Welcome to Ruby City
Seven
The cut-through was no longer a choice in returning to the yellow brick road, just as traveling the red brick road was too problematic. The Wicked Witch was not dead, and she would be sending her apes out to look for them. Their best chance of survival would be to remain far from the frequented paths.
The forest was full of exotic creatures and their sounds. It was cooler under the trees, but also dangerous. Far beyond the boundaries of the roads were marshes and bogs, waiting to suck any unsuspecting thing into the abyss of water and sand. Dorothy had almost succumbed to the living hazards and had lost one of the slippers in the muck. She was sure no one would be able to retrieve it, not after the last glimmer of ruby sank beneath the surface. After the close call Jack offered to carry her. He was now trudging up to his knees the sludge, hoping his feet did not fail him in the dark water with a girl on his back.
“Jack, how will I ever get home?” she rested her head on his shoulder.
“We’ll find some way, Dorothy. Don’t worry.”
“It seems so hopeless.”
The pair stayed relatively quiet for several more hours. Jack was near exhaustion when the water began to lower and the sludge turned to grass. Once the land was completely dry, Jack lowered Dorothy to her feet. Looking through the red brimmed tree tops, blue sky shone in the sunlight. Jack collapsed against a tree and slid to sit at its trunk.
“What do we do now?” asked Dorothy.
“We wait for the Good Witch to arrive.”
Jack threw an apple to Dorothy and kept one for himself. The girl had never liked apples much back in Kansas, but in OZ they were delicious; though, perhaps it was only the hunger talking.
“Did you really kill those people, Jack?”
The black haired man glanced away, “Yes, I did.”
“Were they bad people?”
“I suppose. They had imprisoned many people from all over OZ, including my own family.”
Dorothy frowned, “Will your family be alright?”
“I don’t think so Dorothy,” Jack picked the gold coin from his pocket and began to turn it over in his fingers, “They were not as fortunate as you and I.”
“I’m sorry, Jack.”
“It is not your burden, Dorothy. Worry about getting home, not about me.”
Dorothy and Jack munched the apples to their cores, making them last as long as possible. Dorothy was on her last bite when she noticed a familiar pink orb floating down between the branches of the trees. The orb grew in size and landed between Dorothy and Jack. With a single pop the orb burst and revealed the Good Witch of the North.
Dorothy hopped to her feet, “Good Witch, can you help us?”
The tall woman smiled sweetly, “You have lost a slipper.”
“Well, yes, I have. But-!”
“I’m sorry Dorothy, but those slippers hold the power. You had the power to wish yourself home all along; you just had to discover it.”
“I knew I could wish for things and they would come true, but I didn’t know they happened because of the slippers!” Dorothy cried.
“I’m sorry, Dorothy.”
“But,” tears rose in Dorothy’s eyes, “You said I could go home!”
The Good Witch shook her head, “I’m sorry.”
Jack stepped forward and Dorothy turned into him, crying, “Hey, there has to be some way you can help! I wouldn’t have sent for you if I’d known you were a lousy Witch!”
The Good Witch thought for a moment and then smiled. She took Dorothy’s hand and said, “There is another way.”
Dorothy watched as the Witch waved her wand and a group of trees began to shift. The trees were entwined with one another, and so began to separate. From between the trees sprouted a tall wooden box. Upon seeing this Jack rushed to the opening to pull the box away from the trunks. He succeeded in parting the object, and brought it out into the open. The box sat on a turntable and in the front was carved a door.
“What is it?” asked Dorothy.
“This,” Jack said excitedly, “Is a vanishing cabinet!”
“Yes, you see, a person goes in through this door,” he demonstrated, “The door is closed, an exchange of words, you turn it, and ta-da! The person inside is gone! I wondered where this had gone to.”
“This will take me home?”
The Good Witch nodded and Jack opened the door for her. Dorothy slipped Jack’s coat off and stepped inside of the cabinet carefully. Inside there were holes bored into the sides, just big enough to let in air and light. She was ready to go home.
“Wait a second, Dorothy.”
Jack set his pack down and flipped the flap open. He stuck his hand so far into the pack it seemed as if it would swallow him whole. A little yip came from the leather pack and Jack lifted Dorothy’s little brown companion from the depths. She squealed and hopped from the box.
“Oh, Toto, I didn’t think I would ever see you again,” she turned to Jack and gave him the biggest hug she had ever given, “Thank you, so much!”
The man smiled a genuine smile, the first Dorothy had seen on his face, “Take the little mutt, I think he chewed a whole in my handkerchief.”
“I’ll miss you Jack.”
“It’s time for you to go, Dorothy. Anymore time spent here and you’ll be in even more trouble.”
Dorothy hugged Toto tight and stepped back into the vanishing cabinet. Jack closed the door and secured it. Dorothy took a deep breath as the cabinet began to spin, faster and faster until the world outside was only a blur. She could hear Jack reciting words, but she could not decipher them. In her little cocoon she recited her own words, “Home, home, home.”
