Ozoplaning with the Wizard of OzThompson, Ruth Plumly
Science
Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz
Thompson, Ruth Plumly
Fantasy fiction; Oz (Imaginary place) -- Juvenile fiction; Wizard of Oz (Fictitious character) -- Juvenile fiction
"Ah, but wait until you hear me play," puffed the Piper. Raising his
pipes he blew forth such a hurricane of whistles, squeals and fierce
thunderings that poor Jellia clapped both hands to her ears. "Tell him
to go away," she screamed above the awful din, wildly motioning to
Junnenrump who was tapping his foot in time to the pipes and looking
highly diverted. "Tell him to come back tomorrow." The fierce music
of the bag pipes had brought airlanders running from every direction.
Crowding round the pavilion they waved and bowed to the new Starina.
Realizing she never would have any privacy under the Imperial Canopy,
Jellia slipped off her throne. The messenger had the Piper by the
tunic tails and was easing him gently down the steps. Jellia waited
till they reached the bottom, then, as all the airlanders began to run
after the still furiously pumping piper, Jellia started in the opposite
direction. Surely somewhere, she thought, clutching the kit-bag close
to her, somewhere she could find a quiet corner or cave or clump of
bushes where she could examine the contents of the Wizard's bag without
interruption.
So anxious was Jellia to be by herself, she broke into a run. Failing
to notice a crystal bar stretched across the path, she tripped and fell
violently _up_ a tune tree. Falling down is bad enough, but falling up
is worse still. Jellia not only had barked her shins on the crystal
bar, but had bounced into the air so high she lost her breath and
plunged down so abruptly among the top branches of the tune tree that
she was somewhat scratched and shaken. She knew it must be a tune tree
because plump black notes grew in clusters like cherries between the
leaves. Several, dislodged by her fall, broke into gay little arias and
chords. At any other time Jellia would have been quite interested, but
now she was too agitated and upset to care.
"Such a country--or airtry!" groaned the Oz maid, rubbing her left
ankle and her right knee. "One can't even fall down in their own way!"
Parting the branches the ruffled little girl looked crossly out. It
was quite a long way to the ground, but nevertheless Jellia decided to
climb down. But suddenly it occurred to her that the top of the tune
tree was as good a place as any, to open the kit-bag. Easing herself to
a larger limb, she balanced the bag carefully in her lap and stretched
out her hand to pull the tail. Then a piercing scream and the thump
of a hundred footsteps made her draw it back in a hurry. Parting the
branches of the tree for a second time, she saw Wantowin Battles
running toward her like the wind.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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