The Royal Crab of Oz

Here are the next three chapters of this manuscript:

CHAPTER 4
THE DUCK AND THE KALIDAH

    Where his horse could be, Zonzell had no idea.  Zynn had been his faithful steed and friend since he had first decided to become a knight, and he had gone to the Academy’s stable to find a mount.  Zynn had a tendency to be somewhat ornery at times, but he was always intelligent and loyal.  How he could carry on his quest without his trusty companion, the squire had no idea.  Trying his best not to cry, Zonzell searched in the area around the Citadel, but could find no trace of Zynn, not even indentations in the tall grass from his hooves.
    Eventually figuring that nothing could be gained by just standing around, Zonzell set out on foot toward the east.  His map of Oz had been in one of Zynn’s saddle sacks, as were the provisions he had brought for the journey.  Fortunately, he had just eaten, and he knew his geozify well enough to know that, if he walked east for long enough, he would eventually reach the Munchkin Country.  Besides, he still had Vulpericcia and his sword, and a quick look at his bearings also reminded him that the bag containing Lady Kniff’s mail was firmly tied to his belt.
    An hour or so of walking brought the squire to a purple farmhouse, where a sock farmer was leading his oxen into their pen.  Zonzell greeted this man, who asked if the boy needed a place to spend the night.  When the Knoofian responded in the affirmative, the farmer invited the boy into the house, where a woman and a girl were sitting on armchairs and darning socks.
    “Are you hungry?” inquired the farmer.  “We’ve already eaten dinner, but we have some left over.”
    “No, thank you, sir,” replied Zonzell.  “I just had breakfast.”
    “Breakfast?  Ah, you must have been over at the Citadel!  Their nocturnal ways would never work here in the farmlands.  Anyway, I’d like you to meet my wife Yarlee, and my daughter Jasta.  My name is Rulli.”
    The knight-in-training shook hands with the farmer’s family, and introduced himself and his quest.  Upon reaching the part about Zynn disappearing, Yarlee said, “I’ve heard reports of horse thieves in the area.”
    “Good ones, too,” added the farmer.
    “I wouldn’t like to use the word ‘good’ to describe a thief.”
    “Well, effective ones, then.  They leave no trace.  The police at the Citadel have been notified multiple times, but they don’t seem to be doing anything about it.  The Lunatic is probably keeping them busy trying to catch star thieves, or something like that.”
    “Now, sweetheart, I’m sure His Majesty and the police are doing what they can.”
    “Well, I’m just glad we don’t have any horses.”
    Zonzell told the little that remained of his story, after which Yarlee announced it was time for bed.  She and her husband willingly gave their bed to the adventuring Knoofian, and slept on armchairs in the front room.  There were two bedrooms in the back of the house, one for the couple and the other for Jasta.  The master bedroom had a small shelf of books, but they all appeared to be about socks.  After placing Vulpericcia at the foot of the bed, Zonzell took King Vurd’s book from his bag and began reading it, falling asleep while reading about the lunar palace in which the Man in the Moon lived.  In his dreams, he found out that Zynn had been stolen by men from the Moon, who wanted to make the horse into socks.  Zonzell wanted to fight them, but was stymied in his efforts by a giant crab that blocked his path.
    The next morning, Zonzell awoke at the rising of the sun and the crowing of the rooster.  He returned to the front room, which doubled as a parlor and kitchen, where Yarlee was busily frying eggs for breakfast.  The Knoofian sat down with the farm family to eat, and the farmer’s wife kindly put a plate of eggs on the floor for the fire vixen.  While eating, asked what the best way was to the Kingdom of Halidom.
    “That’s in the Munchkin Country, isn’t it?” asked the farmer.  When Zonzell nodded, he said, “Well, I don’t know about Halidom in particular, but the country itself is right to the east.”
    “You’re a hero, aren’t you?” inquired Jasta, in a very soft voice.  Zonzell was surprised to hear the girl talk, as she had not said anything previously.
    “Well, I’m trying to be one,” replied the Knoofian.
    “Yes, I thought so.  I happen to know that there are two roads leading to the Munchkin Country directly east of here, one going through Kalidah Woods and the other through the Valley of Ice Cream Sundaes.  But from what I know of heroes, you really would have no choice but to take the first one.”
    Thinking it over, Zonzell realized that the girl was right.  One of the bits of advice that he had received from Sir Ylang in one of his more lucid moods was that a hero always took the more dangerous path.  Besides, he was not all that fond of ice cream anyway.
    “Jasta, are you trying to have our guest eaten by Kalidahs?” admonished Yarlee.  “Please ignore her, Sir Knight.  She has a very active imagination.”
