Dorothy was quite surprised by the turn in events. She had never seen
the Witch so docile, so dejected. Her voice softened. "Is there any way
we can help you?" she asked kindly.
The Witch stared at Dorothy. Suddenly, tears began to roll down her
cheeks. "No one has ever been kind to me before," she said. "Why are you?"
"Because we love you," answered the little girl. "We couldn't show our
love to you before because you expressed so much hatred towards us that
it made us fearful of you."
"But how can you love someone who hates you?"
"Do you still hate us?" asked Dorothy.
"I don't know," replied the Witch, uncertainly. "I've never known
anything but Hate."
"Well," said Dorothy, "we've never known anything but Love. You see,
when people are unkind towards us, we try to respond with understanding
and sympathy. And although their attitude can be quite disturbing to us,
we know that to return hatred back towards them would only intensify the
situation. To return Hate with Hate wouldn't help the hateful person in
the least. And it most certainly would not help us."
The Witch thought for a moment...."You know, I have never talked quietly
like this before. Not even to my sisters. It gives me a good feeling
inside. Now I am beginning to experience a strange feeling I've never
felt before. I think it's a feeling of compassion, almost of love.
"This is very difficult for me to say, Dorothy. But I am very sorry for
all the anguish I have caused you and your friends."
Dorothy put her arms around the witch and hugged her. "It was worth
going through it all to see you making this transition," said the girl
warmly.
Tears now rolled freely from the Witch's eyes. Dorothy began to cry,
too. "My heart is very happy for you," she said. "You have entered the
door which leads to Heaven. For many, that door is never opened. Yet all
have the key."
"I think I know what you mean," replied the Witch. "That key is Love,
isn't it?"
Dorothy nodded silently and hugged the Witch tightly. "We are all going
to be very good friends," she said.
Suddenly the Witch looked very sad.
"What's the matter?" asked Dorothy.
"I'm so ugly," said the Witch. "I think that's one of the reasons I
became so hateful in the first place."
"Hatefulness will make anyone look ugly," said Dorothy. "True beauty is
within. An overwhelming feeling of love and kindness could never be ugly."
The Witch brightened up. "Do you think I can become attractive?" she
inquired hopefully.
"Of course," replied Dorothy. "You are already becoming so."
Sure enough, the Witch's features were changing. The harshness and the
cruel lines around her mouth were dissolving. The greenish tinge to her
face was changing to a soft pink glow.
The transformation was amazing. Except for the black cloak and pointed
hat, one would never know she was the dreadful Wicked Witch. Her face
was actually beautiful now. Her long jagged nose had shortened
considerably, giving her quite a sophisticated look.
The Witch was wondering why everyone was staring at her so intently.
"What's the matter?" she asked, rather alarmed.
"Look at your reflection in the water," said Dorothy.
The Witch ran over to the pond. She couldn't believe her eyes when she
saw her reflection. "This is unbelievable!" she said excitedly.
Dorothy walked over to her. "When we get back to Oz, where our friend
the Scarecrow is Emperor, we must find you some new clothes. You will
accompany us on our journey, won't you?"
"Oh, yes," replied the Witch. "Thank you. I can't stay in this place
now. I will never return here. Oh, this is so exciting! I'm so looking
forward to visiting the Emerald City! It will be a pleasure to accompany
you. I feel as if a great weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I
have lived in a lonely, cold, isolated world all my life. Now I am
looking forward to meeting people and enjoying life. Who knows, perhaps
I may meet a handsome prince."
Dorothy put her arm around the Witch. "This is indeed a wonderful moment
for all of us."
Well," the Witch said, looking around at all her friends, "are we all
ready?"
Everyone nodded vigorously.
"Then off we go!"
They all joined together, arm-in-arm, and began to sing as they danced
along.
"We're the best of friends together, so happy, so jolly.
We're the best of friends together, as happy as can be.
We're the best of friends together, and nobody -- ever,
can part our compa-nee....
Not n-o-o-o-body -- ever -- can part our compa-nee,
-- part our compa-nee -- part our compa-nee
When the song came to an end, the Witch said, "I'm so happy, Dorothy, to
have such kind and loving friends. Oh, what a fool I've been all these
years. I took great pleasure in hurting people and making them fear me.
