THREE DAYS EARLIER
(OR HALF AN HOUR…IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU LOOK AT IT)
Daphne, I don't think we're in Ferryport Landing anymore," Sabrina Grimm said. Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed her sister's hand and ran back to the wooden farmhouse. Once inside, she slammed the door shut and leaned against it. The farmhouse was small and rustic, with dirt floors and shabby furniture-three chairs, a rickety table, two tiny beds, an iron stove, and a frayed rug. What little light managed to slip through the windows was overwhelmed by shadows, and there was a thick cloud of poverty hanging over everything. To call it a house would have been generous. It was more like a shack.
"Daphne?"
"I'm OK," her sister's voice called back. "They're singing for us."
Sabrina clambered up atop one of the beds, where Daphne stood. Her little sister was wearing a yellow dress and pushing a pair of creaky shutters open in order to peer out into the sunshine. She smiled brightly, her eyes filled with curiosity. Sabrina envied Daphne's attitude. Her sister was much better at adapting to the twists and turns to which the two sisters were often subjected. She seemed to lack suspicion or worry, but Sabrina had a never-ending supply. Unfortunately, Daphne also lacked the necessary wariness their lives often required.
"Get away from the window," Sabrina scolded.
Daphne giggled and then bit down on the palm of her hand. It was a quirky habit that came out when she was very excited or very happy. From the look of the bite mark she now had, it appeared she was both. "We're here. We're actually here!"
"Where's here?" Sabrina asked as she climbed down from the bed and slowly opened the front door again. A breeze swept into the shack, swirling a cyclone of dust on the floor. Standing on the stoop outside was a very short, very chubby old woman who resembled a baked potato stuffed in a white dress. Accompanying her was a trio of equally tiny men. Each had the face of a cherub, except for their bushy white beards and untamed eyebrows. None was taller than three feet, and all were dressed in matching blue suits and pie-tin-shaped hats. Behind them, Sabrina could see a town square lined with little round houses the same color as the tiny people's suits and hats. The square had a road leading away from it paved with yellow bricks. A Yellow Brick Road.
"Welcome-"
Sabrina slammed the door in their faces. "We're in Oz!"
"I know! It's awesome."
"No, Daphne, it's not awesome. All the people from Oz are crazy!"
"I know how much people from Oz annoy you, but think about it. We're actually in the Land of Oz, or I guess, we're technically in the story of Oz. I didn't believe it was possible when Mirror told us about the Book of Everafter, but he was telling the truth. We're inside a book of fairy tales!"
Sabrina bristled at the mention of Mirror's name, and a wave of sadness swept over her. She felt her throat tighten as she fought back tears. She never wanted to hear that man's name again.
"I wonder when Dorothy will show up," Daphne continued, still grinning.
"Try to focus," Sabrina insisted. "The reason we're in this story is to find Mirror and save our baby brother from whatever wicked plan Mirror has cooking in his stupid bald head. We don't have time for some idiot from Kansas."
Daphne frowned. "OK, so what's the plan?"
Sabrina sat down on one of the creaky beds and stared at the empty wall. "I don't know."
"I'm sorry," Daphne said, "but did the great Sabrina Grimm just say she didn't know what to do?"
Sabrina understood her sister was teasing, but she couldn't bring herself to smile. The few options they had felt murky and confusing. Should they chase Mirror in hopes of rescuing the baby, or stay put and hope the rest of their family would show up to help? She and Daphne knew next to nothing about the Book of Everafter. How did it work? What were the rules of the Book? Could they be injured-or worse, killed? The Grimm sisters had a hard enough time staying alive in the real world. Could they survive in a magic book? And then there were the others to consider: Pinocchio, who had betrayed them, and Puck. Both had stepped into the Book alongside them, but where were they now? Dead? Injured? Lost? Should she and her sister wait for them to show up, or start searching for them, too? There were too many questions and too much still unknown to answer them. What if Sabrina made the wrong choice?
Two years ago, Sabrina and Daphne had a simple, happy life on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, in New York City, when their parents disappeared. Overnight, Sabrina was enrolled in a crash course on taking care of her little sister, being tough, and thinking on her feet in order to survive the foster care system. The sisters were bounced from one cruel and crazy family to the next, finally landing in the home of an eccentric old woman who turned out to be the grandmother they never knew they had.
Granny Relda, as they called her, lived in a tiny town on the Hudson River called Ferryport Landing. There was no point looking it up on a map, as it wasn't on most-and for good reason. Most of the town's inhabitants were the real-life people so many fairy tales were based upon. Witches ran the local diner. Ogres delivered the mail. The Queen of Hearts was the town's mayor. With a population so strange and magical, it was best if everyone kept a low profile.
