Abducted to Oz

  CHAPTER FOUR:

  AN UNFORTUNATE OUTCOME

  The day of the big parade came swiftly. Sir Simon and Kabumpo werevastly proud of the surprise they were about to spring on the people ofthe Emerald City. Indeed, it was a delightful parade. The Fuzzy YellowWogglebugs had put together a choral group that sang a bouncing tune asthey marched at the head of the parade. Mr. Tinker followed them with anelectronic float that tossed candy canes out of its windows to thepeople below. Princess Saari came next, riding atop a magnificent floatthat seemed to radiate all the colors of the rainbow. She was followedby Pegina the Pegasus, who flew just above the heads of two mightydragons. Button-Bright, Trot, and Betsy Bobbin had put together a kazooband and played "Ease on Down the Road" as they marched along behind thedragons. The Elves of Elfland followed, having constructed a float thatresembled Egor's fantastic Funhouse out of hundreds of carnations. Agray spotlight shot out of the windows at certain intervals to circlearound the Funhouse and resemble a cyclone. No one knew how the Elveshad managed to make the light do this trick, but it was an Elven secret,so no one asked.

  Many other quaint and delightful spectacles were there to be seen andenjoyed. But it was the marvelous Dorothy and Wicked Witch sculpturethat caught the attention of everyone. It reminded all of the reason forthe annual celebration, and all were happy to recall the way they hadbeen freed from the heartless whims of the cruel-hearted old woman.

  At the end of the parade, all eyes were fixed on the image, and Simonsignaled to Kabumpo to let go of the spring. The Dorothy statue splashedthe sugary Witch right on her head. Unfortunately, the bucket had notbeen filled with water, as Simon had assumed. It was actually filledwith some fermented sucopinesz juice that a family of wombats had hiddenthere for consumption after the parade. The Witch image began to shrinkand fall away. The crowd roared and laughed at the sight. But, ofcourse, we all know that sucopinesz juice and sugar do not mix well. Aseries of tiny explosions began to appear above the melted Witch.Kabumpo was so startled that he did not see how close he wasgetting to the Hungry Tiger. Feeling a heavy elephant's footon his striped tail, the Tiger jumped eight hundred yards ahead.He landed on Princess Saari, breaking a hole in the top ofher float, into which they both fell. From this hole emanated a radiantgreen light. The light ricocheted off of the Glass Cat's tail and struckthe gray light that had been circling the Elfland float. Now, it iscommonly known among Oz scholars that a cyclone is created when hot andcold air meet in one place. It was the same way when the two magicaltypes of light collided. The dizzying green light splashed at theother-worldly gray light, and a funnel cloud emerged. It whirled aboutuntil it surrounded the popping mass of sugared juice. When the twisterhad subsided, thanks to the magic of Glinda and the Wizard, there stooda hideous green-faced woman in a black outfit. On her head she wore ablack pointed hat. In her hand was a broomstick.

  "Who's sh-she?" stuttered Dorothy.

  "I don't know," replied Ozma. "She looks like a Witch! But not like anyof the Witches I've ever known about!"

  "I am the Wicked Witch of the West!" shouted the woman in a maniacalvoice.

  "She doesn't look like the one I remember," said the Scarecrow. "Thisone has two eyes and green skin. She must be an impostor."

  "I am not an impostor!" bellowed the woman.

  "But," said an elderly Winkie who remembered the original Witch, "WitchAllidap had a patch over one eye and did not dress in pure black. Thisis not her at all."

  "I am too me! I just feel a little different today, that's all. I willprove to you that I am Allidap!"