Abby in Oz

by Sarah Mlynowski

  Clank! The gate instantly closes, locking us in.

  I jump. So does Penny.

  Wait. A. Minute. Penny is gray. All gray. Skin. Hair. Clothes!

  Prince’s fur is no longer brown and white! He’s turned gray, too. And so has Toto. And Scarecrow. And Tin Man. And Lion.

  Ahhh!

  “Abby, you’re gray!” Penny cries.

  We look at one another. All of us are gloomy gray!

  “What’s wrong with us?” I ask the gray woman who let us through the gate.

  “The witches cast a spell on the Emerald City, turning everything inside gray,” she explains.

  “But it’s the Emerald City!” Penny says. “It’s supposed to be green!”

  “Actually,” Frankie says, “in the book, the Wizard makes everyone wear emerald glasses so that everything looks green. But the city is no greener than any other city. Only the outside wall is really green.”

  “I’d rather look green than gray,” Penny says, frowning at her gray arms. “Gray is so depressing. We look like we’re in a newspaper.”

  I take in the scene around me. It does kind of look like we’re in a newspaper. Everything is various shades of gray. The people. Buildings. Shops.

  “Hey, you’re all the same color as me now!” Tin Man says.

  Penny looks him over. “You’re normally much more silver than gray. It wouldn’t be as bad if we were metallic toned. Hey, do you think we can still get makeovers?”

  “Huh?” I say. “What makeovers? What are you talking about?”

  “Didn’t you see the movie?” Penny asks. “When Dorothy goes to the Emerald City she gets her hair and her nails done! At the same time! It’s my favorite scene in the whole movie.”

  Frankie snorts. “That doesn’t happen in the book.”

  “It doesn’t?” Penny cries. “But that’s why I wanted to come to the Emerald City! Are you telling me I’m risking my life with the Winged Monkeys and I’m not even getting a makeover?”

  “You should have just gone to a spa in Smithville,” Frankie snaps.

  What is up with her? “Frankie, is everything okay?” I ask.

  “No!” she replies sharply. “It’s not! And I don’t want to talk about it!”

  Ouch. Okay, then.

  We’re all quiet.

  Tin Man speaks up. “I wonder if they should change the name of this place from the Emerald City to the Gray City. Or the Concrete City?” He’s clearly trying to change the subject.

  “Hide!” the guardian yells suddenly. “They’re flying over us!”

  We look up to see two figures on broomsticks zoom right through the gray sky. They fly by so fast, I can barely make them out. Just a blur of black, white, and gray. But I think I recognize one of them as the Wicked Witch of the East; the other must be her sister.

  They’re trailed by a crew of flying monkeys. The flying monkey in front has Gluck’s face.

  We all press ourselves against the wall, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

  “Where are the witches going?” I ask the guardian.

  “Breakfast,” she says.

  “Pizza, right?” I ask.

  The guardian nods. “They really like pizza,” she says.

  “Who doesn’t,” I say. “What kind of toppings did they get?”

  “Spiders and frogs,” she says. “Also, butterflies.”

  Ew.

  “But yes, on their schedule today is breakfast, and then they called a mandatory city-wide meeting for high noon in the town square.”

  “Why?” I ask.

  “To scare us, I suppose,” she says. “And boss us around.”

  “We need to help our friends escape,” I say. “Can you tell us where they are?”

  “They’re in Tigertail Tower,” she says. “But you’ll need the Wizard’s help to get in there. Trust me. And then together, all your magic combined will overtake the witches!”

  “What magic?” Frankie asks. “We don’t have any magic.”

  She peers at us. “You’re not a fairy? Or a witch?”

  “Nope,” Penny says.

  The guardian frowns. “You have no magic powers at all? What are you?”

  “Just kids,” I say. “And two dogs. And a lion, a scarecrow, and a tin man. They can talk. Is that considered magical?”

  “Is that all they can do?”

  “I’m a pretty good dancer,” Lion says. “Do you want to see me Floss?”

  “No,” she says, frowning. “Flossing will not help you save your friends and defeat the witches!” She is clearly exasperated.