Granny Relda filled the girls in on their equally fascinating family history. She was a detective, a fairy-tale detective to be exact, just like all the Grimms before her. Their ancestors, the Brothers Grimm, had been detectives too, investigating the strange and magical cases they encountered. If the world thought their book was a collection of bedtime stories, it was probably for the best, because the truth would keep everyone up at night.
The girls had lived with Granny Relda for almost a year, and in that time she trained them to take over the family business. It was dangerous work. The girls learned that sometimes the good guys were villains and sometimes the bad guys were their greatest allies. Sabrina never really let her guard down and continued to call the shots for her sister and herself. Inevitably, she butted heads with her grandmother and nearly everyone else they met. When her mother and father were returned to her, she saw it as an opportunity to go back to being a normal kid. She should have known better. As Grimms, they could never be sure what danger might appear around the next corner.
"Well, we can't sit here all day, I guess. We should go outside and see if Mirror and Sammy are in this story," Daphne said.
"Sammy?" Sabrina asked.
"We can't call the baby 'what's-his-name,'" Daphne said. "You don't like the name Sammy?"
Sabrina shrugged. "Whatever. The real problem is that this could be dangerous, Daphne. Some of the stories in this book aren't exactly kid friendly. A lot of them are pretty…well, twisted. What if we step through one of these doors and walk into Bluebeard's house or onto the plank on Long John Silver's boat?"
"We'll kick butt and take names like we always do," the little girl said, stepping into the karate stance she had learned in a self-defense class.
Sabrina wished she could muster the same confidence. "I'm just saying we need to be careful. One look around and you can see that something is off. The colors are weird. Everything is too bright and cheery, and there are too many things with the same color. There are flowers in the square the same color blue as the houses. The Munchkins outside look strange too. Like the details aren't all there."
"So the colors are off. I don't think we have anything to fear from the color blue," Daphne said.
"What I'm saying is this book has its own rules. Like the dress you're wearing: You didn't have that on when we stepped into the Book."
Daphne looked down at the yellow dress she wore, and then back to her sister. "So the Book changed my clothes. Big deal."
"If it can do that, what else can it do?"
"It didn't change you at all."
Sabrina was still wearing her jeans, sneakers, and sweater. She had no explanation.
Daphne continued. "Unfortunately, big sister, the only way to learn the rules is to get started." She pointed out the window to a sea of Munchkins that had circled the house.
Sabrina groaned. "Fine! But stay close. And just so you know, I have no problem serving up a plate of knuckle sandwiches to these weirdoes if they get in the way-whether they're real or not!"
Daphne opened the door and a crowd of Munchkins gaped in wonder, letting out a collective "Oooohhhhhhhh!" The lumpy old woman in white hobbled forward. She cleared her throat and bowed as low as her old bones would allow. "You are welcome, most noble Sorceress, to the land of the Munchkins. We are so grateful to you for having killed the Wicked Witch of the East, and for setting our people free from bondage."
"No problem," Sabrina said, rolling her eyes at Daphne. "So, we're looking for a man carrying a small boy. Has anyone seen them?"
The Munchkins seemed startled by her response, as if they were waiting for a different reply.
"Wait a minute! We killed who?" Daphne shouted as she pushed through the crowd. Sabrina followed, and the girls rounded the side of the little farmhouse. Sticking out from beneath the house was a pair of legs wearing bright silver shoes.
"Call 911!" Daphne cried as she knelt beside the feet.
"There is nothing to be done," the squat woman in white said in an irritating singsong voice. "She was the Wicked Witch of the East. She held all the Munchkins in bondage for many years, making them slave for her night and day. Now they are all set free and are grateful for the favor."
Daphne ignored her and shouted at the feet. "Don't worry, lady! We'll get you out of there."
One of the tiny men stepped forward. "That's not the line."
Sabrina and Daphne eyed one another, confused. "Huh?"
The woman in white looked around her and then leaned in close and whispered in a voice no louder than a mouse. "That's not what you say. You're supposed to ask me if I'm a Munchkin. That's what happens next."
Sabrina scowled and clenched her fists. "What is she talking about? Every person from this nutty place is-"
Daphne turned to the little woman. "OK, we'll say what you want us to say. Are you a Munchkin?"
The woman sighed in great relief and smoothed some wrinkles out of her dress. "No, but I am their friend. When they saw the Wicked Witch of the East was dead, the Munchkins sent a swift messenger to me, and I came at once. I am the Witch of the North."
"I thought Glinda was the Witch of the North," Sabrina said.
Daphne shook her head. "That's the movie. Glinda's the Witch of the South. Haven't you read this story?"
"I skimmed it."
Another of the little men chimed in. "No, you're supposed to say 'Oh gracious! Are you a real witch?'"
Sabrina fumed and stomped her foot. "Just let me punch one of them out. It will be a lesson for the others."
