Once in Oz 1.5

This is the final installment of Once in Oz book one.  Note: This is not the wicked always wins witch. This is her predecessor.  (Started writing this series before they brought her in.)

“Ugh,” Toodles groaned in exasperation.  He’d barely clipped the piece of wood he was trying to chop, merely succeeding in knocking it over.  He set the block of wood back up again and raised the ax awkwardly over his head. 

The corner of Felix’s mouth turned up in half of grin.  “Use your back, not just your arms,” he called to him. 

Toodles managed to get a little more force behind his next blow, but the ax blade only went in far enough to get stuck. 

“She doesn’t even really need this much wood,” Toodles muttered, wriggling the ax free.

“Let me do it.” Felix held out his hand for the ax, which Toodles gladly surrendered.

The younger boy sat down on the ground a few feet away and watched Felix make short work of the log he’d been struggling with. 

“You make it look easy,” he said after a few minutes.

Felix shrugged.  “I used to do this all the time.”

For the next half hour Felix chopped wood and Toodles gathered up the split logs and carried them into the house. 

“How many more do you think it will take,” Felix asked, licking sweat off his upper lip.

“I don’t know,” Toodles answered.  “She said to fill up the wood box in the kitchen.  I keep thinking the next load will fill it up, but it doesn’t.”

“Mm,” Felix grunted, certain magic had something to do with that.  He was about to start chopping again when Natalie came over to them, carrying two wooden buckets. 

“The witch says she wants the floors shining before the sun goes down,” she started.

“Didn’t you sweep the whole house this morning?” Felix asked.

“Yes.  And now she wants the whole thing scrubbed.”  Natalie set the buckets down in front of them.  “She said for you two to take these to the river and fill them up.  Then we get to start in the kitchen.” 

“She’s sending us to fetch water?” Toodles said, grinning. 

“Don’t get excited yet,” Natalie said, glancing around the yard.  “The monkeys are going with you.”

Of course they are, Felix thought.  At least a handful of monkeys had been near them almost continuously since they’d begun two days ago.  They were always finding ways to harass their captives and interfere with their work.

Felix embedded the ax in one of the logs and picked up both the empty buckets in one hand.  He started for the front gate, Toodles hurrying after him.  Felix looked up at the afternoon sun, then at the house and sighed inwardly.  They wouldn’t be finished by sundown.  The witch had undoubtedly waited this late on purpose.    

Half a dozen monkeys waited for them at the gate, one of which was laying about at the others with Felix’s club.  For a moment, Felix had half a mind to snatch it from him and show him how to use it properly, but he thought it better just to let them form ranks around them and lead them outside the wall.  He felt a sharp jolt as he stepped out.

“Ow,” Toodles said, a step behind him.  “Was that the holding spell?”

“That was just to remind us she’s allowing us to leave,” Felix said in a measured tone, aware that the monkeys were listening.  “It would be much worse if we were trying to escape.”

“Worse?” The club wielding monkey chuckled.  “It would kill you.”

                                                   . . .

Natalie looked up from the table she was trying to wrestle up against the wall.  The boys stepped into the room, trailed by a monkey carrying Felix’s club.

“Toodles, you’re soaked,” she said. 

“Yeah.  I tripped,” he shot a glare at the monkey, “and spilled all the water out of my bucket.”

They spent the next few hours scrubbing the stone floors, taking turns going to the river for clean water as they needed it.  Despite their best efforts, as the sun sank below the horizon they still had two rooms to go. 

The witch strode into the room and glowered down at them.  “Not finished my pretties? I’m disappointed.  Well, if I can’t have clean floors I suppose I can at least enjoy teaching you a lesson.”  She smiled in a way that was anything but friendly and turned to leave.  “Once they finish in here, send them up to my study.” 

 Toodles, who had been inching closer to one of the water buckets, snatched it up and tossed the water at her.  The witch froze, rigid for a split second, then turned, sending an energy pulse through the room that knocked them all flat.  She locked her gaze on Natalie.

“Haven’t come to kill a witch eh?” she shouted, stomping over to them.  She reached down, grabbed Natalie by the throat and hauled her up.  “Did you think the water would do it?  Foolish girl, that’s just a myth.”  She lifted Natalie until her feet no longer touched the floor. 

The witch’s fingers tightened around her throat, closing off her air way.  “That is a mistake that’s going to cost you.”

Natalie tried to pry the witch’s fingers loose, tried to kick to free herself, but the witch only laughed and squeezed harder.  Picked up by a tornado, hounded by flying monkeys, enslaved by a witch, and now it would end, worlds away from home.  Natalie tried to blink back the tears in her eyes; if she was going to die she didn’t want to go out blubbering, but she couldn’t stop of few from rolling down her cheeks.

The witch grinned as Natalie’s struggling ebbed.  “Now, this is what happens to little girls who try to kill-ahhh!” She shrieked as if in pain and released Natalie. 

Natalie crumpled to the floor, gasping for breath. 

“No,” the witch growled.  “Not tears. Ugh, you horrible girl.”  She raised a hand to strike Natalie, but before she could, it disintegrated into dust.  “Nooo!” she shrieked again as the rest of her followed. 

For a few seconds the only sound breaking the silence was Natalie’s panting as she stared at the sand that was once the witch.  Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. 

“You all right?” Felix asked.

She nodded, still unable to get her breath.  Felix pulled her to her feet, then walked over to where the witch had stood.   He nudged a pile of clothes with his foot, scattering the green sand underneath.  The wicked witch of the east was no more.

                                                         . . .

“I found it,” Toodles said, hurrying into the room where Felix and Natalie were searching for the witch’s hat.  He skidded to a stop in the middle of the room, holding up a yellow cap.  “It was shoved in a boot in the hall closet.”  He took off his own hat and replaced it with the yellow one.  “What do you think?”

“It’s not really your color,” Natalie said with a smile, hopping off the couch she stood on. 

He grinned.  “Let’s have a word with the conductor monkey and see what he thinks.”

The flying monkeys were all milling about in the yard.  Since the witch’s death, they hadn’t dared lay hands on the captives, but they also hadn’t seemed eager to let them leave. 

Toodles strutted out in front of the group, who began shuffling their feet and flapping their wings nervously, pointing at the hat and muttering to each other.  The one with the conductor’s hat stepped forward and half bowed to Toodles. 

“You are our master now,” it said.  “What is your bidding?”

Toodles drew himself up and put on a stern face. “First, you are to return our belongings.  Then you will leave this place and never return.”

“As you command.” The monkey bowed low.  

“Good.” Toodles nodded satisfaction.  The monkey with Felix’s club came forward and gave it to Toodles and two others hurried off toward the house. 

“If you’re not quick about it, I’ll have your tails,” Toodles called after them.  He took the older boy’s weapon and handed it to him, grinning.  “Let’s have a look at what the witch kept in her pantry, huh?  I’m starving.”

Felix smiled and clapped him on the shoulder, following him toward the house. 

“I’m going to see about those beds upstairs too,” Toodles continued.  “It’s been ages since I slept in a real bed.  Then tomorrow we can go back to finding Glinda.  We’ll be home in no time.”