But it was a pleasure that didn't come from deep within me. Not the kind
of pleasure that makes you tingle with joy, the way I feel now. No, it
was a selfish, sadistic pleasure derived from the feeling of power over
others. What a difference between the two. There is no comparison. But,
you see, I had to experience the kind of feeling I have now to know the
difference. And it was your being kind to me in spite of this cruelty to
you which brought me into this wonderful new understanding. I feel as if
I have been rescued from a deep, dark, cold dungeon in which I have
spent all my life; as if I've been brought out of perpetual darkness
into bright sunshine. It is truly wonderful."
"It has made us all very happy, too, to see you so happy," said Dorothy.
"It is difficult to love someone who obviously hates you, but we know
that hatefulness and resentment are not natural expressions of humanity,
but are caused by a lack of understanding and knowledge of universal
laws. Once people become locked up into this self-created prison, it is
almost impossible to break them out of it. But, if we don't try, there
can never be any hope for any of us."
"Well, I'm certainly glad you tried with me," said the Witch, "or I'd
still be there, and totally unaware that in reality I was locked up in
my own prison and had thrown away the key."
"Well, you are free now," said Dorothy. "And, with that experience
behind you, you will have the understanding to be able to help others in
similar situations. That is why we must always show compassion for those
who express hatred and resentment, for they are extremely unhappy
people, crying out for help. We must mentally surround them with love.
For to do otherwise means we are caught up in the same trap they are."
"Well, look how far we've walked." Dorothy gestured towards the houses
they had passed when they first entered Americanpresidentland. The
houses were quiet, with no signs of life anywhere. "The meeting must be
over," said the Lion. Just as he spoke, a shape jumped out of the bushes
at him. The Lion jumped with surprise. The shape growled, but, upon
seeing the Lion, the growls subsided and changed into a sort of purring
sound. The shape was none other than another lion. And what a pretty
lion. She had long curling eyelashes and beautiful big brown eyes. The
Cowardly Lion was absolutely spellbound. His heart pounded furiously. He
tried to speak but couldn't. Eventually, he managed a weak whisper. "Hello."
"Hello," replied the other lion, rather coyly. "Where do you live?"
"Quite a long way from here," said he, somewhat embarrassed by everyone
looking at them.
Dorothy said, "Why don't we leave these two alone for a while to get
acquainted? We'll walk slowly, Lion," she said, "so you can catch up.
Miss Lion is welcome to join us if she wishes."
"Thank you, Dorothy," said the Lion. The female lion looked quite
pleased by the invitation. "Well, I'm very happy for you both," replied
Dorothy. "Now you each have someone to share your life with."
"She is a very lovely soul," said the Lion, looking into his companion's
eyes. "It seems as if we were just made for each other."
"I'm sure you were," replied Dorothy. "I'm sure you were."
*
Chapter Twenty-two:
A Political Discussion
*
The journey back to Oz was quite uneventful. Everyone just enjoyed each
other's company as they talked of many things.
"You know," said the Tin Woodman at one point, "one of the most pleasant
aspects of life is having good friends: someone you can talk to who
understands you, and with whom you can share your hopes and dreams and
innermost thoughts."
"Yes, friendship is a wonderful thing," said Dorothy. "I was quite a
lonely little girl on the farm until I met all of you. Now I have the
most wonderful friends in the world."
"Thank you, Dorothy," said the Scarecrow. "We all feel very fortunate to
have you as a friend, too. You have taught us many things."
"Well, thank you," said Dorothy. "I know I have learned an awful lot
from all of you. And we have all learned tremendously from the friends
we have met on our journey."
"I know I have learned a great deal lately," said the Witch. "Thanks to
all of you."
"Thank you," said Dorothy. "I think all people everywhere learn from
each other. That is part of the joy of life. If there could be no
friendly exchange of thoughts and ideas with others, life would not be
too meaningful."
"It would be terrible to live one of those countries where people can
only read news that the government allows them to read," said the Tin
Woodman. "Or where they cannot voice criticism of government programs
and policies."
"The government in those countries must be terribly insecure and
fearful," said the Scarecrow.
"I would say that would have to be true," answered Dorothy.
"Hmm," said the Witch. "Much like my own kingdom was. A rule of fear
instead of a rule of love."
"When people are afraid to say anything against their system of
government or their leader, then that is a rule of fear, yes," said Dorothy.
"Why could I not see that at the time?" said the Witch.
"Because," replied Dorothy, "your love for yourself, or at least your
love of power, was stronger than your love for others."