"Silence your animal, Dorothy!" another Munchkin demanded. "This is not what happened."
"Dorothy?" Sabrina said.
"My name's not-wait! They think I'm Dorothy," Daphne said as a happy smile spread across her face. "The Book must have turned us into characters."
"Then who am I?" Sabrina said as she studied her clothing.
Daphne snickered. "Probably Toto."
Sabrina started to smile, but it quickly turned to a frown. She reached under her shirt and found a small leather collar fastened around her neck. A silver tag engraved with the name "Toto" was attached. She pulled it off and angrily threw it to the ground. "Of course! I have to be the dog."
Daphne laughed so hard she snorted.
"Yes, it's hilarious," Sabrina steamed. "Don't be surprised if I bite your leg."
Daphne got herself under control. "Well, this is interesting. If the Book is turning us into the characters, maybe that's everyone's problem. We're supposed to follow the story. Am I right?"
The crowd eyed them quietly as if afraid to answer. Finally, one of the little old men nodded subtly and whispered, "Please, we beg you. Just say the line."
Sabrina threw up her hands in frustration and turned to her sister. "I feel like I'm trapped in a second-grade play. They're going to have to spoon-feed us every line of dialogue unless you've got this story memorized from beginning to end."
Daphne ignored her and recited the line the Munchkin had given to her. "'Oh gracious! Are you a real witch?'"
"Yes indeed," the woman in white said. "But I am a good witch, and the people love me. I am not as powerful as the Wicked Witch was who ruled here, or I should have set the people free myself."
Sabrina groaned. "Enough! We're not here to be part of your story. We're looking for a man who is traveling with a toddler-a little boy. Have you seen them or not?"
The Munchkins leaped back in fright.
"He's short and balding and wearing a black suit," Daphne added.
A rosy-cheeked man in the back of the crowd made his way to the front. "I have seen him."
The rest of the Munchkins broke into excited complaints, begging their friend to be quiet and not change the story. He spat on the ground and refused. "It's best to just get them out of here as soon as possible," he said. "They're just like the last fellow. He wouldn't follow the story either."
"Mirror was here? Are you sure?"
"Didn't ask his name, young lady, but there was a man this way not long ago," the Munchkin said. "He took off down the Yellow Brick Road in search of the magic door."
"Magic door?"
"It pops up at the end of the story. Never seen it myself, but I've heard rumors it can take you out of this story and into the next."
Sabrina turned to her sister. "Then we have to stop him. If he gets to the door, who knows where he'll end up next."
"How do we find this door?" Daphne said.
The nervous crowd looked at one another. After several moments of talking amongst themselves, the woman in white stepped close.
"You have to clean those ears of yours. The man said it pops up at the end of the story. The best way to find it is to just do everything that happened the first time, like it was when the real Dorothy did it. Go down the Yellow Brick Road, find your companions, enter the Emerald City, and meet the great and terrible Wizard of Oz. He'll send you to kill the Wicked Witch of the West. Once that's done, the door should appear."
"That will take forever," Sabrina complained.
"Isn't there another way?" Daphne asked the Witch.
The old woman shook her head violently. "I've said too much already. I'll anger the Editor."
"The Editor?" Daphne asked.
Everyone shushed her at once. "Don't say his name! You'll call attention to us!"
Sabrina rolled her eyes. "C'mon. We're wasting time with these nutcases. Let's go."
Daphne nodded. "Well, nice to meet you all. Sorry to kill that witch and just run off, but we're really in a hurry."
With that, the girls turned and headed toward the square and the winding Yellow Brick Road beyond. But it wasn't long before they were stopped in their tracks by angry shouts.
When they spun around, the girls found a stout Munchkin with a red face and a long beard, which he repeatedly tripped over as he rushed in their direction. When he finally reached them, he bent over to catch his breath and handed Daphne the silver slippers that were previously on the Witch's feet.
"You forgot these," he gasped. "They're a big part of this story, you know."
"Thanks," Daphne said sheepishly.
"Oh, and do yourself a favor-stay inside the margins," he said.
"The margins?"
"Yes, you know, stay in the story. Don't wander around in parts that weren't written down."
"Why?" Sabrina said.
"Because…it's dangerous!" the little man shouted. "Do you need an explanation for everything? Stay inside the story and you'll be safe."
Before Daphne could thank him for his advice, he turned and stomped back to the village, muttering insults.
"He's so pleasant," Sabrina said.
"C'mon, Toto," Daphne said with a wink. "We've got a bad guy to catch and a little brother to rescue. Be a good dog and I'll scratch your belly later."
"Keep it up and I swear I'll dig a hole and bury you in it," Sabrina grumbled.
Daphne grinned. "Bad dog. I might have to swat you with a rolled-up newspaper."
