Welcome to Ruby City
Three
“What did you mean it wasn’t just the slippers when you said you couldn’t take me, Jack?”
The black haired man glanced at his companion, “Don’t worry about it.”
Dorothy twirled a pigtail between her fingers. She’d lost her hand basket when she’d fallen down the hill and hadn’t been able to recover it. Toto walked jauntily at her feet between her and Jack. She noticed he didn’t like Jack very much and kept a beady little brown eye on him. She couldn’t grasp why, the man had saved her life after all.
Jack didn’t say a lot while they walked. Dorothy suspected it was because he thought of her as a child, which she was, but was no excuse for any conversation. She had tried striking up words between them, but all Jack did was give three word answers at most. Every few minutes he would glance toward the sky, or over his shoulder. Very seldom did he keep his gaze on the distant shadow of Ruby City. Dorothy wondered if there would be another wizard in Ruby City.
“Hold on a second, Dorothy,” Jack put a hand out to stop the girl. He was watching the sky.
“What is it?” she whispered.
“Get off the road.”
“But-”
“Off the road, now!”
Jack shoved Dorothy into the brush on the side of the road. Toto began to bark; Jack scooped him up and rushed to squat behind the shrubbery where Dorothy was hidden, “Shut him up!”
Dorothy held Toto tight, hushing him as much as possible. The road had grown quiet, but soon flapping shadows overtook the red brick and the sound of their wings hummed. Dorothy gave frightened look to Jack, “What’s happening?!”
“Listen to me, the cut-through is down the road toward the City. It’s a small dirt path to the left of the road.”
“Aren’t you coming with me?!”
Jack shushed Dorothy and pushed her further back behind the trees. With a thundering shake the flying creatures landed on the road, and Dorothy only caught a glimpse of the mildewed brown of their fur before Jack pushed her head down out of sight. A sense of fear hit Dorothy. This was not a dream. She could see the creatures’ dry, cracked feet shuffling on stone. There were three of them.
In a moment of panic Dorothy began to crawl away, only to find herself crushing dead leaves. The silence had been broken. Jack lunged to pull her down to the ground and she dropped Toto in the process. The little brown dog ran yapping through the bushes at the brown feet.
“Toto!”
Their hiding place was torn away by one of the creatures. Dorothy saw the ape like mutation and screamed. She kicked at its legs as it got closer. One of the other’s had grabbed up her poor little Toto and was flying off with him. She scrambled to her feet and tried to pass the creature, but Jack pulled her back to the ground and tackled the creature.
“Run Dorothy!”
The third creature turned to grab at Dorothy and she ran as fast as she could through the darkness of the forest. When she could no longer hear the scuffle happening between Jack and the flying ape she sank to the ground in the curve of a tree trunk. She wrapped her arms around herself and cried. How would she ever find her way home now? Dorothy wiped her eyes and curled up in the dirt. She had hoped so terribly this had been a dream. What would she do without Toto- without Jack?
After lying in the cool dark, just knowing one of those flying creatures would be after her soon, Dorothy scraped up enough courage to find her way back to the road. Tentatively Dorothy started to trek back the way she came. She carefully avoided spots where light cut through the canopy of the trees, hoping she was quiet enough to stay unnoticed. It wasn’t long before she found the road and it was empty. Before stepping out into the sunlight she scanned the sky and both ends of the road, looking for any flying apes. When she saw and heard no trace she stepped out. She took another step and yelped when her foot was caught, fearing it was one of the apes. When she wasn’t pulled to her hands and knees she reached down to uncover Jack’s pack. He had dropped it in the scuffle and she had caught her foot in its strap.
Dorothy picked the pack up and opened it to inspect the contents. Inside the brown leather was the book Jack had been reading entitled “David Copperfield”, three green apples, and a knife. She sat back with her chin in her hand. She understood why Jack hadn’t wanted to take her with him. She understood why he had said she would be the death of him. It wasn’t because she was a child. It was because she was Dorothy Gale and Dorothy Gale was in trouble with the Wicked Witch of the East.
The pigtailed girl stood and slung the leather pack over her head to hang across her body. She would keep it for Jack for when she saw him again. If she saw him again. Those apes took Jack and Toto away. She had to get Toto back, but she didn’t know where they had gone. She would have to find her way to the Wizard. The Wizard would be able to help. Even if he couldn’t send her back to Kansas he could get Toto back safely.
“Can I help you?”
Dorothy turned quickly to come face to face with a girl about the same age as she. The girl had rosy cheeks and vibrant red hair to complement her brown eyes. She wore a pale pink dress and was all smiles.
“Can I help you?” she said again.
“I-I don’t know.” Dorothy took a step back.
The other girl took a step forward, “Are you going to Ruby City? I’m going to Ruby City.”
“Yes, I’m going to Ruby City.”
“Well,” the other girl grabbed Dorothy’s hand, “We should go together! Come on!”
The girl took off at a run, dragging Dorothy along. Dorothy tried to stop running, and only succeeded in slowing the other girl down, “But I don’t even know you! Let go!”
She let go and turned to face Dorothy, “You said you were going to Ruby City. Why can’t we go together?”
“I want to go to Ruby City, but I have to find Toto first!”
The girl giggled, “There’s a Wizard in Ruby City, I’m sure he can help you!”
“Really,” Dorothy suddenly had hope, “Then I guess we should. What do I call you?”