    Jasta did not respond to this, but simply returned to quietly eating her eggs.  When everyone had finished eating, she took the dishes to the sink and began washing them.  Meanwhile, Yarlee gave the visitor a few pairs of purple socks.
    “They’re last year’s crop,” she explained.  “The sock harvest is in October, just in time for winter.”
    Zonzell thanked the family for their hospitality, returned Vulpericcia to her bag, and set out to the east.  Soon, he came upon a crossroads, with a weathered old signpost beside it.  It was difficult to make out the writing on the signs, but the Knoofian could definitely make out the word “KALIDAHS” on the one pointing to the south.  The other one was almost totally illegible, but the last three words did look to be about the right length for “Ice Cream Sundaes.”  With very little hesitation, the squire took the southern road, which soon led into a thick purple forest.
    All Ozites had heard tales of the fierce Kalidahs, enormous beasts with the bodies of bears and the heads of tigers, which were known as the most ferocious and ravenous animals in all the Land of Oz.  They lived in the depths of woods throughout the country, but one particular forest in the eastern Gillikin Country was rumored to be their main homeland, and the dwelling place of their ruler.  That this forest was the one he had just entered Zonzell had no doubt.  Still, even after a significant amount of walking, he had not run into any of these beasts.  The forest itself was becoming difficult to traverse, however.  The road had long since ended, and the knight-in-training occasionally had to use his sword to slash some underbrush out of the way.  After making his way through a particularly rough patch, Zonzell remarked, “At least I haven’t met any Kalidahs.”
    “No, you wouldn’t today,” said a harsh voice with a quacking tone to it.  “They’re all off in the valley eating ice cream sundaes.  Well, most of them, anyway.”
    The squire had not meant to make this comment out loud, and had certainly not expected a reply.  Taking a look in the direction from which the voice had come, Zonzell noticed a river, in which a duck was swimming.  This duck had a yellow head with a red plume, and feathers of blue, green, and purple.
    “Thank you, friend Duck,” said the Knoofian to this animal.
    “Oh, I’m not your friend.  I’m not anyone’s friend.  I am, in fact, the Lonesome Duck.”
    “Lonesome Duck?  But why are you so lonesome?”
    “Well, for one thing, I’m the only duck in Oz.”
    “No, that can’t be.  There are ducks who live in a pond in my hometown.”
    “Well, I was the only duck in Oz at one point, at least as far as I know.  It doesn’t matter anyway, though, as I would never be able to bear the company of other ducks, even if they did come out here into the woods.”
    “I’m sorry to hear that.”
    “There’s no point in your being sorry.  I’ve become used to being lonely.”
    Zonzell felt sorry for the Duck, but decided that there was nothing he could do for the fowl.  So he bade the bird farewell, and continued on into the deep woods.  After a little while of cutting through the forest, he heard an excited voice calling, “I’d turn back if I were you!”
    This voice turned out to belong to a monkey, who was swinging from a branch of a nearby tree.  Upon seeing the primate, Zonzell promptly replied, “But you’re not me, are you?”
    “That’s true, that’s true.  If I were you, then would you be me?  Or would I not even exist?  Now that I think about it, it’s a very confusing issue.”  The monkey suddenly grew quiet, as if pondering the ramifications of his being someone else.
    “But why did you say I should turn back?”
    “Oh, oh, that!  It’s because the Kalidah King’s clearing is just ahead!  The Kalidah King, supreme ruler of all Kalidahs in Oz!  It’s a scary thought, isn’t it?  Isn’t it?”
    “I suppose it is, but as a knight-in-training, it is my duty to seek out and overcome danger.  Thank you for the warning, my good monkey, but I shall continue on just the same.”
    “Very well, very well, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!  Because if you said that, it would be a lie, because I DID warn you!”
    The Knoofian stayed on the path, and had soon reached a clearing in the woods.  In the middle of this area stood a large rock, and lying on this rock was the largest Kalidah Zonzell had ever seen.  Well, actually, it was the first Kalidah he had ever seen, but it was much bigger than anyone he knew had ever described a Kalidah as being.  Its face and body were covered with scars, obviously the result of numerous fights.  It appeared to be asleep, but the squire knew better than to always trust appearances.  Sure enough, the beast soon raised its head, and called out, “Come here, young human.”
    “Very well, but I warn you that I’m armed,” said the knight-in-training, as he walked toward the huge animal.
    “You are right to be cautious.  Under normal circumstances, I would have eaten you by now.  As it turns out, though, my back is giving me too much trouble.  I must have thrown it out when leaping out of the river the other day.”