The countryside of Oz was both spectacular and strange. Ancient trees lined the roads, each with burly knots and cracks that gave them the appearance of faces. Wild birds of unusual colors flew overhead. One bird's plumage had a black-and-white checkered pattern. It landed on the path and eyed them curiously, as if they were the peculiar ones. Each bend in the road brought a new strange animal or freckling of unfamiliar flowers. Sabrina enjoyed the light breeze-it was the cleanest she had ever smelled. It had a calm, warm flavor like fresh oatmeal cookies and vanilla, and it swept across fields lush with wild grasses.
The scenery helped pass the time, though its strange colors and somewhat unreal appearance started to give Sabrina a headache. They walked on for the better part of a day, keeping careful eyes on the Yellow Brick Road for signs that Mirror had passed ahead of them. Their former friend left nothing obvious, which made Sabrina quietly fret that he had taken their little brother off the path to hide inside the ancient woods that lined the road. She didn't know much about Oz, but she sensed it was big. Mirror and the baby could be anywhere.
By dusk, their first sign of intelligent life came into view-a family of Munchkins living in one of the now-familiar circular houses. The man of the house was a short, shiny-faced fellow named Boq. He invited them to dinner. Though the two girls were famished, they declined. Daphne tried to explain their need to find Mirror, but like the others they had met, he was intent on keeping to the story. After much arguing, he informed the girls that Dorothy and Toto were supposed to eat and stay the night. When they refused, again, he chased them down the road for a mile and a half, begging them to return. Eventually, he gave up and walked back the way he had come with a defeated and worried expression.
"They're all freaked out about this Editor dude," Daphne said. Sabrina didn't recall a character named the Editor in any of L. Frank Baum's famous accounts of the Land of Oz, but then again, she barely knew the first book, and there were thirteen more she had just flipped through.
Soon the setting sun turned the sky into a canvas of crimsons, rusts, and tangerines. The girls found a clear space beneath a fruit tree. Ravenous, they shook at its limbs and collected the plump and curious fruits that fell. There were apples and oranges, but also many bizarre fruits Sabrina had never seen. Daphne happily munched on them all, but Sabrina turned her nose up at the most strange.
"I wasn't sure we could eat these," Daphne said between bites. "I thought maybe they weren't real."
"It's funny what's real and what's not. These taste just like fruit from Granny's kitchen. But look around. It's like we're walking through a painting or the illustrations in a book."
"Like someone else's memory," Daphne said.
Sabrina agreed. That was exactly the best way to explain how everything looked. It was like strolling around in someone's distant memory. Perhaps that's why everything felt strange and a little incomplete.
The girls ate until their bellies were full. Then they lay down under the tree and looked up at the unfamiliar constellations in Oz's sky, another reminder of their strange environment.
"I'm worried about Puck," Daphne said.
Sabrina grunted, not wanting her sister to suspect her concern about the boy fairy.
"I keep having this terrible thought," Daphne continued. "If the Book has turned me into Dorothy and you're Toto, what if that dead witch back in Munchkinland was him?"
"That wasn't him. We would have recognized his stink. Even a dead witch's corpse smells better than Puck. If we're lucky, that was Pinocchio sticking out from under that house."
Daphne hissed. "I can't believe he was working with the Master. I mean, Mirror. Whoever."
"It makes me wonder who I can trust," Sabrina whispered. She felt her sister's hand slide into her own. It helped unravel the knot of worry in Sabrina's belly a little.
"You can trust me," Daphne said. "And you can trust Sammy."
Sabrina's heart sank a little. Whenever she thought about the little boy and Mirror's cruel plans, she felt ill. "I doubt he has a name," she replied. "Mirror doesn't see him as a person. He's just a body. To him, our little brother is nothing more than a box for his soul. Don't forget, he let Red Riding Hood babysit when she was at her craziest."
"Well, I'm naming him. Do you think Mom and Dad will mind?"
Sabrina chuckled. "Probably. I think that's one of the perks of having kids. You get to name them."
Daphne sighed. "You're probably right. Still, he needs a name. Mom and Dad can rename him when we get him home."
"Fine, but I vote against Sammy Grimm," Sabrina said. "You remember Sammy from the orphanage?"
Sammy Cartwright was a bed-wetter, but not, unfortunately, when he was in his own bed. Sabrina could still remember leaping into her cot only to find herself swimming in damp sheets.
Daphne cringed. "How could I forget Soggy Sammy? I'll get to work on a better name."
A moment later, she was sleeping deeply, the hum of her snoring drifting into the tree branches above. Sabrina closed her eyes and tried to imagine her brother. He would have red hair, like her grandmother Relda, and round cheeks, like her father and Daphne. But he would also have her mother's eyes; eyes like Sabrina had too. Sadly, it was impossible to imagine his innocent little face without Mirror holding him in his arms. She had only met the boy once, and for only a brief moment, but losing him felt like losing a limb.