"I had no love for others," said the Witch. "Only contempt."
"Exactly," said Dorothy.
"Thank Heaven you saved me from myself," answered the Witch. "Now I am
loved for myself. The power I care for no longer."
"Don't you see," replied Dorothy, "once you have given up the power, you
receive it. You have more power now than you ever have had."
The Witch raised her eyebrows questioningly. "I do?" she said.
"Of course," replied Dorothy. "You now have power over yourself. That is
harder to accomplish than obtaining power over ten million people. And
because you have power over yourself, you have obtained the respect of
all who come into contact with you. So now you have power over everyone.
But this is the power of love, the strongest power in the universe.
These little dictators and government officials who think they have so
much power are pitiful sights to behold. They have no power at all
compared to you, now."
"Well, isn't that something?" replied the Witch incredulously, shaking
her head. "Isn't that just something?"
*
Chapter Twenty-three:
Up, Up, and Away
*
By this time, the little group had walked all the way back to the river.
They had passed very few people on the way. They had not even seen any
Octapong when they walked through Octapongland. Once in a while they
caught a glimpse of someone, but it seemed to Dorothy as if people were
deliberately avoiding them.
"It's me," said the Witch suddenly.
"What?" said Dorothy.
"It's me," repeated the Witch. "I'm the reason."
"You're the reason for what?" asked Dorothy.
"I'm the reason people are avoiding us. They don't know I've changed."
"Oh," said Dorothy, "of course! I should have realized. Oh, well, we'll
soon be in the Emerald City. Then we'll get rid of these distinguishing
clothes."
"How are we going to get back, Dorothy?" asked the Scarecrow.
"That's a good question," replied Dorothy. "It's just too far to walk."
"I have an idea," offered the Witch. "If the Tin Woodman could cut me
some long straight sticks and some rushes, I will make broomsticks for
all of us."
"Will they fly?" asked the Lion, nervously, looking at his new companion.
"Of course they will fly," replied the Witch. "Just because I am a
reformed witch doesn't mean I have forgotten my craft. The only
difference is I'll be using my magic for good instead of evil."
"Wonderful," said the Tin Woodman. "I'll get right to work."
"Oh, this is exciting," said Dorothy. "Imagine! Flying on a broomstick.
Now, what would Aunt Em think if she could see me? She'd probably faint."
The Tin Woodman returned with an armful of sticks. The Scarecrow and
Lions followed behind him, carrying rushes.
The Witch quickly got to work. She bound the rushes to the sticks with
vines that the had been gathered from the trees.
"There!" she said proudly. "Now we're ready to fly."
Everyone stooped to pick up a broom. "Looks like just an ordinary broom
to me," said the Scarecrow. "Will it really fly?"
"Not yet," said the Witch. "I have to say the magic words."
She held her arms over the brooms and began to chant:
"GENA-MENA-WENA-BENA-CHICKAMA-LONKA-STU
RINKY-DINKY-ZINKY-WINKY-KIKALA-PLONKA-KLU
LITTLE BROOMSTICKS, THERE YOU LIE ...
MAKE READY TO FLY INTO THE SKY."
Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of light, followed by a huge puff
of smoke and a very loud peal of thunder. "It is done," said the Witch.
Everyone rushed over to the broomsticks.
"They don't look any different," said the Lion.
"Pick one up," said the Witch, "and sit on it, like this." The Witch
picked one of the broomsticks up herself and sat astride it with the
broomstick pointed upwards. "All of you do the same," she said. "Now,
we'd better have a little flying lesson before we begin. Everyone ready?
Handles pointed up. And away we go...."
What an amazing sight it was! The Tin Woodman narrowly missed crashing
into the Scarecrow. The Lion barely missed the Witch's head with his
dangling feet, but slightly brushed his lady friend who didn't mind a
bit. However, the Scarecrow's broomhandle somehow got pointed downwards,
and he headed very fast for the ground.
"Up! Up!" shouted the Witch. He managed to turn upwards just in time.
Soon everyone was doing beautifully, swooping down on each other and
veering away just in time to avoid a collision.
"Wheee!" squealed the Lioness. "This is fun!"
Everyone was having such a good time that they forgot about continuing
their journey.
"All right, everyone," said the Witch. "I can see you are all
accomplished flyers now. I believe we should be on our way."
"Absolutely," said Dorothy, who was enjoying herself as much as anyone.
"All right. Here we go." Up, up, and away they went, high into the sky.
