Shadows of the Emerald City (27 page)

Dorothy knew Glinda was right, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. She took off her old shoes, which were indeed too worn to be traveling in, and slipped on the red slippers. They should have been too big, but they reshaped themselves for her feet. They felt unpleasant against her skin, warm and yielding like flesh. Shoes of the murdered, shoes of the murderer. Now her feet matched the Tin Man’s, stained with blood.

“
I’m sorry I have to leave so soon, child. It was a pleasure meeting you.” Without another word, Glinda strode off in the direction of town.

Dorothy watched on, both happy and sad to see the woman go. Turning to the Tin Man she said,

“
Well, I suppose we should get going. The sooner we leave, the sooner we arrive.”

She turned and started walking down the yellow brick road. For every ten steps Dorothy took, the Tin Man only had to take one. She could have asked him to carry her, but that would have meant trusting him not to crush her.

She let Toto walk as long as he could, but she had to pick him up after a few miles.

They paused once in the afternoon to collect berries for her and Toto to eat. The Tin Man confirmed they weren’t poisonous. She folded the leftovers in a handkerchief to eat later.

They walked without stopping for the whole afternoon. The Munchkin village receded behind them, and the scenery gradually changed to farmland, corn fields as far as the eye could see. She could almost believe she was in Kansas again.

The red shoes were oddly comfortable to walk in. They seemed so flimsy, but every time she stepped down, the soles flexed to cushion her step.

Even so, her legs grew tired, and her arms from holding Toto. As they passed through a crossroads, she spotted a rock that would make a good chair. She plopped herself down and let Toto down to make water.

Her feet felt fine, but she wanted to take the shoes off and let her feet air out. When she tried to remove them, they wouldn’t release their grip on her feet. She tried again and again, but they still wouldn’t budge. Finally, she gave up and just sat back to rest her legs.

The Tin Man sat down next to her.

“
Did Glinda send you to kill me?”

“
No.”

“
Your guilty heart betrays you. I can hear it pounding in your chest.”

Extra conscious of her heart, she spoke again.

“
I’m sorry I lied. I just don’t want you to hurt her. Yes, that was her idea, but I’m hoping that if I teach you enough about love, you will choose to stop killing and then no one will want you to die.

An animal’s roar rang out through the air and Toto jumped up into her arms.

“
What was that?”

“
I don’t know. It came from over there.” He pointed into one of the corn fields.

He strode ahead of her, tramping down the corn as he went. After a few giant-sized strides, he stopped. Dorothy peeked around his leg. In a small clearing in the corn she saw a Lion tearing at the belly of an outstretched man’s body.

The body bounced limply, devoid of life. She breathed in sharply and her legs tried to carry her away. She couldn’t remember what she supposed to do, run or play dead? She put one hand against the Tin Man’s leg to steady herself. She was glad of his protective presence for the moment.

Just then, the head of the body happened to bounce so it faced in her direction.

“
Hello there,” it said cheerfully.

Before Dorothy could recover from her surprise, the Lion turned and snarled. It pounced at her but the Tin Man snatched the Lion out of the air. It hissed and snarled. The Tin Man’s hand held it too tightly for it to break free.

Toto barked up at the Lion, swearing to teach it a lesson once he was within reach.

“
Should I kill it?”

“
No!” she and the Lion shouted simultaneously.

“
No!” the Lion continued. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it.” Tears began to pour down the Lion’s face, drenching its fur as huge sobs wracked its frame. “I’m so sorry. I’m just s-s-so hungry! I haven’t eaten in
daaaaays!
”

“
There, there. We’ll get you something to eat.”

The Lion stopped sobbing.

“
You have food?”

“
I do, actually. Just a moment.”

“
Oh thank you, thank you, thank you. I’ll do whatever you say if you just give me something to eat.”

“
Here you go.” She unfolded the handkerchief full of berries and held them up to him.

“
B-b-b-berries!
I can’t eat berries. If only I could. Berries aren’t frightening at all, but they do make me ill.” And he began to sob all over again. “Can you make the dog stop barking at me, please? Each yip is like a nail through my heart.”

“
Toto! Quiet.” She smacked him on the nose. He looked up at her reproachfully, but stopped. “Why were you hurting that poor man?”

“
I’m not a man, I’m a Scarecrow,” the figure on the ground said cheerfully.

And indeed he was. His clothes were spread out across the ground, a green jacket and mismatched red pants tucked into worn leather boots. His face was just a painted sack. The jacket was torn open at the belly and straw was scattered all over.

“
Tin Man, will you let the Lion go, please?”

“
He’s a hungry predator.”

“
Please?”

He set the Lion on the ground, who collapsed in a pathetic heap. The poor thing was nothing but skin and bones. He was missing clumps of fur and he was covered in sores.

Toto sniffed him tentatively, without taking his eyes off Dorothy.

“
Mr. Lion, why would you want to eat a Scarecrow?”

“
He doesn’t mind.” The Lion’s eyes never left the Tin Man. “I use him to build up the nerve to attack real animals. He lets me rip out his guts. It doesn’t make my stomach feel any better, but I can use the straw to make a nice warm bed so I can nap.”

“
It’s a win-win,” said the Scarecrow. “He gets to practice being ferocious, and his fleas keep me company for days after.”

“
Why are you so hungry, Mr. Lion?”

“
Because I’m—I’m scared! I’m too terrified to chase anything bigger than rabbits and squirrels. Even those take a big lump of courage—they have such sharp little teeth. Can you get your dog away from me, please? I’m afraid he’s going to bite. I think he’s foaming at the mouth”

“
He is
not
foaming. He just has a runny nose. All he wants to do is smell you.”