But Mirror had stolen more than her baby brother. His betrayal had robbed her of her best friend, too. With monsters, madmen, and mermaids running around the town, there had been one constant-one confidant-for Sabrina: Mirror. Sabrina had turned to him more times than she could count. He had always been happy to see her and had been quick with good advice. He was, she thought, her one true friend, but it had all been a lie. With every smile and kind word, he had been plotting and scheming against her and her family-every betrayal and attack the Grimms faced could be traced back to Mirror.
What hurt more was that Sabrina hadn't seen it coming. She prided herself on her instincts. She could smell a rotten egg long before anyone else, but she had been wrong about Mirror. Now every decision she had made in the last two years was in doubt. All of the responsibility she had-taking care of Daphne, keeping them safe, and now saving her brother-it was all too much. She was just a kid! How could she stop Mirror's plan? He was so powerful and clever.
She knew she needed a plan, but thinking about it made her nauseated. Her heart beat too rapidly and she felt as if she couldn't get enough air into her lungs. How could she lead when nearly every choice she had made in recent history had been a horrible mistake?
The morning arrived sooner than expected. Sleeping on the ground had made the girls achy and stiff, but they knew there was no time to complain. They collected more of the weird fruit and shoved as much as they could into their pockets. Daphne found a stream and the girls drank greedily and washed their faces and hands. Then they were off, once more, down the Yellow Brick Road.
"We've been here a whole day," Sabrina said as she eyed the rising sun. "Everyone out there in the real world is going to freak out. They have no idea where we are. It could take weeks to search every room in the Hall of Wonders before they find the Book of Everafter. And then what if they don't figure out how to get into the stories?"
"You forget we come from a very smart family," Daphne said. "Granny Relda will figure it out in no time, and Mom and Dad are like geniuses. I wouldn't be surprised if we ran into them on the way to the Emerald City."
Sabrina shook her head. "I think smarts don't count for much in this book-what they need is a whole lot of luck. It seems pretty random. When you step into the Book, you could literally end up anywhere. That might explain where Puck and Pinocchio are-they may have been dropped into a completely different story. The same thing could happen to our family. I hate to say it, but I think it would be best if they just stayed where they are. The last thing we need is our whole family as lost as we are."
"I wouldn't count on that," Daphne said. "Our family isn't known for its patience."
They walked for hours until finally coming across a farm bordered by a picket fence. Not far from the road, mounted on a large pole, was a scarecrow. He had a friendly face painted on an old burlap sack, and he wore a goofy blue hat like so many of the Munchkins had been wearing. A crow was perched on his head, pecking at his face. Sabrina recognized the scarecrow at once. She knew his real-life alter ego. The Scarecrow was Ferryport Landing's librarian, and he was also a walking disaster. His klutzy behavior and accident-prone nature drove Sabrina crazy. She expected no different from his storybook twin.
He sprang to life and shooed the pesky bird away, then smiled and waved at the girls.
"Good day," he said as he lifted his head to speak to them.
"Just ignore him," Sabrina said as she tried to usher her sister along.
Daphne stopped. "We can't ignore him. We need to get him down. You heard the Munchkins. We're supposed to stick to the story. He's supposed to come with us."
Sabrina shook her head. "Absolutely not! We're not making a lot of progress as it is, and this idiot will slow us to a crawl. Besides, you know how he is."
The Scarecrow looked confused by their conversation. "You're supposed to say-"
"Yeah, we know what we're supposed to say," Sabrina said.
The Scarecrow's painted eyes grew wide with astonishment. "Would you help me down?" he asked shyly.
Daphne gave Sabrina a pleading look, but she shook her head. The little girl frowned and stepped closer to the fence. "I'm sorry, Mr. Scarecrow, but we can't. We're trying to rescue our brother and you, well, how can I put this-"
"What?"
"You're a royal pain in the behind," Sabrina interrupted.
"Your dog is quite noisy," the Scarecrow said.
"Toto says you're a pain in the behind," Daphne said.
"You dirty little fleabag!" The Scarecrow squirmed and struggled, but could not free himself from his post.
Sabrina took her sister by the hand and pulled her down the road. "You're on your own, Scarecrow. Good luck!"
"Wait!" he cried. "I didn't mean it."
"See you later," Sabrina said.
"You need me for the rest of the story," he cried, but Sabrina was determined to put as much distance between them and the insufferable stuffed man as she could. His desperate cries lingered for another ten minutes, and then he was silent.
"We should have helped him," Daphne grumbled.
"Daphne, he's not real. This whole world and everyone in it is just magic. A spell."