"Look down," shouted the Witch to Dorothy.
"Oh, how breathtaking!" gasped Dorothy.
The Land of Oz stretched out beneath them in a panorama of colors and
shapes. The red country of the Quadlings was in the south. The blue
territory of the Munchkins lay to the east. The western country of the
Winkies was its proper yellow, while the purple Gillikin land was at the
north. The sparkling green Emerald City, of course, was in the center.
As they flew back downward, they could make out more details.
"Look!" said Dorothy. "There's Octapongland directly below us!"
They could make out groups of Octapong scattered about, looking at them.
"Let's take a closer look!" shouted Dorothy.
Down they zoomed, over the heads of the Octapong. The Octapong stampeded
like cattle, their eight legs running like the wind, with that one shoe
going clippity-clop.
Dorothy shouted for the Octapong to stop, but to no avail. Pretty soon
the Octapong had outpaced them, for they could run extremely fast. Up
again they flew, as they were all anxious to reach the Emerald City.
*
Chapter Twenty-four:
At Last, The Emerald City
*
"Approaching Emerald City!" shouted the Lion.
"Point your broomsticks down," said the Witch. "We're coming in to land."
As they zoomed down, people strolling about the streets looked up.
"Run!" they heard someone shout. "Run for your life! It's the Wicked Witch!"
"Oh, dear," said the Witch. "It's these clothes again. They never fail
to put a scare into people. My pointed hat especially scares them."
"Then take it off," shouted Dorothy above the wind. "It won't be long
before you'll be rid of the witch-clothes, too. I don't think, though,
that the people are as frightened of those as they are of the
broomsticks. I should have thought of that before."
Everyone landed without mishap. Of course, the streets were now
deserted. They walked across the street to the Scarecrow's palace.
Oddly, the entrance was barred.
"I'm locked out of my own castle?" said the Scarecrow, as he rang the bell.
A little door in the big door opened, and the Guardian of the Gates
peered out at them. "Who are you?" he said, rather sharply.
"I am your king, as appointed by the Wonderful Wizard of Oz himself.
This is Dorothy, and we are her friends."
"What about her?" said the guard, staring at the Witch suspiciously.
"She's our friend, too," said the Tin Woodman.
"I don't believe you," said the guardian, and he slammed the little door
shut.
The Tin Woodman banged on the door with his fist.
"Go away!" shouted the guardian.
The Tin Woodman banged on the door again, this time using his ax handle.
"I said, GO AWAY!" The guardian was obviously getting quite perturbed.
"What shall we do now?" asked the Tin Woodman.
"Let me try a different tactic," said Dorothy. She knocked on the door
lightly and said, "Please open the door. We can explain."
The little door opened slowly. "I'll say you need to explain," said the
guardian. "Nobody has a Wicked Witch for a friend -- except another
Wicked Witch."
"Well, I'm not a Wicked Witch," said Dorothy. "I'm a friend of the
Scarecrow's."
"She's not," said the guardian. "And she's not a friend of the
Scarecrow's. And if she's your friend, your scarecrow must be an
impostor!" With that, the door slammed shut again.
"Now what?" said the Scarecrow. "He doesn't even believe I'm really me!"
"I have an idea," said Dorothy. "Knock on the door again."
The Tin Woodman knocked loudly.
"What is it this time?" said the guardian impatiently, while opening the
little door slightly.
"You don't understand," said Dorothy. "She's our prisoner."
"I thought you said she's your /friend/," retorted the guardian, mockingly.
"Well...." Dorothy hesitated.
"Well, what? I'm waiting," replied the man.
"Well, she's sort of our friend, too. You see, since we captured her,
she has turned out to be quite nice."
"It's probably a trick," said the guardian, suspiciously.
"You can't really blame him for being suspicious," said the Witch. "I've
been hated for many, many years. It's going to take a while for people
to get used to my new image."
"I suppose so," said Dorothy.
A few moments later, the little door opened again. But this time it was
not the guardian. Instead, it was Princess Gayelette, the reclusive but
highly respected sorceress from the north. She and her husband, Quelala,
had come to ask for an audience with his Majesty the Scarecrow. Upon
finding him away, they had remained to look after the palace until his
return. Quelala, although not a magician, was widely known for his
wisdom and understanding. Gayelette was known for her powerful magic,
which she used only for the good of the people. She was never known to
harm anyone, and her concern for people and other sentient beings made
her a favorite all over the country. As she stood in the doorway, her
gaze fell upon the Scarecrow and his friends.
