Disclaimer, if I do not…. Do I still need to put this here?
"Dorothy?" came the voice of frank gale.
"Yes Poppa?" Dorothy asked running into the room.
"Dorothy, can you grab me that hammer there and hand it to be dear?" he asked looking at her from the ladder.
Dorothy obeyed and picked up the hammer, she then handed it to her.
"Here you go poppa." Dorothy said handing the hammer to her father.
"Thanks dear." He said starting to cough.
He then collapsed to the floor and Dorothy screamed.
"Momma!" Dorothy cried.
"Dorothy? What's wrong?" She asked running in.
"Something's wrong with poppa." Dorothy cried.
"Dorothy? Dorothy?" Officer Gray said snapping his fingers in front of her.
Dorothy was snapped out of thought, the memory faded. She shook her head like a dog trying to dry off. She then looked at him.
"Yes?" Dorothy asked in a bit of a daze.
"We're there, if you'd like I'll wait out here while you and Toto go to the grave." He said warmly.
Dorothy nodded and got out of the truck, picked up the scepter, and opened the back door so Toto could get out. Dorothy then led Toto into the graveyard. The sun had almost completely set giving the graveyard a rather eerie look. As she and Toto got closer to the grave, Dorothy noticed that there were several things of flowers left at the foot of the grave's angel statue.
"Strange, who left these here?" Dorothy asked walking over and picking up one of the bouquets.
Sniffing the flowers, she found that they were not that which were common here in Kansas. And yet she had smelt them before. Setting them down her knelt at the foot of the statue.
"Mom, Dad, what am I going to do, I'm not a killer, and yet in the end it will be that man and me, and one of us must die in the end, what am I going to do?" she asked beginning to cry
"Whatever you think is right?" came a voice from behind her.
Dorothy gasped and turned around, she was met with jester, standing there, with a bouquet of flowers. She eyed him angrily.
"You know if looks could kill, well id be more than just dead by now." He said chuckling and walking over to the grave, dropping the bouquet at the foot of the angel statue.
"Why are you leaving flowers at my parents' grave?" she asked wiping tears from her face.
"Believe it or not, I do have a sense of pity, and I'm sorry for you loss, though it was so long for you now." He said ruffling her hair.
She was stumped by this, why was he being nice? Let alone to her of all people? She tightened her grasp on the scepter which began to glow again.
"Why are you being nice to me though? Aren't you supposed to be trying to destroy me?" She asked in a frightened tone.
"Because, in a war there are civil conversations and meeting are there not?" He asked.
"So? Anyways, you already caused me and my family enough trouble." She said starting to tear up.
"Actually no, your aunts injury was not my work, that was completely and entirely fate, if I could take credit for it though, I would." He said
Toto then barked at him loudly, he growled at him and he shrunk back in fright.
"Anyways, getting rid of your family isn't part of my master plan." He continued.
"And what is this master plan?" she asked.
"It's not complete yet, but soon, soon I'll be ready to unveil my master plan." he said chuckling.
"Dorothy? I heard Toto barking, is everything okay?" Came the voice of the sheriff.
The jester looked at Dorothy and smiled, he knelt down so that she could be at eye level with the child.
"In fairness, this game could go on for a long time, because soon to me, is not so soon to you, I could spring out at any time, and at any place, while you're at home, with friends, with that girl you're in custody of, even while you are in school or in oz." he said chuckling, he then vanished.
It was then that the sheriff showed up, she got up and smiled, she knew the jester was tricky like that, and she didn't need him to warn her. But she wasn't going to mention this to the sheriff or anyone, she knew she couldn't for her own safety, and for everyone else's.
"Dorothy?" the sheriff asked.
Dorothy got up and looked at him.
"I'm fine officer gray, Toto just got spooked by something." She said giggling.
He chuckled and walked over to her.
"Well, it's getting late, let's go… who left all these flowers here?" he asked looking at the grave
"I assume some old friends." She said smiling a bit.
"I guess so, your parents were great people." He said.
"I've been told that." Dorothy said sitting on the ground and rummaging through her satchel, she then pulled out the flats.
After pulling off her boots and sliding on the flats she got up and picked up the boots, handing them to officer grey she knelt down and picked up Toto. They then both walked back to the truck. As soon as they were back on the road heading towards the town Dorothy felt herself getting drowsy. She stretched and leaned back in the seat. And eventually she was asleep. She awoke a few hours later to find herself alone in the truck, the scepter glowing on the seats behind her. Toto was curled up comfortably next to it. She soon realized she was also wrapped in a nice hand sewn quilt. She got up and stretched to grab the scepter.