The forest was full of exotic creatures and their sounds. It was cooler under the trees, but also dangerous. Far beyond the boundaries of the roads were marshes and bogs, waiting to suck any unsuspecting thing into the abyss of water and sand. Dorothy had almost succumbed to the living hazards and had lost one of the slippers in the muck. She was sure no one would be able to retrieve it, not after the last glimmer of ruby sank beneath the surface. After the close call Jack offered to carry her. He was now trudging up to his knees the sludge, hoping his feet did not fail him in the dark water with a girl on his back.
“Jack, how will I ever get home?” she rested her head on his shoulder.
“We’ll find some way, Dorothy. Don’t worry.”
“It seems so hopeless.”
The pair stayed relatively quiet for several more hours. Jack was near exhaustion when the water began to lower and the sludge turned to grass. Once the land was completely dry, Jack lowered Dorothy to her feet. Looking through the red brimmed tree tops, blue sky shone in the sunlight. Jack collapsed against a tree and slid to sit at its trunk.
“What do we do now?” asked Dorothy.
“We wait for the Good Witch to arrive.”
Jack threw an apple to Dorothy and kept one for himself. The girl had never liked apples much back in Kansas, but in OZ they were delicious; though, perhaps it was only the hunger talking.
“Did you really kill those people, Jack?”
The black haired man glanced away, “Yes, I did.”
“Were they bad people?”
“I suppose. They had imprisoned many people from all over OZ, including my own family.”
Dorothy frowned, “Will your family be alright?”
“I don’t think so Dorothy,” Jack picked the gold coin from his pocket and began to turn it over in his fingers, “They were not as fortunate as you and I.”
“I’m sorry, Jack.”
“It is not your burden, Dorothy. Worry about getting home, not about me.”
Dorothy and Jack munched the apples to their cores, making them last as long as possible. Dorothy was on her last bite when she noticed a familiar pink orb floating down between the branches of the trees. The orb grew in size and landed between Dorothy and Jack. With a single pop the orb burst and revealed the Good Witch of the North.
Dorothy hopped to her feet, “Good Witch, can you help us?”
The tall woman smiled sweetly, “You have lost a slipper.”
“Well, yes, I have. But-!”
“I’m sorry Dorothy, but those slippers hold the power. You had the power to wish yourself home all along; you just had to discover it.”
“I knew I could wish for things and they would come true, but I didn’t know they happened because of the slippers!” Dorothy cried.
“I’m sorry, Dorothy.”
“But,” tears rose in Dorothy’s eyes, “You said I could go home!”
The Good Witch shook her head, “I’m sorry.”
Jack stepped forward and Dorothy turned into him, crying, “Hey, there has to be some way you can help! I wouldn’t have sent for you if I’d known you were a lousy Witch!”
The Good Witch thought for a moment and then smiled. She took Dorothy’s hand and said, “There is another way.”
Dorothy watched as the Witch waved her wand and a group of trees began to shift. The trees were entwined with one another, and so began to separate. From between the trees sprouted a tall wooden box. Upon seeing this Jack rushed to the opening to pull the box away from the trunks. He succeeded in parting the object, and brought it out into the open. The box sat on a turntable and in the front was carved a door.
“What is it?” asked Dorothy.
“This,” Jack said excitedly, “Is a vanishing cabinet!”
“Yes, you see, a person goes in through this door,” he demonstrated, “The door is closed, an exchange of words, you turn it, and ta-da! The person inside is gone! I wondered where this had gone to.”
“This will take me home?”
The Good Witch nodded and Jack opened the door for her. Dorothy slipped Jack’s coat off and stepped inside of the cabinet carefully. Inside there were holes bored into the sides, just big enough to let in air and light. She was ready to go home.
“Wait a second, Dorothy.”
Jack set his pack down and flipped the flap open. He stuck his hand so far into the pack it seemed as if it would swallow him whole. A little yip came from the leather pack and Jack lifted Dorothy’s little brown companion from the depths. She squealed and hopped from the box.
“Oh, Toto, I didn’t think I would ever see you again,” she turned to Jack and gave him the biggest hug she had ever given, “Thank you, so much!”
The man smiled a genuine smile, the first Dorothy had seen on his face, “Take the little mutt, I think he chewed a whole in my handkerchief.”
“I’ll miss you Jack.”
“It’s time for you to go, Dorothy. Anymore time spent here and you’ll be in even more trouble.”
Dorothy hugged Toto tight and stepped back into the vanishing cabinet. Jack closed the door and secured it. Dorothy took a deep breath as the cabinet began to spin, faster and faster until the world outside was only a blur. She could hear Jack reciting words, but she could not decipher them. In her little cocoon she recited her own words, “Home, home, home.”