Fantasy literature; Oz (Imaginary place) -- Juvenile fiction
"Well, my little friend. Found you at last, haven't I? Loved your spell!
Oh, it was terrific! See how beautiful I look? DO YOU? DO YOU?" she
screamed, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck. "Look at me. Look, I
say!" she yelled as she jerked his face to hers. "Do I look more
beautiful to you? Let's see. What was the last line of that spell ...
Oh, now I remember: Look in the mirror and you shall see, none more
beautiful than thee! You little liar. LIAR! Did you hear me?"
"How could I not?" asked Graham. "The way you're carrying on, I assume
there are people in Kansas who can hear you." But he cowered behind
Telly as he said so.
"Hello, my good woman," said Telly, holding out one of his peculiar
triangle-shaped arms. His handshake was not accepted by the wicked
woman. "Allow me to say that you are more exquisitely beautiful than any
of the television stars I've ever seen or heard of!" said the robotic
man. "And believe you me, I have run more Miss America beauty pageants
than you can shake a stick at. You are lovelier than any of those girls.
You are more innocently ravishing than Ginger Grant on Gilligan's
Island! You are the epitome of human grace and style! You make all other
women pale beside you!"
"Huh?" said the Witch, dropping Graham like a sack of potatoes. He
caught his breath and tried to stand up, but the Witch had put one of
her big, long feet on his chest to hold him down. "What are you talking
about, Tube-face?" the Witch asked of the television-person.
"I am just admiring your gorgeousness!" said Telly in a musical tone of
voice. "Are you the next TV heart-throb? The next Susan Lucci? Are you
going to take the couch potatoes of the world by storm and make all of
them yearn to be you? You could, you know. You surely are already the
envy of everyone who has ever laid eyes upon you!"
The Witch looked at her prisoner. "What is this machine up to, boy? And
you'd best not lie to me again!"
"Oh, no!" replied Graham. "I have learned my lesson, to be sure. I
wouldn't think of telling another lie."
"Then what is this clinking, clanking, clattering collection of
caliginous junk babbling about?" she sneered.
"I'm truly relishing your magnificent beauty!" repeated Telly.
"My friend is simply admiring your beauty, like he said," answered
Graham, not sure why Telly was acting this way, but deciding it would be
best to play along. "I think he is quite smitten with you!"
"Really?" said the Witch. "Tell me more."
"You are truly a vision of loveliness!" charmed Telly in a most dramatic
manner. "My heartstrings are all going ZING!"
"They are?" the Witch said, somewhat perplexed. "Maybe the spell worked
after all. I guess it was a delayed reaction. Give me a mirror! I want
to see how I look!"
"Er... You don't want to do that," said Graham. "You... er... You are so
gorgeous that no mirror could possibly capture your true image."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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