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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Chapter 2. The Council with the Munchkins
A sudden strong shock woke Dorothy, if she had not been on the soft bed she might have been hurt.
The jar made her catch her breath and wonder what had happened.
Toto put his cold little nose into her face and whined sadly.
Dorothy sat up and saw that the house wasn't moving.
And it wasn't dark, for bright sun came in at the window and filled the little room.
She jumped from her bed and with Toto at her heels ran and opened the door.
The little girl cried in surprise and looked around, her eyes growing wider at the wonderful things she saw.
The cyclone had put the house down very gently for a cyclone in the middle of a country of great beauty.
There were lovely patches of grass all around, with tall trees bearing rich and sweet fruit.
Banks of bright flowers were everywhere, and birds with bright feathers sang and flew in the trees and bushes.
A little way off was a small brook running and shining between green banks.
Its soft sound pleased the little girl who had lived so long on the dry gray plains.
While she stood looking at the beautiful sights, a group of the oddest people she had seen came toward her.
They weren't as big as the grown people she had always known, but neither were they very small.
They were about as tall as Dorothy, a tall child, though they looked many years older.
Three were men and one was a woman, and all were oddly dressed.
They wore round hats that rose a foot above their heads to a small point, with little bells that rang.
The hats of the men were blue, the little woman's hat was white.
And she wore a white dress that hung in folds from her shoulders.
Over it were scattered little stars that shone in the sun like diamonds.
The men wore blue clothes like their hats and shiny boots with a deep blue roll at the tops.
The men, Dorothy thought, were about as old as Uncle Henry, for two of them had beards.
But the little woman was surely much older.
Her face was full of wrinkles, her hair was almost white, and she walked rather stiffly.
When the people came near the house where Dorothy stood, they stopped and spoke softly, afraid to come closer.
But the little old woman walked up to Dorothy, made a low bow and said in a sweet voice,
"You're welcome, most noble witch, to the land of the Munchkins."
"We're so grateful to you for killing the Wicked Witch of the East, and for setting our people free from slavery."
Dorothy listened to this with wonder.
What could the little woman mean by calling her a witch and saying she had killed the Wicked Witch of the East?
Dorothy was an innocent harmless little girl who had been carried by a cyclone many miles from home.
And she had never killed anything in all her life.
But the little woman clearly expected her to answer, so Dorothy said, with doubt, "You're very kind, but there must be some mistake."
"I haven't killed anything."
"Your house did, anyway," said the little old woman with a laugh.
"And that's the same thing. See!" she went on, pointing to the corner of the house.
"There are her two feet, still sticking out from under a block of wood."
Dorothy looked and gave a little cry of fear.
There, under the corner of the beam the house rested on, two feet stuck out, wearing silver shoes.
"Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" cried Dorothy, clasping her hands in trouble.
"The house must have fallen on her. What shall we do?"
"There's nothing to be done," said the little woman calmly.
"But who was she?" asked Dorothy.
"She was the Wicked Witch of the East, as I said," answered the little woman.
"She has kept all the Munchkins in slavery for many years, making them work for her night and day."
"Now they're all free, and are grateful to you for this favor."
"Who are the Munchkins?" asked Dorothy.
"They're the people who live in this land of the East where the Wicked Witch ruled."
"Are you a Munchkin?" asked Dorothy.
"No, but I'm their friend, though I live in the land of the North."
"When they saw the Witch of the East was dead the Munchkins sent a fast messenger to me, and I came at once."
"I'm the Witch of the North."
"Oh, gracious!" cried Dorothy.
"Are you a real witch?"
"Yes, indeed," answered the little woman.
"But I'm a good witch, and the people love me."
"I'm not as powerful as the Wicked Witch who ruled here, or I'd have set the people free myself."
"But I thought all witches were wicked," said the girl, who was half afraid to meet a real witch.
"Oh, no, that's a big mistake".
There were only four witches in the Land of Oz, the ones in the North and South are good.
I know this is true, for I'm one of them myself, and I can't be wrong.
Those who lived in the East and the West were wicked witches.
But now that you have killed one of them, there is only one Wicked Witch left.
She lives in the West, and she is the last Wicked Witch in all the Land of Oz.
"But," said Dorothy after a short thought, "Aunt Em has told me that the witches were all dead years and years ago."
"Who's Aunt Em?" asked the little old woman.