    “I’m sorry to hear that.”  Zonzell had learned from his instructors at the Academy that, when on an adventure, it was always best to help anyone he could.  While he was not sure that this extended to Kalidahs, the squire decided he would try anyway.  Talking Vulpericcia from his bag, he asked her what she knew about Kalidahs’ backs.
    “Ah, chiropractic techniques for large mammals.  Yes, I can get you some information on that.”  The vixen explained what to do, and Zonzell, with his heart beating faster than it ever had before in his life, walked over to the gigantic beast and performed the technique on the creature’s back.
    “Ah, yes, that feels much better,” admitted the Kalidah.  “Now there is nothing to stop me from eating you, is there, young human?  But even we Kalidahs have honor of a sort, and I am grateful to you for helping me.  If any of the other Kalidahs had found out I was injured, one of them probably would have tried to defeat me and take over the kingship.  It is a difficult position being King of the Kalidahs.”
    “I can imagine,” said Zonzell quickly, when the beast paused in his speech.
    “What brings you to these woods, anyway?”
    “I was on my way to the Munchkin Country.”
    “Well, as you may know, I have some magic powers, and I should be able to transport you there.  My transportation magic does not extend past the forest, but the eastern part of this forest is in the Munchkin Country, and I can     send you right to the edge.”
    “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
    “Yes.  Remember that, although I am grateful to you, I will consider my debt repaid after granting you this favor.  If we ever meet again, I cannot promise I will not eat you.”
    With that, the Kalidah King made a few passes in the air with his paws, while growling what must have been an incantation.  The clearing promptly faded away, and the squire found himself right on the edge of the woods, which were tinted blue in this area.  Most vegetation is blue in the eastern Munchkin Country of Oz, just as it is purple in the northern Gillikin Country.  In the west lies the yellow Winkie Country, with the red Quadling Country in the south, and the Emerald City in the center.  It was in this city that Ozma, Royal Ruler of Oz, made her home.  Zonzell thought it would be nice to visit the capital someday, but for the time being he was on a quest.  After a quick look around, he decided that any direction was as good as any other, and began walking toward what turned out to be the southeast.

CHAPTER 5
ANNA

    Anna did not enjoy summer camp.  She would have preferred to spend the summer with her relatives in upstate New York, as she sister was.  Her parents, however, thought it better that she spend some time at a place where she could interact with other children.  The problem was that Anna did not enjoy interacting with other children.  That is not to say she did not ever enjoy it, but the other people at camp were not easy for her to get along with.  She had to participate in a lot of sports, when she much would have preferred to just read or draw.  The others teased her for not being skilled at these games, but the truth is that she did not find them at all interesting.
    The walks in the woods were interesting enough, or would have been if she had not had to take them with her camp group.  There were many beautiful trees and other plants that she could have sketched, if only her group had been willing to stop long enough for her to do so.  Instead, she just had to keep walking, not being able to enjoy nature at all.
    On this particular day, Anna was walking at the back of a line of campers, when she thought she heard a girl’s voice.  It did not sound like any of the other girls at the camp, but had more of a melodic quality to it.  No one else seemed to have noticed it, though.  Taking a look in the direction from which it had come, Anna thought she saw a brown-haired figure dressed in green.  She would have loved to investigate, but she had to stay with her group.  Or did she?  Everyone else was walking ahead, not even looking back to see if she was still there.  As quietly as she could, she stepped over to where she thought she saw the mysterious figure.
    When she finally reached the figure, she saw that it was actually a slender girl in a dress the color of oak leaves, with a radiant pink face and bright red lips.  When the girl noticed Anna, she said, “Oh, so you COULD hear me!  I was beginning to think no one would!”
    “What do you mean?” asked Anna.  “Of course I can hear you!”
    “Well, it looks like most people in this country can’t.  Some of my sisters said that I would be invisible here in the civilized world, but you can see me, right?”
    “Yes, I can see you, and you’re one of the prettiest girls I’ve ever seen.”
    The stranger blushed a little at this, and said, “Thank you.  I’m really only average-looking for a wood-nymph, though.”
    “A wood-nymph?  But they’re not real, are they?”
    “Of course we’re real!  I should have known that no one in the civilized world would believe in us.  You probably don’t believe in fairies or knooks, either.”
    “Knooks?  What are they?”
    “Oh, it’s worse than I thought!  Well, at least you must have some desire to believe, if you can see me at all.”
    “I certainly believe in you!” said Anna, who did not want to hurt the feelings of this strange girl, regardless of what she happened to be.
    “Well, that’s good to know, anyway.  Nobody else has even noticed me.  So, do you think you might be able to help me?”
    “Help you with what?”
    “I need someone to help me find my lost sister.”
