The Cyclone

Dorothy lived on a small, humble farm in Kansas, where the land stretched broad and gray in every direction, without a tree to break the gray. Even the sky above the farm seemed just as gray, as though it too had turned gray. Her one true companion was Toto, a small black dog who ran and played and made her laugh all day long. One afternoon the sky turned a strange, deep green, and a distant roar began to rise far away. In a moment, a fierce wind was twisting toward the house, tearing across the land faster than any horse could run.

Dorothy ran inside, calling for Toto, but before she could get to the door, the whole house was carried up into the sky. Round and round it turned, rising higher and higher, until the farm below looked as small as a picture. Dorothy held Toto close and waited, too afraid even to cry, as the house drifted through the gray clouds for what felt like hours.

At last, the house began to descend slowly toward the earth below. When Dorothy opened the door, she was astonished: outside was a land more splendid than she had ever seen, filled with strange little people no taller than herself. They wore round hats and bright blue clothes, and they stood in a circle around the house, gazing at it with big, astonished eyes.

"You have killed the Wicked Witch of the East!" one of the little Munchkins cried, pointing under the house. Two feet in silver shoes stuck out from under it, and nothing else of the witch remained. The Munchkins began to sing and dance with joy, for the witch had ruled over them with a harsh hand, and they had been made to obey her for a long, long time.

An old woman with silver hair came closer. "I am the Good Witch of the North," she said, "and you have made my people free from a wicked ruler. These silver shoes carry powerful magic, though even I do not know what that magic is. Take them, and wear them well." Dorothy put on the shoes, astonished to find they were just the right size for her feet.

"Thank you," Dorothy said politely, "but all I really want is to go home to Kansas. Can you help me find the way?" The Good Witch shook her head slowly. "I do not know the way to Kansas. But far off, in the Emerald City, there lives a wizard of grand and mysterious power, named Oz. Perhaps he alone can send you home. Follow the road of yellow brick, and it will lead you straight to his gates."

The Good Witch put her hand on Dorothy's head. "This will keep you from harm along your journey," she said, and then, in an instant, she began to fade, and vanished into the bright morning air. Dorothy looked down and found the road at her feet, a road of small yellow bricks winding through fields of flowers. She picked up Toto, waved farewell to her new friends, and started toward the distant city.

The country around her seemed more beautiful with every step: small rivers glowed in the sunlight, birds were singing in every tree, and the warm air smelled sweet. She walked for hours, resting now and then under a shady tree to eat a little bread, and always Toto ran ahead of her, barking at birds that scattered as he came near.

As evening approached, the sky began to turn soft pink, and Dorothy noticed something strange standing on a tall pole near the road. It was a curious shape, dressed in old, worn clothes and topped with a painted face, meant only to scare birds away. But as she drew closer, one of its painted eyes seemed to move, and a soft voice spoke to her. "Good day," it said. Dorothy jumped back in surprise. "Did you speak?" she asked, astonished. "I did," the shape replied. "How do you do?"

"I am not very well," the Scarecrow admitted sadly. "It is a tiring life, standing here through day and night, with nothing but straw inside my head. I have no brain at all, and that troubles me very much. Could you help me down from this pole?" Dorothy picked him up off the pole. He was surprisingly light, being made of nothing but old clothes filled with straw, and he fell over twice before he finally found his balance.

"A farmer built me only two days ago," the Scarecrow explained, bowing politely. "He painted my face, put an old hat on my head, and left me here on this pole. But without a brain to think with, my life feels hard and empty." "I am going to the Emerald City," said Dorothy, "to ask the powerful Wizard Oz to send me home. Perhaps he could grant you a brain as well."

The Scarecrow's painted face seemed to grow brighter. "Do you really believe he would?" "I see no reason why not," Dorothy said kindly. "Then I shall come with you," he declared, "for a life without a brain is no life at all." As they walked together down the road, he asked curiously, "What manner of creature is this Wizard? Is he grand and terrible, or kind and wise?" "I have never seen him myself," Dorothy admitted, laughing softly. "But we shall find out soon enough."

Toto raced ahead of them through the tall grass, barking at birds that scattered as he came near, while the sky slowly turned black and small, glowing lights began to appear here and there among the flowers, like little stars come down to visit the earth. And so Dorothy, Toto, and the Scarecrow walked on together under the fading light, following the road of yellow brick toward the distant Emerald City, neither of them knowing what other strange companions still waited for them along the way.