The morning weather was crisp in the Land of Oz, with the chirping of birds echoing across the multitude of forests found in all four of its quadrants. The sound of streams and waterfalls added to the majesty of the Ozian countryside. Animals and humans alike all welcomed the start of a new and glorious day in this magical land.
In the Munchkin Country, one munchkin maid was about to start her day as well. She was a young and beautiful girl with fair skin and dark alluring eyes. Her father was a wood cutter and her mother was a housemaid. She came from humble beginnings, but also maintained a kind and tender heart. One day, she had been walking alone in a nearby munchkin forest when she saw a piece of paper attached to a tree. The pamphlet invited all to apply as a housekeeper. It gave the location of the house, but there was no other information about who posted the pamphlet or who the occupant of the house was. The paper included a simple map. At the bottom was the sentence: "first come, first hired".
Following the map, she arrived at a dark and foreboding cabin. The woods were quiet as the sun disappeared behind a thick brush of trees. The area became so dark that the young woman's shadow disappeared entirely. She continued to walk with mild trepidation as she approached the cabin's front door, a chilly breeze blowing past her face. After giving a soft knock, the door creaked and became slightly ajar.
"Hello?" The young woman made her presence known, but no one responded. She slowly walked into the dark interior of the cabin, hearing the creaking of the floor boards as she did so. To the young woman, the main room looked like a living room. There was a dim lantern on a square table, which emitted enough light for the young woman to see. Besides having a rustic cabin like appearance, the room had no windows. Instead, several paintings hung on the walls. As she looked at them, one of those paintings contained a woman with long, flowing blonde hair. She was covered in light as a group of female faeries circled above her. Another painting featured a young and beautiful scarlet clad woman with fair peach complexion. Beside this beautiful girl in the picture was a middle age woman who donned a green emerald dress with black feather accents over her shoulders. Her headpiece featured an intricately designed ornament. A green emerald encrusted necklace hanged over her chest.
A creaking sound was heard in a nearby room. Startled, the woman turned around. No one was in front of her as she tried to adjust her eyes to the dark. The young woman's voice became louder and slightly more frightened. "Hello?" This time, someone responded. Her voice was soft, but withered. "Come into the next room."
The young woman slowly walked into the adjacent room. She saw a small table. Like the living room, a dim lantern was placed at the center, which generated enough light for her to see the table, but not much else. As she approached the table, the room resembled a rustic, dilapidated kitchen. However, she also felt a dark presence. Her eyes immediately noticed the shadow of a sentient being seated at the table. While she could not make out her physical features, she did see a pair of yellow eyes staring at her.
The dark figure then spoke. "Who are you? And what do you want?"
The young Munchkin woman tried to not appear frightened. "M-m my name is Nimmie. I am just a poor munchkin maid. I saw your paper attached to a tree in the forest. I…I want the job."
Its voice quiet, the shadowy figure remained hidden. "Step into the light so I can see you."
Nimmie slowly entered the light, the dim lantern only extending its hue from the center of the table to an empty chair on the opposite end.
The yellow eyes examined the munchkin girl as the room became deathly silent. To Nimmie, this silence lasted forever, but was really only for several seconds.
The deep feminine voice grumbled. "Why do you want this job?"
The Munkin girl was nervous, but responded with candor. "The letter indicated quite a bit of gold coins and it would be nice for papa not having to chop trees anymore…" Nimmie also wanted a temporary job to purchase a home with her beloved, Nick Chopper, but she omitted that information.
The dark figure stood up and slowly entered the light. Nimmie's heart raced to her throat in fear. Standing before her was an old and hideous hag.
The dark and terrifying woman loomed over her. "Do you know who I am?"
Nimmie tried to speak. "Y-y-y-yes….you…you….are…the Wicked Witch of the East…"
Evanora snarled and hissed at her visitor. "Do not EVER call me that name!" This made the poor munchkin maid cower with fear.
The former advisor to King Pastoria, favorite of Queen Lurline and former de-facto leader of the Emerald City hated being called that name. The name reminded her of Glinda, who was the first one to use and propagate that wretched label. And any and all memories of Glinda would trigger a cascade of other emotions, none of which were good or of any use to Evanora. The fact that Glinda had to pay an unwanted, surprise visit to her cabin and bested her in a game of chess merely deepened the knife wound that her dear "sister" had first struck into her back many years ago.
Regardless, the Witch of the East stared at her visitor. Nimmie reminded her of her little sister. She was incredibly pretty and her voice was soft and innocent.
"When can you begin?"