"Real or not, we weren't very nice to him." Her little sister was fuming. She crossed her arms in disgust and marched along in silence.
They moved away from the farmland and into a forest landscape. It wasn't long before they heard a loud groan from the trees on the side of the road.
"Did you hear that?" Daphne asked, peering through the dense trees for the source of the pained cry.
Sabrina sighed. She knew the story well enough to know who it was. "It's the Tin Man. I'm sure of it."
Daphne put her palm into her mouth and bit down. "The Tin Man is my favorite."
Sabrina shook her head. "Don't even think about it. If we left the Scarecrow, we can leave this guy too."
"We have to rescue him," the little girl cried, and then raced into the woods.
"Daphne, no!" Sabrina chased after her and soon the two girls stumbled upon a cabin in the woods. Standing nearby was the Tin Man, stiff and rusting beneath a half-chopped tree with his ax in hand. He mumbled something unintelligible, but Daphne didn't stop to try to listen. She raced into the cabin and reappeared with an oilcan in her hand. In a flash, she was squeezing black grease into the metal man's joints, and soon he was moving about freely, if not a bit awkwardly. Daphne finished her good deed with a healthy squeeze into his jaw sockets.
"I might have stood there always if you had not come along," the Tin Man said. "So you have saved my life-wait…someone's missing. Where's the Scarecrow?"
The girls shared a knowing look.
"Back on that pole, I suspect," Daphne said.
"You left him?" the Tin Man cried.
"We can't go through this again," Sabrina groaned. "Let's go."
"Not before I get an autograph. Do you happen to have a pen?" Daphne said to the strange man. Sabrina snatched her sister by the hand and started back to the road.
The Tin Man followed behind them. "Uh, how did you come to be here?" he sputtered.
"We're going to see the Wizard so we can kill the Wicked Witch," Daphne said.
The Tin Man stopped in his tracks. "That's not what you're supposed to say."
"We're doing things a little differently this time," Sabrina said.
"Come on, Tin Man. Come with us," Daphne pleaded.
The Tin Man reeled back on his heels. "Uh, you know, I don't really feel comfortable with that. You're not following the rules."
"Well, don't let us keep you," Sabrina called over her shoulder. She didn't bother to hide her relief.
A moment later, Sabrina noticed Daphne's arms were crossed in a huff again.
"He would slow us down," Sabrina said, though in truth she was relieved she wasn't going to have to hang out with a talking garbage can.
Daphne scowled and continued marching quietly.
As they walked, the forest swallowed the road more and more, and soon the girls found themselves beneath a canopy of limbs and leaves blocking out the sun, and a surreal sort of déjà vu took over. Sabrina knew what was about to happen from seeing the movie-one of the few fairy-tale movies her father had allowed her to see. If she remembered correctly, they were about to meet the Cowardly Lion. He would spring from the brush at any moment.
"The lion is coming," Sabrina said as she peered around.
Daphne nodded. "If he jumps out and scares me, I might wet myself. I wish we could get some kind of warning."
No sooner had she finished speaking than the monstrous beast hurled himself into the center of the road. The lion was much bigger than Sabrina had expected. His body was all muscle, and his paws were as big as tennis rackets. His enormous golden mane looked as if it could swallow a man whole, and his claws gleamed like beautiful daggers. He looked as if he were about to swat someone, but when he couldn't find his target he crouched down on his haunches. His ferocious face turned to befuddlement.
"Did you have an accident?" Sabrina asked her sister.
The little girl shook her head. "No, but it was close."
The lion furrowed his brow and let out a roar that blew the girls' hair back.
"That's not helping," Daphne continued.
Of all the parts of the wacky tale of Oz, the meeting of the Cowardly Lion was one Sabrina remembered well. "I think you have to hit him in the face. That's what happens."
Daphne shook her head. "I can't hit a lion in the face."
The lion roared loudly, then leaned over and whispered, "You have to. It's in the story."
Daphne looked perplexed. "I can't do it. It's mean."
"Fine. I have to do everything," Sabrina said as she strolled over to the lion. She pulled back and punched him square in the nose. Perhaps it was the angle of the punch, but the lion went down like a sack of potatoes and lay unconscious on the ground.
"Did you have to hit him so hard?" Daphne said, leaning over the pummeled creature.
"I barely tapped him!" Sabrina complained as she stepped over him.
"Well, we can't just leave him here in the middle of the road," Daphne said.
"You want to carry him?" Sabrina said. "He probably weighs a couple hundred pounds at least."
Daphne looked down at the hulking beast and sighed. A moment later, she stepped over the lion as well and the girls continued down the Yellow Brick Road.
"Everyone seems pretty dead set on us sticking to the story," Daphne said. "They look like they might have a breakdown when we don't."