  “I can do the Macarena,” Tin Man adds.

  The guardian sighs and shakes her head. “Save the Wizard first. Then get your friends. Then you can practice your dance moves.”

  “We’re hoping the Wizard can help us anyway,” Lion says. “I could use some courage, my tin friend could use a heart, and my straw friend could use a brain.”

  Frankie rolls her eyes. “He can’t do any of that.”

  “You never know,” Penny says.

  “We know,” Frankie says.

  “He can help you,” the woman tells Lion. “He’s the great and powerful Wizard of Oz.”

  “So powerful he barricaded himself in his room?” Frankie asks.

  “He’s no match for two witches and an evil fairy!” she cries.

  “Speaking of our favorite evil fairy,” I say, “where is Gluck? We have to keep an eye out for him, too. Remember that he can transform.”

  “He could be anyone?” Frankie says.

  I nod. “Anyone or anything. Let’s be on high alert,” I say.

  We thank the guardian and rush over to the castle to find the Wizard. We get a bunch of strange looks as we go. It’s hard to blend in when you’re with a ten-foot lion, a scarecrow whose legs keep wobbling, and a tin man who creaks with every step.

  “Hurry,” I whisper. “Keep your eyes down and walk as fast as you can.”

  A gray man in a gray uniform and gray top hat is standing in front of the castle.

  “I guess that’s the castle guard,” I say.

  “I could roar really loudly and scare him away,” Lion suggests.

  “That might call attention to us,” I say. “We don’t want the witches or Gluck to know we’re here.”

  Just then, I spot the Winged Monkeys overhead, flying lower then before.

  “No, no, no, no, no, no,” cries Penny, her shoulders shaking.

  “We have to get inside!” I call out. “They’re going to see us!”

  “Go, go, I’ll distract the guard,” Tin Man says. “He might officially work for the witches but …”

  “No one who works for the witches actually likes the witches,” I say, thinking of Orly and the Winkies.

  “Right,” Tin Man says. “He’s probably not that loyal. You sneak in. Then I’ll find you.”

  While Tin Man walks up to the gray guard, we quickly sneak past the big gray trees to a side door. I pull the handle.

  “Locked!” I mutter.

  “I can pull that door off its hinges with a pinkie,” Lion says. He grabs the door handle and gives it a yank, and it opens.

  “Yay!” I say. “Thanks, Lion!”

  He smiles proudly.

  We all rush in. There is a long dark hallway in front of us. Frankie, Prince, Scarecrow, and I start marching forward.

  But Lion doesn’t move. And neither does Penny. They’re both still at the front door.

  “Hey,” I whisper. “Something wrong?”

  Lion’s front paws are trembling. His now-gray nose is quivering.

  Penny’s hands are doing the same. And she has Toto in her arms.

  “I’m scared,” Lion says.

  “Me too,” says Penny. Her voice is shaking. “We don’t know what’s at the end of the hall.”

  “There’s nothing at the end of the hall,” Frankie says. “The Wizard has no powers. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

  “Is that in the b
ook?” Penny asks.

  “No,” Frankie says. “Franklin Delano Roosevelt said it. He was the president a long time ago.”

  “That sounds so wise,” Scarecrow says.

  Penny shakes her head. “There is something to fear, though. What if there is something scary at the end of the hall?”

  “Maybe don’t worry about what’s at the end of the hall just yet,” Scarecrow says. “Just worry about taking that first step. Then you can worry about taking the next step. One step at a time.”

  Wow! Scarecrow is so wise!

  “We can do one step at a time,” Penny says. She nuzzles her chin against Toto. “Right, Toto? Right, Lion?”

  Lion puts his paw around Penny’s shoulders. “Right.”

  “I’ll walk beside you two,” Tin Man says, sneaking inside. “Just in case you need a pep talk.”

  Aw. Penny and Lion are being brave! And it seems to me that Scarecrow is pretty smart and Tin Man might have a big heart already.

  I scoop up Prince and we all head down the hall and into the blackness together.

  “We got this,” I say.

  At the end of the hall is a massive black throne.