"Guess he didn't want to wake me, nice guy and all but." Dorothy said realizing that the truck was parked outside of the sheriff's department, "Well at least it's only a few blocks away from the hospital and I can at least walk there." She added stretching and nudging Toto a bit with the end of the scepter.
He stirred then barked a few times in confusion. He then realized he was being woken up for a reason and stopped.
"Come on Toto, let's go thank the sheriff for driving us." Dorothy said opening the door and jumping out, then opening up the other door and letting Toto out.
She then walked into the sheriff's department and found her satchel hanging from a hat stand next to sheriff's hat. She also noticed her boots on the ground next to the stand. She walked into the office to find the sheriff going over some papers. He looked up and smiled, he then gestured for Dorothy to sit down on an armchair on the other side of the office, the sight of it made her giggle and yawn at the same time.
"Why do you keep an armchair, of all things, in your office?" she asked curiously
"My wife insists that I relax every now and again, she says this job is extremely stressful on me." He said chuckling.
"Well then." She said walking over.
"Oh, and I talked to your uncle, he said it would be okay if you wanted to stay here for the night, if not I can drive you to the hospital, it's not safe at this time of night." He said looking at the large wall clock on the other side of the room.
"If it's all the same to you, I think I want to go to the hospital, I think my uncle needs to rest." Dorothy said tiredly.
"That sounds good." He said getting up.
The all walked out of the office and Toto barked a few times. Dorothy smiled and picked him up. He then proceeded to lick her on the cheek and then nuzzled into her shoulder like a small child. The sheriff walked over to the hat stand and grabbed his hat, Dorothy's satchel, and her boots. He then walked over to her and admired the scepter which was now glowing again. Soon Dorothy found herself sitting back down in the sheriff's truck, and soon they were on the two minute drive in the direction of the hospital.
"Would you mind waiting for my uncle henry? You can drive him to the Alistair's" she asked curiously.
"Not at all, I'm sure he's exhausted by now, hasn't slept since the tornado I think." He said
"Thanks." She replied.
When they got there Dorothy grabbed all of her things, and Toto, and walked in. she was greeted by the receptionist and Doctor Maxwell. She then went back to the room her aunt was in and found her uncle dozing in a chair. She set the scepter against the wall, put her boots and the satchel down by the door, and walked over to her uncle and shook him awake.
"Uncle Henry, the sheriff is waiting outside to drive you to Mr. Alistair's." Dorothy said.
"Huh? Wha? Oh thanks Dorothy." he said getting up and yawning.
Once he was gone Dorothy slid out of the flats and sat down in the chair uncle henry had been using. Toto jumped up on her lap. She pet him for some time before she heard her aunt moan.
"Agh, my head, what happened?" she asked moaning in pain.
Dorothy Immediately got up and ran to the desk, luckily doctor Maxwell was still there.
"She's awake." Dorothy said
The doctor immediately ran past her and into the room. Dorothy quickly followed. When she got in there she found Doctor Maxwell giving her aunt the same examination that she had been given when she was in the same situation nearly a day ago.
"Well, Mrs. Gale, I am pleased to announce that in the few hours that you have been here, you have started to make a nice and speedy recovery, but just to be sure, I think it'd be a good idea to keep you here a few more days Mrs. Gale" he said after a while.
Toto then ran over and jumped up on the bed. Auntie Em chuckled and smiled. She scratched him behind the ears and he licked her on the face.
"Dorothy, you should go get some rest." Auntie Em said weakly.
"Auntie Em, Uncle Henry needed more rest than I did, he stayed here all day with you." She replied.
"And in the end you took over for him?" Auntie Em asked.
"Yes Auntie Em." Dorothy said smiling.
"Dorothy, I agree with your aunt you should get some more rest, it's about three in the morning." Doctor Maxwell said, "And please put some shoes on." He added.
"Doctor Maxwell, Dorothy tends to be accustomed to going barefoot sometimes." Auntie Em said.
"Fair enough, but a hospital is not the best place to be barefoot." Doctor Maxwell said.
Dorothy sighed and slid her feet into the flats and sat back down in the chair she had been using. Toto then jumped off of auntie Em and onto Dorothy's lap.
"And, Dorothy, please, don't worry." Auntie Em said lying back down.
Doctor Maxwell then got up and walked out of the room without saying a word. Toto jumped off Dorothy's lap and walked over to the door. He then pushed his head against the door and started to shut it. Dorothy quickly got up and stopped him from pushing it the rest of the way. She then picked up the scepter again and walked back to the chair. She started to think about her parents again. She began to tear up. She then looked at her aunt and sighed, she was asleep again. Dorothy soon began to feel drowsy again. And soon once more she was asleep