The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Dorothy lived among the wide grey plains of Kansas with Uncle Henry, Aunt Em, and a little black dog named Toto. The prairie stretched around their house in every direction, and Dorothy was the only one who always managed to find something cheerful in it: a strangely shaped cloud, a lark high in the sky, or Toto chasing his own tail.

One day, the sky suddenly darkened. Uncle Henry looked at the clouds and ran toward the livestock, while Aunt Em called:

“Dorothy, quickly! Into the cellar! A cyclone is coming!”

But at that very moment, Toto hid beneath the bed. Dorothy ran after him and did not have time to reach the cellar. The house trembled, lifted into the air, and, light as a little box, was carried away by the wind.

Dorothy held Toto tightly. They flew for a long time. Then the house rocked gently, settled down, and everything became still.

Outside the door was no longer Kansas. Green grass spread all around, strange flowers bloomed, and nearby stood little people in bright clothing. The Good Witch of the North came to Dorothy and explained that the house had accidentally fallen on the Wicked Witch of the East and freed the people of that land from her rule.

All that remained of the witch were her silver shoes. The Good Witch gave them to Dorothy.

“I only want to go home to Aunt Em and Uncle Henry,” the girl said.

“Then go to the Emerald City,” replied the witch. “The great Oz lives there. Perhaps he knows how to send you back to Kansas. The road to him is paved with yellow bricks.”

Dorothy put on the silver shoes, took her basket, and set off with Toto.

Before long, they saw a Scarecrow standing in the middle of a field. He hung from a pole and greeted them very politely.

“I dream of having a mind,” the Scarecrow admitted. “My head is stuffed with straw. Do you think Oz could give me a brain?”

“Come with me and we’ll ask him,” Dorothy suggested.

So now there were three travelers, not counting Toto.

In the forest, they heard a groan. A Tin Woodman stood among the trees. He had been still for so long that his joints had rusted. Dorothy found an oilcan and oiled them, and the Woodman could move again.

“Once I had a living heart,” he said sadly. “Now I am made of tin, and I’m afraid I no longer know how to love truly. I will ask Oz to give me a heart.”

And he joined the travelers.

Farther along, a great Lion leaped onto the path and roared so loudly that Toto jumped aside. But Dorothy did not run away.

“Don’t frighten little creatures!” she said.

The Lion immediately looked ashamed.

“The truth is, I’m frightened of everything myself,” he confessed. “Even when I roar, my knees shake. If only Oz could give me courage!”

“Come with us,” said Dorothy.

The road to the Emerald City was not easy. They had to cross ravines, find ways over rivers, and sleep outdoors. Once, they came to a field of red poppies. Their scent was so sweet and sleepy that Dorothy and Toto fell asleep right in the grass. The Lion also lost his strength.

The Scarecrow and Tin Woodman did not sleep. They carried Dorothy and Toto out of the field, and the Queen of the Field Mice and her people helped rescue the heavy Lion. Thousands of tiny paws pulled a cart until the Lion was safely in fresh air.

“You see,” Dorothy told him when he woke, “even the biggest sometimes need help from the smallest.”

At last, the green towers of the Emerald City shone in the distance. At the gate, everyone was given green spectacles, making the city look even brighter.

The friends asked to meet Oz. But something strange happened: each of them saw him differently. To Dorothy, he appeared as a gigantic head. To the Scarecrow, a beautiful lady. To the Woodman, a terrible beast. To the Lion, a ball of fire.

Oz gave each of them the same answer:

“I will grant your wishes if you free the country from the Wicked Witch of the West.”

The friends were frightened, but they saw no other way. They set out toward the West.

The witch soon learned they were coming and sent one obstacle after another. But the travelers stayed together. At last, she summoned the Winged Monkeys. They scattered the friends, and Dorothy was carried to the witch’s castle.

The witch desperately wanted Dorothy’s silver shoes because she knew they held hidden power. One day, by a trick, she managed to take one shoe from Dorothy.

The girl became angry and grabbed a bucket of water.

“Give it back!”

The water splashed over the witch. Then something completely unexpected happened: the witch began to melt like snow in spring.

“Water! I have always been afraid of water!” she cried.

A moment later, only a wet puddle and empty clothing remained.

Dorothy did not rejoice at anyone’s death, but she was relieved that the danger was over. She found her friends and freed them, and the people of the West thanked the travelers for their freedom.

In the castle, Dorothy found a golden cap that could summon the Winged Monkeys three times. With their help, the friends quickly returned to the Emerald City.

But Oz did not hurry to keep his promise.

Then Toto ran behind a screen in the throne room and accidentally knocked it over. Behind it stood a short, grey-haired man.

“Who are you?” Dorothy asked in surprise.

“I am Oz,” he admitted awkwardly. “But I am not a great wizard. I am an ordinary man. Long ago, I arrived here in a balloon, and the people decided I must be a mighty magician. I was afraid to disappoint them, so I kept the story going.”

At first, the friends were discouraged.

“Then I will never have a brain?” asked the Scarecrow.

Oz smiled.

“You have found your way out of so many difficult situations that you clearly already have a mind. But if you need a sign of it, I can give you one.”

He filled the Scarecrow’s head with bran mixed with needles and pins and called them his new brains.

For the Tin Woodman, Oz placed a small silk heart inside his chest.

“You worried about your friends through every danger. Is that not proof that you had a heart all along?”

To the Lion, he gave a sweet drink and said:

“Courage does not mean never feeling afraid. It means doing what must be done even when you are afraid. You have already been brave many times.”

The Lion drank it and straightened his shoulders.

For Dorothy, Oz made another plan. He decided to build a balloon and fly back to Kansas with her.

On the day of departure, everything was ready. But just as Oz was standing in the basket, Toto ran after a cat. Dorothy rushed to catch her dog. The ropes broke, and the balloon rose without her and drifted into the sky.

Dorothy almost cried.

“I’m still stuck here!”

Then the friends learned that the good witch Glinda lived in the South. They set out to find her. After overcoming several more obstacles along the way, they finally reached her palace.

When Glinda had heard Dorothy’s story, she smiled.

“You could have gone home from the very beginning. The silver shoes will carry you wherever you wish.”

“Then why didn’t anyone tell me?” Dorothy asked.

“Because sometimes we discover our own strength only after a long journey.”

It was time to say goodbye. The Scarecrow hugged Dorothy with his soft arms. The Tin Woodman wiped away a tear and immediately reached for his oilcan so it would not rust on his cheek. The Lion tried to be brave, but he was sad too.

“I will never forget any of you,” Dorothy said. “We went looking for brains, a heart, and courage, only to discover that all of them had been growing inside us along the way.”

She picked up Toto, tapped the heels of the silver shoes together three times, and thought of home.

Wind spun around her. For a moment, everything became light and quiet.

Then Dorothy was standing in the middle of the Kansas prairie.

Aunt Em ran toward her.

“Dorothy! Where have you been?”

The girl hugged her tightly.

“In the Land of Oz. But I am so happy to be home!”

The silver shoes were lost during the magical journey, but Dorothy did not mind. She had brought home the most important things without any magic at all: the memory of her friends and the certainty that intelligence, kindness, and courage often appear precisely when you use them for someone else.

The silver shoes were lost during the magical journey, but Dorothy did not mind. She had brought home the most important things without any magic at all: the memory of her friends and the certainty that intelligence, kindness, and courage often appear precisely when you use them for someone else.