  And suddenly, a huge black-and-white head appears above it! The head is bigger than my whole body. I gasp and Penny shrieks.

  “Who dares enter my private throne room?” the head demands.

  “It’s not real,” I say. “Remember it’s not real!”

  “It may not be real, but it’s real scary,” Penny says, her voice wobbling.

  We all take a step back.

  “You dare to try to overtake the Emerald City?” the head booms. “You will fail!”

  “No,” I say. “Mr. Wizard, we’re not —”

  “Silence!” the Wizard bellows. “You’re making me angry. And do you know what happens when I get angry?”

  “Wh-what?” Lion asks nervously.

  “This!” the Wizard booms, and black fire erupts all around him, the flames crackling.

  My eyes widen. Prince is trembling in my arms. Penny is shaking and clutching Toto against her. Lion is cowering. Even Scarecrow is shaking now, since he’s probably worried about what happens to fire and straw. And Tin Man is trembling, too.

  I know this is all fake, but it sure seems real.

  “Enough!” Frankie yells. She’s the only one of us not shaking. She marches right over to the fire, walks right through the head, and yanks away a curtain that I hadn’t noticed before.

  And suddenly, standing there is a short man with a regular-sized bald head. Behind him is a film projector and an electric fireplace that’s shooting up flames.

  We all gasp.

  “Ahhh!” the Wizard shrieks.

  “What happened to your giant head?” the Lion asks.

  “It was all fake!” Frankie says. “He was doing that with the projector and the electric fireplace! He’s not a real wizard! How many times do I have to tell everyone?”

  The Wizard hangs his head. “She’s right. I’m not a real wizard. I’m a fraud with no powers at all. I’m just a regular guy. My name is Bob.”

  “So you can’t give me courage?” Lion asks.

  “And you can’t give me a brain?” Scarecrow asks.

  “No heart?” asks Tin Man.

  He shakes his head. “I can’t.”

  We all just stand there.

  “Can you help save our other friends?” I ask.

  He cocks his head to the side. “I don’t know. Does it involve magic?”

  “Magic wouldn’t hurt,” I say. “But somehow, we need to get them out of Tigertail Tower.”

  “Would the key help?” he asks.

  I laugh. “Yes,” I say. “Yes, it would.”

  The Wizard, aka Bob, fishes a golden key out of a drawer beside the projector. “Here you go,” he says. “Good luck!”

  “You’re not coming?” I ask, incredulous. “You need to show us where the tower is!”

  Bob shakes his head. “It’s far. And I’d have to walk across the city. See, I never leave the castle. If I go out, everyone will realize the truth about me. And anyway, if anyone saw me outside I’d be mobbed and your cover would be blown. You’re trying to be sneaky, right?”

  “I guess,” I say.

  “Just go straight down Salty Street, turn right on Blue Avenue, and then left on Purple Lane. Then just cross the bridge, and voilà, you’re there.”

  I hand Prince over to Penny, who takes him in her free arm. “Will you watch him while I’m gone?” I ask. Penny nods. “I’ll be right back,” I whisper to Prince.

  “I’ll come with you, Abby!” Tin Man calls out.

  “Is that a good idea?” Scarecrow asks. “You’re kind of creaky. You don’t want the monkeys to hear you.”

  “Well, you’re kind of wobbly! You can barely stand on your own,” Tin Man snaps.

  “I’m too tall and furry,” Lion says. “I should definitely wait here for you all. I shouldn’t leave the castle. Nope.”

  “Maybe it’s best if only two people go,” Frankie says. “So we don’t get caught. I can go. I’m assuming Penny is too scared anyway.”

  Penny turns red and cuddles Toto and Prince closer to her.

  “Frankie,” I say under my breath. “You don’t have to be mean about it.”

  “I’m being honest!” she says. “Is it mean to be honest?”

  “You’re the one who needs a heart,” Penny mutters.

  “You’re the one who needs some courage,” Frankie says to her.

  I turn to Frankie. “What is up with you today? You really are being mean!”

  She narrows her eyes. “If I’m so mean, go on your own! You got us into this mess with your weird fairy tale mirror. You can get us out of it!”