"It is you," she exclaimed. "I was rather doubtful, from what the little
guardian told me. He said something about a Witch. But, of course, our
Scarecrow would not be associating with a Wicked Witch. Even with my own
magical charms, I try to avoid such individuals."
"Oh, my!" she said as her eyes met those of the Witch. "Then, is it
true?" The princess was visibly shaken. The Witch smiled nervously at
Princess Gayelette and curtsied. "I am very pleased to meet you, Your
Highness," she said. "And I feel most honored and privileged to be in
your company."
Princess Gayelette smiled rather weakly and shook the Witch's hand. "Let
us retire to the meeting hall," she said. "I have a feeling you have a
long story to tell."
When they reached the meeting hall, the Scarecrow excused himself for a
moment to arrange for some refreshments. "Make yourselves comfortable,"
he said. "I'll be back in a moment."
Later, when the straw man returned, everyone was very relaxed, sitting
in large, comfortable reclining chairs that the palace staff had made
available.
"I'm being very inconsiderate, Dorothy," said Gayelette. "I'm sure you
must be tired and weary from your long journey and all your adventures.
Please enjoy your refreshments. We can meet and hear the whole story a
little later. One of the maids will show you to the gardens after you've
rested. We can meet there. In the meantime, I wish to have a talk with
our ruler. We have some serious thinking to do, and only his
hand-manufactured brains will suffice."
After everyone had eaten (except the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow who
were manufactured beings and had no need of food and drink), a youthful
maid led the others upstairs. The apartments were very spacious and
beautifully furnished. The Witch immediately indulged herself in a long,
relaxing perfumed bath. She had never felt so wonderful in her life.
After her bath, she put on a silk robe that had been laid out for her.
She sighed with contentment as she lay down on the bed and closed her
eyes. Soon she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
When the Witch awoke she felt wonderfully refreshed. She got up and
walked over to the open window and looked out. The view of the royal
garden was very beautiful: trees and flowers of every variety; thick,
lush green grass with little benches here and there to sit on; a little
stream cascading over beautiful ornamental rocks, creating miniature
waterfalls. There was also a large lake on which white swans swam lazily
through the water. What a contented scene it was.
The Witch walked back into the room. The perfumed aroma of the garden
permeated the apartment. "How delightful the Scarecrow's palace is,"
said the Witch out loud. "So peaceful. Oh, how I'd love to live here.
"Well, I'd better get dressed. I'm sure everyone will be meeting soon."
When she opened the closet door, she caught her breath. The closet was a
large one and completely filled with the most beautiful of clothes. She
chose a gorgeous Eastern-looking gown. The material was most exotic. It
seemed to be pure silk, yet it had a sheen so reflective that it
appeared to be woven with a thread of pure emerald. Attached to the gown
were shimmering emerald earrings and a necklace. There was also a
bracelet made of emeralds, rubies, and diamonds.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. It was a young girl about
Dorothy's age.
"My name is Jellia," the girl said. "Jellia Jamb. The Scarecrow asked me
to assist you. I am quite good at styling hair. May I?" she said,
steering the Witch into a chair.
The Witch's hair was long and straggling. Jellia Jamb set about coifing
it. And what beautiful job she did. She then cut the Witch's long,
pointed, curling nails and delicately manicured them.
Jellia stepped back to observe the Witch. She gasped with amazement.
"Why, you look exactly like that Princess who has been visiting! Look --
look in the mirror."
The Witch turned to look in the full-length mirror. "Oh, my," she said,
holding her hand to mouth. "I can't believe it." For standing in the
mirror appeared to be Princess Gayelette herself. She was stunningly
beautiful.
The Witch was visibly shocked. "I can't believe it," she kept saying.
"I've come from being an ugly old hag to a beautiful princess." She
shook her head in amazement. "I could very easily be mistaken for
Gayelette herself."
"Come," said the little girl. "Let us join the others in the garden. I
can't wait to see their faces."
A few moments later, they arrived at the Gazebo. "I think we are a
little early," said Jellia. "No one is here yet. Come." She took the
Witch's hand. "Let us sit down and chat."
A few minutes later, Dorothy arrived. "Oh," she said, as she saw Jellia
and the Witch. "Princess Gayelette. What a beautiful gown!"