Legends of Oz: Gale

ꕥ | Chapter I: The Mirror Pond | ꕥ

The sun that rises in Oz is the same sun that rises in Kansas.

     To Dorothy, this revelation would not have been surprising. There was only one sun, after all. Although four long years had passed since her last visit, Dorothy thought about her Ozian friends daily. She wondered how they rebuilt the damage done to Oz by the Jester's reign and the remaining fall-out from the Wicked Witches. The farm girl's curiosity made her think about trying to find a way back once or twice, but she knew that as long as Oz and her friends were safe, everything was alright. Of course, Dorothy had continued with her life in Kansas, attending college and forming some new friendships. She believed or at least hoped that those in Oz, especially her three best friends, had gone on with theirs as well.

     She pulled up to the Gale Farm in a well-loved blue Chevrolet Celta, coming to visit for the summer before returning to school in Lawrence. The house and the farm looked the same, except that the woods on the side of the property had expanded over time. Dorothy exited the car and smiled, happy to return home. Her apartment near the University of Kansas was very small and a bit stuffy, so the fresh air of the farm and its openness were pleasant.

     "Ah, to be home!" Dorothy thought joyfully, looking around at her surroundings and then at the sky. "The only thing that would make this better is a rainbow..."

     A rainbow that would take her back to Oz...

     The farm girl sighed softly before shaking this idea off. Her wishes and responsibilities had always been at war since she left Oz. That beautiful, magical land honored Dorothy as its savior, but the girl never felt those titles suited her.

     Everything happened by accident or involved luck. If the Wicked Witch of the East wasn't standing on the exact spot where her house landed, she would still be alive. If the Wicked Witch of the West wasn't allergic to water, she would have just gotten angrier. If the Jester hadn't jumped into the tornado to go after the broomstick, he might have been reformed. Even though those three were extremely wicked, Dorothy didn't want to kill them. These feelings, however, had been pushed to the back of her mind.

     The farm girl opened the trunk of the car and grabbed her bags. Making her way to the farmhouse's front door, Dorothy noticed her uncle in the backyard. He was on a ladder, setting up string lights for tonight's party to celebrate Dorothy coming back home for the summer. She could also smell the cornbread that her aunt was baking in the kitchen.

     Auntie Em saw her niece through the open window and called out from the kitchen, "Dorothy, dear, come in! The door is unlocked."

     With that, Dorothy opened the front door and stepped inside the house. It looked the same, which was quite comforting. She went to her old room and set her bags on the bed. Though he was older now, Toto was still as lively as ever and went to his mistress's side. Unfortunately, her apartment didn't allow pets, so he couldn't live with her. The farm girl smiled warmly at her dog, picked him up, and gave him a few pets.

     Although everything looked the same, Dorothy knew that everything had truly changed. She was a bit saddened by the fact that, within four years, none of her friends had tried to contact her. However, all of her friends deserved the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps Oz was at peace, and they assumed she wanted to stay in Kansas. Dorothy wanted to finish her education and pursue a career in journalism, but what else was there after that?

     Her aunt and uncle thought that marriage was on the table, but she had been through a few boyfriends with little success. The closest a man had come to husband material was Hunk, one of the men who had worked on the farm before the tornado. They were close in age and shared several common interests, so a connection started to develop between them once Hunk left for college. However, Dorothy wasn't interested in him at first and dated other men. When he returned to Kansas, Hunk pursued her, and eventually, Dorothy fell in love with him. The first six months were bliss, but one fight caused her to break up with him.