The Untold Tales of Oz

Divine Children

[A short story from Elphaba's childhood]

I entered the dirty front yard and looked around me. Twenty odd children were running around, laughing, playing a myriad of different games. I hid begin my mother's legs. Would I fit in here? I poked my nose out from between her knees and peered round at all the small children, all huddled together in a pack playing some sort of game I did not know, and all at various stages of undress. I wasn't used to seeing other children. All I had seen was my little sister Nessa, but she wasn't easy to play with, what her having no arms and me having teeth and nails like broken glass.

An old lady sat aside of the mess of youngsters. She looked up when she heard is approaching. 'Good day, and you must be Gawnette," Nanny said cheerfully. 'Brother Frexspar told us we would find you here!" I stepped out from behind my mother, eager to get a proper view of the woman. The woman took one look at me and fell back in horror or shame - I did not know as I was too young to recognise much adult feelings. 'Sweet Lurline, what they say is true! I thought it was vicious lies but here she is!' she exclaimed and made a strange hand gesture at me. I stepped further into the yard and noticed all the boys and girls turn to me, their grubby little faces inspecting me from a distance like I was a new toy.

My mind became distracted and I no longer focused on what the adults were saying. I caught the odd word: 'problems', 'green', 'frightened', 'turtle', 'soul'. But it wasn't enough to piece together into a conversation. Instead I stared at the children, my hesitant eyes meeting their curious ones. I stuck my tongue out at a particularly broody one in the middle, and he growled back at me. I shied back a few steps, not wanting to get into a fight before I'd even met anyone. 

What were these children like? Would I like them? Would they like me? Would I call any of them my friend? How long was I meant to stay here? My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a sharp push from Nanny on my shoulder. 'Well go on in, child,' she said, 'see what's what.' I didn't want to move. I was frozen to the spot. I wanted to stay with my mummy and my Nanny. But it turned out I didn't need to "go on in" as instead the children came to me. There were five girls and two boys. 'What an ugly pug!' the boy who had growled at me said, touching me on the shoulder. I didn't flinch. I was too scared. 'Play nicely now,' my mother said. I think that was directed at the boy, but it could have been a hint at me to be brave and say hello.

The boy looked down at me again, then turned round to the other children and said, 'Tag! Let's play tag! Who's the greenfly?' He let go of my shoulder as all the other children came to tap me lightly before running away, each shrieking 'Not it! Not me!' I stood for a minute. I didn't know what this game was! But I wanted to fit in. I clenched my hands and ran a few steps forward. As I did, all the children scattered. Was this right? Were they meant to run? Or were they making fun of me? I stopped. The children noticed I had stopped and came close again to tap me with their mud - covered hands. I didn't want to play their game. I didn't understand it. Instead, I bent down and picked up a rock from the bare, gravelly ground. My small green hands clutched the rock tightly and I lifted it high above my head before letting it go. It flew a good few metres, almost hitting one of the boys and landing by Nanny's foot. She gently kicked it away while I bent down to pick another rock. 'No throwing, Elphie dear,' I heard her say. But this was too much fun. I liked my game better. I threw another rock, this time aiming it for the boy who had growled at me. It hit him square the in the stomach, bouncing of harmlessly onto the ground. Nanny looked up as the boy play - squealed as the rock hit him. 'Darling, no rocks,' she shrilled. 'None of the other children have rocks!' The old lady, who I now knew was called Gawnette, looked around. 'Now they do,' she observed, before turning back to her conversation with my family.  

The children brandished their rocks in their hands. They all threw them at me, with various degrees of success. I giggled as a girl threw a rock up and it landed on her own head. She squealed, rubbing her head before turning to me, her eyes full of anger. She came up to me and scratched me hard on the arm. It hurt. I screamed in pain.

Nanny looked up again, just to see all the other children crown around me and tackle me to the floor. Seven against one? I was easily defeated. Mummy gasped in horror. Nanny just sighed. 'And now there's blood,' she said. 'How vexing. Children, let Elphie up so I can wipe that cut. And I didn't bring a rag. Gawnette?' The children moved up at her words, and Elphaba stood up, unharmed apart from a deep scratch mark on her left arm. Mother came to pick me up, but Gawnette stopped her. 'No, Melena,' she said. 'Bleeding is good for them. Makes them less hungry.' My mother retracted and sat back down on her seat. 

I stood, my hand on the cut, growling at all of the children. A different boy approched me and bit me on the ear. Gawnette saw and flocked down on the boy. 'No biting!' she lectured, telling him off. But he wasn't getting away that easily from me. I opened my mouth wide, showing my mouthful of pearly knives. Gawnette turned around, standing up from her seat and cried, 'FOR THE LOVE OF MERCY, NO BITING!' I closed my mouth and walked towards one of the boys who was just siting quietly in the corner of the yard, drawing with a stick into the mud. Just as I sat down, I heard the pleased sigh of my Nanny. 'Aren't children divine?' she said.