"Well, I never," said Dorothy. "You never what?" said the Scarecrow. "That's just another expression, silly," said the Tin Woodman. "It's like saying, 'Well, I never would have believed that,'" said Dorothy. "Well, anyway," said the Tin Woodman, "that's why they are called Ticklemonsters and why the land they live in is called Tickleland." "Will they stop tickling you if you ask them to?" said Dorothy. "On the contrary," said the Tin Woodman. "If you ask them to stop, they'll just tickle you all the more." "What happens if you ask them to tickle you more?" she asked. "Then they'll stop," said the Tin Woodman. "They don't like being told what to do, so they'll just go and find someone else to tickle." "That's really something," said Dorothy, shaking her head. "I suppose we must go through Tickleland?" she asked. "I'm afraid we must," said everyone. "If they just look at me threateningly, I'll laugh," said Dorothy. "I'm so ticklish you wouldn't believe it" "I'm not ticklish, but I laugh a lot when people say funny things," said the Scarecrow. Dorothy smiled. "How long do you think our journey will take?" "Oh, weeks and weeks," said the Scarecrow. "My, that is longer than I expected," replied Dorothy. "Do you really think it'll take that long?" "Yes, but we'll survive, I'm sure," answered the Scarecrow. "It'll take some time to cross Elfland," said the Lion. "Elfland?" questioned Dorothy. "That sounds fascinating. How long ago was their land discovered?" "Oh, quite recently," replied the Lion. "Of course, Elves have always existed. This particular type of elf visits the mortal lands all the time. They do a lot of work there." "Well, I'm really looking forward to visiting their country," said Dorothy. "Let's look at this map again to see what comes after Elfland." She spread the map out on the ground, and they all peered at it intently. * Chapter Ten: Philosophical Discussion * "I don't think that map will do us much good after we cross Elfland," Dorothy said, as she looked at the words LARGELY UNEXPLORED which marked the area between Elfland and the Deep South Territory. "We'll just have to take our chances," she continued. "You know, when I was here before I didn't realize that there were so many other cultures within Oz. I met a lot of Munchkins and some Quadlings, and all those other interesting people and animals and creatures. I wonder how many varieties there are?" "There are an infinite number of lands and cultures within Oz," said the Tin Woodman. "That's what makes Oz such an interesting place. It would be a monotonous land indeed without variety. But I don't think Oz will ever be fully explored. The Great Wizard who created Oz must be quite pleased with his creation." Dorothy looked puzzled. "You mean the Great Wizard that Glinda spoke of?"