Sabrina shrugged. "People hate change. Remember how panicked Uncle Jake was when the Butcher, the Baker, and the Candlestick Maker changed the jelly in their doughnuts from raspberry to blueberry?" Sabrina picked up the pace. "C'mon. We'll be old ladies by the time we get to the Wizard's castle."
They hadn't traveled more than a few steps when they came to a deep sinkhole in the road, nearly twenty feet across. Worse, it seemed to go on for miles in both directions. There was no way around it, and a quick glance over the edge showed it was nearly impossible to climb down.
"This is one big pothole," Daphne muttered.
"You would think that a city made out of valuable emeralds would mean you could find a little money to fix the roads," Sabrina said. "You've read this story. What did Dorothy do to get across?"
"She used us," a voice said from behind them. The girls spun around and found the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion approaching. They all looked very angry.
"Hey, you heard what I said!" Sabrina said. "You knew I wasn't barking."
"Of course we can hear you," the Tin Man said. "But we all have a part to play, and your part is the dog. You two are causing mayhem. You can't abandon major characters by the side of the road."
"Or in the middle of it," the Cowardly Lion growled.
"Believe it or not, we're integral parts of this tale," the Scarecrow said, as if his pride had been bruised as deeply as the lion's nose.
"You can't get through the story without our help," the Tin Man said. "And if you keep making changes, you're going to make the Editor angry."
"OK, let's hit the Rewind button here," Sabrina said. "Who is the Editor?"
"Hush!" the trio cried in a panic.
"What are you so afraid of?" Daphne asked.
The Cowardly Lion dipped his voice to a whisper. "He oversees the Book. He insists we stick to the tale. If we make changes, he will revise us. Please, just take us with you."
Daphne turned to Sabrina. "Maybe they're right. Maybe we need them."
Sabrina sighed. "Fine! But don't get in the way, and do us all a favor-stop being so persnickety about every little detail."
"He's not going to like this," the Tin Man mumbled, but still refused to explain more about the mysterious Editor. "Lion, put Dorothy and Toto on your back and jump across this ditch. When they're safe, come back and get the rest of us."
A moment later, the enormous jungle cat had jumped to the other side of the ditch and was on his way back for the others.
It was only the first in a long string of obstacles. Soon the group came across another ravine, only this one was guarded by creatures with the bodies of bears and the heads of tigers. Their claws were long and horrible, and they looked as if they could slice through a man with a flick of their wrist. The beasts followed them onto the log they used to cross the ravine, and they were preparing to pounce when the travelers shoved the downed tree over the edge, sending the monsters to their deaths.
Their next headache came in the form of a raging river. With so many people in the entourage, it took twice as long to cross as it should have. Worse, the Scarecrow insisted that he needed to strand himself on a pole in the center because that was the way it happened in real life. No matter how ridiculous and easily avoided the problems were, the three Oz characters felt compelled to follow the way things had gone the first time. Sabrina was frustrated and fuming. She knew the Scarecrow was hoping for a brain, but she was starting to think the Cowardly Lion and Tin Man might need one too. Even Daphne was irritated, and she never got angry.
But it was the poppy field that sent Sabrina's patience over the edge. She remembered the vast field from the movie and knew anyone who stepped into it would fall asleep and eventually die.
"This is insane!" Sabrina cried. "The Yellow Brick Road is the only way to the biggest city in Oz, but it's riddled with giant holes, vicious animals, a river without a bridge, and now these stupid deadly flowers. Where is the sanitation department to clean this up? You can't have these kinds of dangers on a major road!"
"Taxi service would also be a plus," Daphne added.
The Oz characters looked just as exhausted. "You and Dorothy ride on the Cowardly Lion's back for as far as he can go," the Scarecrow explained. "Then the Tin Man and I come along and rescue you. Then we meet the Queen of the Field Mice, who-"
"Queen of the Field Mice?" Sabrina said. "There's no Queen of the Field Mice!"
"It's in the book," Daphne explained.
"Well, you can just forget it!" Sabrina shouted. "If I haven't made it clear already, we aren't here to see the countryside and meet rodent royalty. We're trying to rescue our brother from a lunatic bent on stealing his body. All of this is taking too much time."
The Tin Man gasped. "But the Editor will-"
"If you tell me about your stupid Editor one more time, I'm going to melt you down and make you into hubcaps," Sabrina threatened. "We're done with you and this stupid story." Sabrina stormed off to a tree and sat down. Daphne followed and stood over her.
"So what do you want to do?" Daphne said.
Sabrina looked out over the sea of poppies and searched for an idea, any idea, but she was lost. She was satisfied after having had a good scream, but now that it was over she felt like she was stumbling through a maze that had no exit.
