzzled the scarecrow. "You have your face. I can see perfectly well. Cute, bright green cheeks and forehead, blue eyes, shiny green nose, dark green lips…"

Dorothy wrinkled her shiny green nose. "It's a mistake. This is not my real face. I put on a green mask and I can't take it off."

Surely it was her real face then if it didn't come off? But the scarecrow didn't argue. "Why don't we go to see the Wizard together?" he suggested, "and he could also give me a brain while he fixes you."

"Alright!" said Dorothy and they linked arms and skipped along the road together, singing:

"We're off to see the Wizard,

The wonderful Wizard of Oz."

Toto scampered along behind them.