  I feel like she slapped me across the face. “Okay,” I sputter.

  “Make sure Dorothy has the shoes so we can actually go home,” Frankie adds.

  “Anything else?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.

  “That’s it,” she says.

  I kiss Prince good-bye, then storm out of the castle through the front door.

  * * *

  I’m about halfway across the Emerald (now Gray) City when I hear someone calling behind me.

  “Abby, wait!”

  I turn around. It’s Frankie.

  “What?” I ask.

  “I’ll come with you,” she says.

  She will? “Are you still going to be mean?” I ask.

  “Was I being mean?” she asks with a shrug.

  “Yes!”

  She shrugs again. “Sorry. Let’s go to Tigertail Tower.”

  Okay, fine. But I hope she doesn’t think I’m forgiving her with that half-baked apology.

  We sneak through the city, trying to be casual. I smile self-consciously at the gray people and keep an eye out for the witches. They must still be eating breakfast. After walking along a cobblestoned street, we cross the small bridge over the moat to where the tower is.

  There is no guard in front of it. But the door is locked.

  I take the gold key out of my pocket and put it inside the lock. Please let this work, please let this work … it works!

  The lock clicks and the door opens.

  “Hurrah!” I say.

  Inside, there’s a steep, winding staircase that leads to a metal door a few stories up.

  “Maybe I’ll go up and let them out?” I offer to Frankie. “You can stay here in case something goes wrong,” I suggest.

  “Sure,” she says.

  I climb up the stairs quickly, trying not to lose my breath. I knock softly on the door. “Guys? You in there?”

  “Abby! Is that you?” It’s Robin’s voice. I feel a rush of relief.

  “Yes!” I say. “I’m here to rescue you!”

  “Thank goodness!”

  I take the gold key out of my pocket again, put it in the lock, and … please let this work again, please let this work again … it turns! It works! Yes!

  I push the door open. Do
rothy and Robin are waiting eagerly on the other side.

  Robin throws her arms around me. “You saved us!”

  “I’m so glad I found you,” I say, hugging Robin back. I even give Dorothy a hug.

  “Thank you!” Dorothy cries. “Where is Toto? Is he okay?”

  “He’s fine,” I assure her. “He’s back at the Wizard’s castle with Penny and Prince.” I study Dorothy and Robin; they’re both gray, of course, but otherwise they don’t seem harmed. “What happened to you two?” I ask.

  Robin groans. “It was awful. The flying monkeys carried us across Oz, and first we went to the witch’s castle. But then we left again and the flying monkeys dumped us in this tower and locked the door. We’ve been stuck here ever since.”

  “I’m sorry,” I say.

  “It gets worse,” Dorothy says. “The witches took the magic shoes!”

  I glance down and see with horror that Dorothy is barefoot. Noooo.

  “I was trying to figure out how Dorothy should use them,” Robin explains. “But then the witches swooped in and grabbed them from us.” She sighs. “So I had no idea what to do! I didn’t know the story! I wish I had seen the movie! Why did I never see the movie?” She slaps her forehead.

  “It’s an old movie,” I tell her, and although I am bummed about the magic shoes, I add, “And we’ll figure out what to do about the shoes.”

  “Still! I just felt so dumb. So so so dumb! Dorothy kept asking me what was going to happen and I had no idea.”

  “It’s not your fault,” I tell her. “It’s just a movie. And a book, but I haven’t read the book, either. You’re not dumb.”

  “I felt dumb,” Robin says. “I still do. I don’t even understand where we are.”

  “We’re in the Emerald City,” I say.

  “But why is it called that when everything in it is gray?” She throws her hands up. “It makes no sense!”

  “Well, see, it’s because of the witches —” I say.

  “Can I go find Toto?” Dorothy asks, interrupting us. “I miss my little pup.”

  “Yes!” I’m missing Prince, too. I turn back toward the door. “The staircase is narrow, so be careful.”

  I wave to Frankie, who’s at the foot of the stairs. “Got ’em!” I tell her.

  She waves. “I wouldn’t take them on the staircase,” she tells me.

  “Huh?” I ask. “Why not? Is there another way down?”