"She's my aunt who lives in Kansas, where I came from."
The Witch of the North seemed to think for a time with her head bent and her eyes on the ground.
Then she looked up and said, "I don't know where Kansas is, for I have never heard that country named before."
"But tell me, is it a civilized country?"
"Oh, yes," answered Dorothy.
"Then that explains it."
"In civilized countries I believe there are no witches left, nor wizards, nor sorcerers, nor people of magic."
"But, you see, the Land of Oz has never been civilized, for we're cut off from all the rest of the world."
"So we still have witches and wizards among us."
"Who are the wizards?" asked Dorothy.
"Oz himself is the Great Wizard," said the Witch, lowering her voice to a whisper.
"He's more powerful than all the rest of us put together. He lives in the City of Emeralds."
Dorothy was going to ask another question.
Just then the Munchkins, who had been standing quietly by, gave a loud shout.
They pointed to the corner of the house where the Wicked Witch had been lying.
"What's it?" asked the little old woman, and looked, and began to laugh.
The feet of the dead Witch had gone completely, and nothing was left but the silver shoes.
"She was so old,"
The Witch of the North explained, "She dried up quickly in the sun."
She added, "That's the end of her. But the silver shoes are yours, and you shall have them to wear."
"She reached down, picked up the shoes, shook out the dust, and gave them to Dorothy."
"The Witch of the East was proud of those silver shoes," said one of the Munchkins.
"And there's some magic connected with them, but what it's we never knew."
Dorothy carried the shoes into the house and put them on the table.
Then she came out again to the Munchkins and said,
"I'm anxious to get back to my aunt and uncle, for I'm sure they'll worry about me. Can you help me find my way?"
The Munchkins and the Witch first looked at one another, then at Dorothy, and then shook their heads.
"To the East, not far from here," said one, "there's a great desert, and no one could live to cross it."
"It's the same in the South," said another, "for I have been there and seen it. The South is the country of the Quadlings."
"I'm told," said the third man.
"That it's the same in the West."
"And that country, where the Winkies live, is ruled by the Wicked Witch of the West, who would make you her slave if you went that way."
"The North is my home," said the old lady.
"And at its edge is the same great desert that surrounds this Land of Oz."
"I'm afraid, my dear, you'll have to live with us."
Dorothy began to cry at this, for she felt lonely among all these strange people.
Her tears seemed to trouble the kind Munchkins, for they at once took out their handkerchiefs and began to cry too.
As for the little old woman, she took off her cap and balanced the point on the end of her nose, while she counted "One, two, three"
In a serious voice, At once the cap became a slate, on which was written in big white chalk,
"LET DOROTHY GO TO THE CITY OF EMERALDS"
The little old woman took the slate from her nose, and having read the words on it, asked, "Is your name Dorothy, my dear?"
"Yes," answered the child, looking up and drying her tears.
"Then you must go to the City of Emeralds. Maybe Oz will help you."
"Where is this city?" asked Dorothy.
"It's exactly in the center of the country, and is ruled by Oz, the Great Wizard I told you of."
"Is he a good man?" asked the girl with care.
"He's a good Wizard. Whether he's a man or not I can't tell, for I have never seen him."
"How can I get there?" asked Dorothy.
"You must walk."
"It's a long journey through a country that's sometimes pleasant and sometimes dark and terrible."
"However, I'll use all the magic I know to keep you safe."
"Won't you go with me?" begged the girl, who had begun to see the little old woman as her only friend.
"No, I can't do that,"
"She replied, "I'll give you my kiss, no one will dare hurt anyone kissed by the Witch of the North.
She came close to Dorothy and kissed her gently on the forehead.
Where her lips touched the girl they left a round, shining mark, as Dorothy found out soon after.
"The road to the City of Emeralds is paved with yellow brick," said the Witch.
"So you can't miss it."
"When you get to Oz don't be afraid of him, but tell your story and ask him to help you."
"Goodbye, my dear."
The three Munchkins bowed low to her and wished her a good journey, after which they walked away through the trees.
The Witch gave Dorothy a friendly little nod, turned quickly on her left heel three times, and at once disappeared.
Little Toto was surprised and barked after her when she had gone because he had been afraid to growl.
But Dorothy, knowing her to be a witch, had expected her to disappear that way, and wasn't surprised at all.