Welcome to Ruby City

“Slow down, Birdie! You’re going to fast!”

Dorothy had been dragged by the red Birdie for almost a mile along the road with Jack's pack knocking into her legs. The sun had not risen far into the sky, now resting just above the city’s skyline. Birdie stopped and let go of Dorothy’s wrist as the pigtailed girl fought to catch her breath. She doubled over breathing hard, and noticed a small sparkle of red on her left foot. The soot would not stay for much longer.

“We’re almost there! See, only a little ways more!”

“Can we walk for a little? All this running is making me tired.”

“Sure we can,” Birdie took Dorothy’s hand and pulled her into a steady pace, “So, what’s this To To like?”

“Well, he has dark hair, and dark eyes.”

“Oh! I know who you’re talking about! The Wizard can definitely help you find him! Come on!”

And Birdie was off once more, dragging Dorothy behind her. Birdie hadn’t been curious to what Dorothy’s name was, and didn’t seem to care too much for future reference. Dorothy was alright with that; she didn’t need anyone else to know she was on the wrong road. Jack had said she would be the death of him, and for all she knew she had been. Guilt had begun to weigh on her. Not only had she lost Toto, but she had put Jack in danger.

The two girls came to a bend in the road. There! Dorothy spotted the little trail right to the left of the bricks, but now they were passing by and Birdie was not letting go. If anything, her grip had tightened. Dorothy felt a tad uncomfortable and noticed Birdie watching her.

“You shouldn’t go down that way,” Birdie started, “It leads to the Wicked ol’ Witch; straight to her. You wouldn’t want to deal with her. She’s mean as a cat in a flood. Just stick with me; I can get you anywhere.”

Within the several additional hours they walked Ruby City loomed even closer, and from between two tall buildings rose a castle. The castle was glittering, even at this distance; red, pink, burgundy, crimson. It was the most beautiful thing Dorothy had seen beside the jeweled trees. Though it seemed so close, the road seemed never ending and Dorothy began to fall behind. She stopped, waiting for Birdie to tug.

When she did she turned once again, “Come on, we’re almost there!”

“Birdie, we can’t be close.”

“Of course we are! Just over that hill and through the gates!” Birdie swung so her hair poured over her shoulders and down her back, “Trust me; you have my word.”

It was all Dorothy had, so she followed. She had grown increasingly tired of Birdie grabbing her hand or wrist and tugging her arm. She promised so much so often, Dorothy wasn’t quite sure she should be allowing herself to be taken along by this stranger. Birdie hadn’t needed her help like the Scarecrow had. Birdie had just appeared. Just when Dorothy decided to give up they cleared the last hill and came upon a large stone gate. Dorothy stared open mouthed at the enormous city before her.

“Told you,” Birdie grinned, “Come on, we have to find the Wizard.”

Birdie pushed through the gates, pulling Dorothy along. Inside there were throngs of people in the streets, marching and yelling, fists raised in what seemed to be anger. Birdie shoved through the crowd to a clear spot of the street and finally let go of Dorothy’s hand. She climbed onto a light post’s pedestal and squinted above the riled heads.

“It goes on forever,” she called down, “We’ll just have to follow them.”

“What is this?!”

Birdie hopped back down to street level and scoffed at Dorothy’s question, “Your To To of course, he’s the reason Ruby City is in such a mess! Did you know they caught him early this morning? He’s to be executed at sunset.”

A look of horror crossed Dorothy’s face, “Toto couldn’t do such things!”

“Well he did. He killed two innocent assistants of the Witch of the East. And did you know someone killed the Witch too? They say it was an accomplice and the Wicked Witch of the North helped them escape; I never liked her.”

Dorothy began to back away. Jack had been right, Ruby City wasn’t safe. The only hope she had was to find the wizard Birdie spoke of, and if there was no chance of finding him Dorothy would have to dash for the path back toward Emerald City. Birdie was too preoccupied with the crowd to notice Dorothy had gone missing. The pigtailed girl took off at a run into the crowd, pushing her way forward. She had to get to the wizard. She had to. She would be compromised if anyone recognized her, but she had to try. It was her only hope.

Dorothy ran, shoving and ignoring any and all who called to her. Nothing could stop her, except a puddle feet wide with water. She skidded to a stop within inches of splashing her feet. She hurriedly looked for a way around, but failed as a passerby knocked her forward into the puddle. Going hands first, Dorothy was soaked in mud. Thick, brown-gray mud. She had a thought; the soot on her slippers would not last, but dried mud would. With a slight disgusted thought of being covered in mud, Dorothy rose quickly and sprinted through the puddle, sure to cover her toes to her ankles. Aunt Em would kill her for ruining her dress. The freedom was fleeting, however. Not but yards from the puddle, Dorothy slipped and crashed into a rotund man chanting along with the crowd.

“Watch your step, lass!”

“I’m sorry, sir! I must have slipped on the mud.” Dorothy apologized quickly and made to hurry off, only to be caught by the shoulder. She turned to see the man.

“What kind of hurry are you in, lass? This is no sight for a child.”

“But, sir, I have to see the Wizard! It’s a matter of life and death!”

The man laughed, obviously at the occurrence of the execution, “I’d say!”

“Sir, you have to let me go! The Wizard is the only one who can help me!”

The man put up a hand in surrender, “Fine, fine, lass! I’ll take you there myself. Running around with this bunch will get you nowhere fast. And if it’s as you say, fast is what you need.”

The man whistled a short tune and around the corner came a horse and buggy. The horse was dun colored, and on the buckboard sat a Munchkin, but this Munchkin was not dressed in colorful clothes, and did not look happy in the least. The large man helped her up and the Munchkin whipped the reigns. As the horse started through, the crowd parted easily to let them pass. Dorothy became uncomfortable with the stares from the people on the street, starting to think this was no place she wanted to be. Being the center of attention only made her easier to spot, and she did not need such a problem now. She could only hope she was not recognized, and the Wicked Witch of the West was nowhere near.

Dorothy could see the castle ahead. The tops spiraled upward into the clouds, and the walls were encrusted with rubies. The monument glittered in the lowering sun. The sun here had not crossed the sky, but had only bobbed behind the castle. It was as if time were manufactured here.

As the buggy gained ground on the castle, Dorothy could see a platform set before the great steps. The platform was built like those she had seen in her history book back in Kansas. These were the platforms made for hangings. The buggy stopped and Dorothy dropped to the ground running. On the platform stood three people; one was a man dressed in black with a mask over his face, the second was a man in a shining red suit, and the third was a haggard looking Jack.