"This is madness. I'm sick of these idiots. I'm sick of this story and I'm sick of walking. My feet feel like they might fall off."
"Mine too," Daphne said. She sat down and took off the witch's silver slippers. She rubbed her tired toes for a moment and then let out a scream that startled Sabrina.
"Um, duh," Daphne said as she picked up the slippers and shook them. "We could use these magic slippers! I don't know why I didn't think of it before."
Daphne slipped the shoes back on and scampered to her feet, pulling Sabrina up as well.
"I guess I thought they weren't real 'cause we're in a book," Daphne continued. "But this is no ordinary book. The fruit is real and so was the stream. Even the air we're breathing is real. If all that's real, couldn't the shoes be real too?"
Sabrina saw her sister's point. "If Dorothy's slippers work like they do in the real world, we can use them to teleport to the end of the story. We can skip all the dumb stuff and get right to the door. We could be waiting for Mirror when he and the baby arrive."
"Absolutely not!" the Scarecrow exclaimed as he stumbled over to join them.
"That is not what happens!" the Cowardly Lion cried. He was practically sobbing.
"Why do you care?" Daphne said. "We're only skipping some stuff that doesn't matter."
"Doesn't matter?" the Tin Man said. "It all matters!"
Sabrina brushed herself off and grasped her sister's arm. She looked at the others square in the eyes. "What matters is that our brother gets rescued. This train is leaving the station. Are you on or off?"
"But-" the Scarecrow cried.
Before the trio from Oz could continue their argument, a strange pink creature scurried out of the poppies. It was the size and shape of a watermelon, with long skinny arms and legs that couldn't keep its fat little body from dragging across the ground. It didn't have eyes or a nose, or at least any that Sabrina could see, but it had a big wide mouth filled with hungry teeth and a tongue that licked the air. Sabrina had never seen anything like it. She made a mental note to stop skimming the books in the family library and actually read them from cover to cover.
"Revisers!" the Scarecrow shouted.
Sabrina turned and saw the Tin Man's face. His steely expression turned to fear. "I told you not to mess with the Editor."
"Get us out of here, now!" the Cowardly Lion shouted as the pink monster scurried toward them. The three characters joined hands and clung to the girls.
Daphne clicked her heels together and repeated three times, "There's no place like the magic door."
Suddenly there was a sound like a balloon inflating almost to bursting and the world twisted into a knot right in front of Sabrina's eyes. There was a snap and then several violent shakes. Sabrina remembered using the magic slippers out in the real world, but there had never been so much turbulence before. She found herself swirling around and around, out of control, until she staggered dizzily and the room came into focus.
She and the others were in a circular room draped in green curtains and decorated with dazzling emeralds. A throne sat high on a pedestal across from them and a bright light hovered at the top of the ceiling.
"This isn't the end of the story," Sabrina said, peering around for the door.
"This is the Wizard's castle," the Cowardly Lion said. Sabrina thought he looked as afraid of the castle as he had of the twisted pink creature they had just encountered. "The shoes did not work because the door does not exist yet. This tale is not over."
Suddenly a roaring green flame erupted in the center of the throne. Inside the flame was an enormous hovering head. It was bald with sharp features and little eyes.
"I am Oz, the Great and Terrible," the head bellowed as thunder boomed. "Who are you and why do you seek me?"
The Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion fell over themselves in fear.
Sabrina, however, was not intimidated. She may have only skimmed the story, but everyone knew that the head was a mechanical illusion created by Oscar Diggs, also known as the Wizard, or simply, Oz. Oz had no real magical powers, but his sophisticated machines created a convincing illusion for the people of the Emerald City. He had taken over the town and ruled it with fear, but his big green floating head couldn't hurt Sabrina or her sister.
Sabrina stepped forward. "We're looking for our baby brother. He was kidnapped and dragged into this book, and we're here to rescue him. To do that we have to kill the Wicked Witch and get her broom for you, so why don't you do your little magic show so we can get on with it."
The head opened its mouth wide and Sabrina fully expected more complaints about respecting the plot, but instead she heard a deep, obnoxious belch.
The girls looked at each another in disbelief.
"I know that's not in the story," Daphne said.
The head laughed. "Why would I help a couple of monkey-faced freaks like you two?"
Sabrina glanced around the room. Standing not far from where they were was a tall green screen. She stepped over to it.
"Never mind the man behind the screen!" the head bellowed as Sabrina pushed it aside. Standing behind it was a very familiar ragged-haired boy in a filthy green hoodie.
"Puck!" the girls cried.
On the floor next to him, tied tight with rope, was the Wizard. A green gag was shoved into his mouth and it was clear by his groans that he was not happy. Puck, however, looked as amused as Sabrina had ever seen him.
"Hello, Grimms," Puck said. "Are you having as much fun as I am?"