“You can call me Birdie,” smiled the red haired girl.
The black haired man glanced at his companion, “Don’t worry about it.”
Dorothy twirled a pigtail between her fingers. She’d lost her hand basket when she’d fallen down the hill and hadn’t been able to recover it. Toto walked jauntily at her feet between her and Jack. She noticed he didn’t like Jack very much and kept a beady little brown eye on him. She couldn’t grasp why, the man had saved her life after all.
Jack didn’t say a lot while they walked. Dorothy suspected it was because he thought of her as a child, which she was, but was no excuse for any conversation. She had tried striking up words between them, but all Jack did was give three word answers at most. Every few minutes he would glance toward the sky, or over his shoulder. Very seldom did he keep his gaze on the distant shadow of Ruby City. Dorothy wondered if there would be another wizard in Ruby City.
“Hold on a second, Dorothy,” Jack put a hand out to stop the girl. He was watching the sky.
“What is it?” she whispered.
“Get off the road.”
“But-”
“Off the road, now!”
Jack shoved Dorothy into the brush on the side of the road. Toto began to bark; Jack scooped him up and rushed to squat behind the shrubbery where Dorothy was hidden, “Shut him up!”
Dorothy held Toto tight, hushing him as much as possible. The road had grown quiet, but soon flapping shadows overtook the red brick and the sound of their wings hummed. Dorothy gave frightened look to Jack, “What’s happening?!”
“Listen to me, the cut-through is down the road toward the City. It’s a small dirt path to the left of the road.”
“Aren’t you coming with me?!”
Jack shushed Dorothy and pushed her further back behind the trees. With a thundering shake the flying creatures landed on the road, and Dorothy only caught a glimpse of the mildewed brown of their fur before Jack pushed her head down out of sight. A sense of fear hit Dorothy. This was not a dream. She could see the creatures’ dry, cracked feet shuffling on stone. There were three of them.
In a moment of panic Dorothy began to crawl away, only to find herself crushing dead leaves. The silence had been broken. Jack lunged to pull her down to the ground and she dropped Toto in the process. The little brown dog ran yapping through the bushes at the brown feet.
“Toto!”
Their hiding place was torn away by one of the creatures. Dorothy saw the ape like mutation and screamed. She kicked at its legs as it got closer. One of the other’s had grabbed up her poor little Toto and was flying off with him. She scrambled to her feet and tried to pass the creature, but Jack pulled her back to the ground and tackled the creature.
“Run Dorothy!”
The third creature turned to grab at Dorothy and she ran as fast as she could through the darkness of the forest. When she could no longer hear the scuffle happening between Jack and the flying ape she sank to the ground in the curve of a tree trunk. She wrapped her arms around herself and cried. How would she ever find her way home now? Dorothy wiped her eyes and curled up in the dirt. She had hoped so terribly this had been a dream. What would she do without Toto- without Jack?
After lying in the cool dark, just knowing one of those flying creatures would be after her soon, Dorothy scraped up enough courage to find her way back to the road. Tentatively Dorothy started to trek back the way she came. She carefully avoided spots where light cut through the canopy of the trees, hoping she was quiet enough to stay unnoticed. It wasn’t long before she found the road and it was empty. Before stepping out into the sunlight she scanned the sky and both ends of the road, looking for any flying apes. When she saw and heard no trace she stepped out. She took another step and yelped when her foot was caught, fearing it was one of the apes. When she wasn’t pulled to her hands and knees she reached down to uncover Jack’s pack. He had dropped it in the scuffle and she had caught her foot in its strap.
Dorothy picked the pack up and opened it to inspect the contents. Inside the brown leather was the book Jack had been reading entitled “David Copperfield”, three green apples, and a knife. She sat back with her chin in her hand. She understood why Jack hadn’t wanted to take her with him. She understood why he had said she would be the death of him. It wasn’t because she was a child. It was because she was Dorothy Gale and Dorothy Gale was in trouble with the Wicked Witch of the East.
The pigtailed girl stood and slung the leather pack over her head to hang across her body. She would keep it for Jack for when she saw him again. If she saw him again. Those apes took Jack and Toto away. She had to get Toto back, but she didn’t know where they had gone. She would have to find her way to the Wizard. The Wizard would be able to help. Even if he couldn’t send her back to Kansas he could get Toto back safely.
“Can I help you?”
Dorothy turned quickly to come face to face with a girl about the same age as she. The girl had rosy cheeks and vibrant red hair to complement her brown eyes. She wore a pale pink dress and was all smiles.
“Can I help you?” she said again.
“I-I don’t know.” Dorothy took a step back.
The other girl took a step forward, “Are you going to Ruby City? I’m going to Ruby City.”
“Yes, I’m going to Ruby City.”
“Well,” the other girl grabbed Dorothy’s hand, “We should go together! Come on!”
The girl took off at a run, dragging Dorothy along. Dorothy tried to stop running, and only succeeded in slowing the other girl down, “But I don’t even know you! Let go!”
She let go and turned to face Dorothy, “You said you were going to Ruby City. Why can’t we go together?”
“I want to go to Ruby City, but I have to find Toto first!”
The girl giggled, “There’s a Wizard in Ruby City, I’m sure he can help you!”
“Really,” Dorothy suddenly had hope, “Then I guess we should. What do I call you?”
“You can call me Birdie,” smiled the red haired girl.