"Oh," said Dorothy in relief as she recognized everyone. "Thank goodness it was only a bad dream. The witches were about to scald me to death." "We couldn't wake you," said the Lion. "That's why we sprinkled the water on her face." "Oh, what a terrible nightmare it was," said Dorothy. "Thank you for waking me when you did." Just then, the Wicked Witch of the Deep South opened her eyes and sat up. She looked around, slowly. Dorothy stiffened, expecting to hear the usual barrage of abuse. Instead, the Witch spoke quite softly. "So, my little one," she sneered, "you decided to help me, eh? Well, it won't do you any good." "You would have died, if it hadn't been for Dorothy," said the Scarecrow. "Really now?" said the Witch. "Is that true, Dorothy dear?" "Yes, it is," replied Dorothy quietly. "Why would you want to save me?" said the Witch in the same mocking tone. "Because all life is precious," said Dorothy. "Even yours." "Precious to whom, might I ask?" "Well, isn't it precious to you?" replied Dorothy. The Witch didn't answer. Instead, she stared straight ahead, as if mesmerized. "Well, isn't it?" asked Dorothy again. "No," said the Witch, her voice shaking as if she were about to cry. Dorothy was quite surprised by the turn in events. She had never seen the Witch so docile, so dejected. Her voice softened. "Is there any way we can help you?" she asked kindly. The Witch stared at Dorothy. Suddenly, tears began to roll down her cheeks. "No one has ever been kind to me before," she said. "Why are you?" "Because we love you," answered the little girl. "We couldn't show our love to you before because you expressed so much hatred towards us that it made us fearful of you." "But how can you love someone who hates you?" "Do you still hate us?" asked Dorothy. "I don't know," replied the Witch, uncertainly. "I've never known anything but Hate." "Well," said Dorothy, "we've never known anything but Love. You see, when people are unkind towards us, we try to respond with understanding and sympathy. And although their attitude can be quite disturbing to us, we know that to return hatred back towards them would only intensify the situation. To return Hate with Hate wouldn't help the hateful person in the least. And it most certainly would not help us." The Witch thought for a moment...."You know, I have never talked quietly like this before. Not even to my sisters. It gives me a good feeling inside. Now I am beginning to experience a strange feeling I've never felt before. I think it's a feeling of compassion, almost of love. "This is very difficult for me to say, Dorothy. But I am very sorry for all the anguish I have caused you and your friends." Dorothy put her arms around the witch and hugged her. "It was worth going through it all to see you making this transition," said the girl warmly.