“
First smelling, then biting, the next thing you know it has its jaws around my throat and I’m done for.”

“
Toto, leave him alone. He’s scared of you.” Toto gave her a skeptical look, but she reassured him by stroking his ears. “Did you say you eat cute little squirrels? I was teaching Tin Man here that killing is wrong.”

“
It is? I’m a bad kitty!”

“
Dorothy,” the Tin Man said. “He’s a predator. If he doesn’t kill, then he dies, simple as that.”

Dorothy shook her head.

“
He must be able to eat something else.”

“
Felines are strict carnivores. They need meat to survive.”

“
If he were more courageous, he could eat the bigger, uglier animals. Lion, I would rather you didn’t eat the little cute ones. Would you like to be my friend? Would you like to go to the Wizard? I bet he could give you courage.”

The Lion’s face lit up.

“
Oh I’d like that. Can I travel with you? You can keep me safe.”

“
Please don’t take my friend away from me,” said the Scarecrow.

“
Friend?” the Tin Man said. “He was disemboweling you.”

“
That’s right.” The Scarecrow nodded proudly. “And later today the farmer will come and re-embowel me. That’s the way it always goes. I don’t see either of them for weeks and then I see both come on the same day.” One empty shoulder twitched in a semblance of a shrug. “When it rains, it pours.”

“
We could put your stuffing back in, if you’d like.”

“
No thanks. If my stuffing’s in, I’m not sure the farmer will visit me.”

The Tin Man bent down over the Scarecrow. “How are you even alive, with nothing but straw inside you? Every creature needs a brain.”

“
What’s a brain?”

A wonderful idea came to Dorothy.

“
You can come with us! The Wizard grants wishes. He can give you a brain.” It would give her some company besides the murderous giant, and what harm could he be? A man of straw couldn’t be hurt, so he’d be safe even with the Tin Man around.

The Tin Man crouched beside and whispered in a clearly audible booming voice.

“
You want to take him along? He doesn’t even care about his own body.”

“
Excuse me,” the Scarecrow said. “I don’t want to go to the Wizard. Why waste my life wishing when I’m happy just the way I am? No thank you, I’m content staying right here.”

“
You don’t know what you’re missing, having a brain,” Dorothy said.

“
I’m sure. But feel free to visit any time. I always enjoy a good disemboweling.”

“
I can still come, can’t I?” The Lion’s voice shined with hope.

“
On one condition. You can’t kill anything.”

“
Of course not!”

The Tin Man straightened up.

“
You’re being cruel.”

Dorothy crossed her arms and turned away.

“
I don’t have to listen to you.”

“
It will take two weeks to reach the Emerald City at your pace. He’ll die before you’re halfway there.”

“
He’ll be fine. Won’t you, Lion?”

“
Whatever you say, Dorothy.” The Lion’s eyes were huge with anticipation. His tongue hung out of his mouth.

“
You wish to watch him die slowly of starvation. This is love?”

She ignored him.

They walked on, with the Scarecrow’s voice following after them. “Don’t forget to visit!” They were slowed to a snail’s pace to allow the malnourished Lion to keep up. Finally they found a meadow to settle for the night. Toto curled up against her belly, and the Lion curled up at the edge of the meadow.

When she woke, she was surprised that her belly was cold. Toto was gone!

“
Where’s Toto?” She looked around. The Tin Man was watching her. “And the Lion?”

“
After he was certain you’d fallen asleep, the Lion snatched Toto up in his jaws and carried him off into the woods.”

Dorothy’s voice rose into a shriek.

“
Why didn’t you stop him?”

“
What was I to do?” He held out his hands toward her. “These hands are not made for delicate work. I could never have extricated the dog without killing one or both of them, and you’d forbidden me to harm either one.”

“
Why didn’t you wake me?”

“
So you could fight a starving Lion with the taste of blood on his tongue? I saved your life by letting you sleep.”

“
I don’t care. You should have woken me.”

“
You’re angry because I prevented you from throwing your life away. This is love?”

“
Leave me alone.”

She could see the trail left by the Lion, the blood smeared thickly across the brush. She followed the trail until she came to Toto’s carcass. A heap of bones and fur with a dog collar were all that remained of her best friend. She found a flat rock to dig a small hole and buried him the best she could. She kissed the collar and clutched it in her hand. It smelled of blood, but it was a part of him, all she had left.

She lay down and cried herself to sleep. When she awoke, it was dark and her body ached from the hard ground. A day and a night and another day passed, leaving no more than a fleeting impression on her memory.

She woke up and she was so cold. Only her feet were warm. The slippers were massaging her soles. Or trying to eat them. She didn’t much care one way or the other.

“
You’re going to die of exposure if I don’t do something. This is love? A trigger for suicide?”

She fell asleep again, and woke with a start. She was falling. No. They were moving, with her cradled in his hand. He was carrying her somewhere, covering ground quickly with his long strides.

She tried to say something, but all that came out was a hoarse gasp. Her throat was so dry. She lifted her head, but her strength gave out and her head fell again. She slept.

She woke to the feel of cool sheets. She didn’t open her eyes, wanting a moment to think first.

She opened her eyes and saw green. The ceiling was green. The walls were green. The door was green. The desk in the corner was green, as were the papers heaped atop it. The man sleeping in the green chair was green-skinned and wearing a green suit. She held her hand up in front of her face. It was a reassuring pink.

“
Excuse me,” she whispered. Her voice came out in a dry rasp. The man stirred, shifting his head before falling still again. “Excuse me.”

His head turned toward her. His eyes drifted open slowly in her direction, then suddenly snapped open, quick as a mousetrap. He jumped to his feet.