    “I wish I could help you, but I don’t know how I could do that.  I’m not much good at finding lost things.  I’m always losing my glasses.  Not that your sister is anything like my glasses,” finished Anna hastily.
    “Well, if you don’t think you can, that’s all right.  I shouldn’t expect the first stranger I see to want to help me.”
    “Oh, no, I do WANT to help you!” insisted Anna, thinking that helping a wood-nymph find her lost sister would be much more fun than camp.
    “Oh, I thought you would!  You look the type who would be willing, unlike most of you mortals.”
    “Mortals?  You mean you’re immortal?”
    “All wood-nymphs are.  That’s how I can be sure my cousin is still alive.”
    “Your cousin?  I thought you said it was your sister who was missing.”
    “Yes, I forgot that you humans have different ways of defining relationships.  We don’t have children the same way you do, after all.  A wood-nymph comes into existence whenever there’s a tree that needs tending.  Niltia is my sister, because she comes from the same forest I do.  And she’s my cousin, because we’re both oak nymphs.”
    “I’m sorry.  That sounds complicated.”
    “It isn’t so much, once you get used to it.  I think carrying a smaller person inside yourself for nine months is more complicated.  But that’s what Niltia wanted to do.”
    “And you have no idea where she is?”
    “No, but I have some idea as to where her daughter might be.  The only problem is that I can’t go there, because I’ve been banished.”
    “Banished?  Why?”
    “Because I was using divination to try to find my sister and niece, and that’s forbidden by the Law of the Forest.  I thought that Zurline might make an exception this once, but apparently not.  I probably should have just asked the Wizard of Oz for help, like Nehetla said.”
    “The Wizard of Oz?  Like the movie?”
    “I’m sorry, but I don’t know what a movie is.  I’m not from around here, you see.  I’m from the Land of Oz.”
    “Oz?  Do you mean Australia?”
    “No, the real, actual, original Land of Oz, set in the middle of the Deadly Desert, and ruled by the Fairy Queen Ozma.  I lived in a forest in the southern part of the Munchkin Country, you see.”
    “The little people who sang that song about the witch being dead?”
    “I hear that there are areas of the Munchkin Country where the people are, on average, fairly small.  That isn’t true where I live, though.  Most of my human neighbors are rather tall.  One of these humans was Ilger, the younger son of the King of Seebania.  He and Niltia fell in love with each other, and they founded a kingdom on the plains to the west of the forest.  Not long after my sister gave birth to her second child, though, they both disappeared.  And not long after that, my niece disappeared as well.”
    “So what’s a niece for you?”
    “Well, I call Niltia my niece because she’s my sister’s daughter, but I’ll admit that this is mixing human and wood-nymph terminology.  I don’t know why Niltia wouldn’t be content in the forest, but immortals do have a tendency to get bored sometimes.  In the great Forest of Burzee, where Queen Zurline lives, there’s a nymph named Necile—“
    “So, wait, both your sister and her daughter are named Niltia?”
    “Yes, it’s a family name.  I understand that my nephew Ilgramm also gave his daughter that name as well.”
    “So what can I do to help?”
    “Oh, I never told you that, did I?  Even though I’ve been banished, I have magic that will let me send someone else to where my divination told me my niece was last seen.”
    “And where’s that?”
    “Snow Mountain, in the Munchkin Country of Oz.”
    “But how would I get back?”
    “Oh, there are many ways.  My sister would probably be able to send you back herself.  If not, Queen Ozma and the Wizard have their own ways of doing that.  So, will you help me?”
    It did not take Anna long to reply in the affirmative.  The rational part of her mind still said that there were no such things as wood-nymphs, magic, or the Land of Oz.  There was no harm in pretending, though, was there?
    “Oh, thank you!” exclaimed the nymph.  “Now, let me start the spell.”
    “Wait!  There were some other things I wanted to ask you.”
    The nymph, who had stood up and started making passes with a twig, suddenly paused, allowing Anna to ask her questions.  First, the American girl inquired, “So, even if I find your niece, how would that help me find your sister?”
    “I believe there would be some kind of family connection.”
    “Then what about this nephew you mentioned?  Ilgramm, was it?”
    “I’ve talked to him, but he doesn’t seem to have the same kind of connection.  Perhaps it’s because he’s a man, but I don’t know.  If you can find my niece, they might be able to work together to locate their mother.”
    “Also, what’s your name?”
    “Oh, I never told you?  It’s Nerulle.”
    “I’m Anna, by the way.”
    “Very well, then, Anna.  I shall now transport you to the glorious Land of Oz.”
    With that, Nerulle returned to her earlier posture, and waved a twig around in odd patterns while reciting magic words.  She then stamped her foot, and the scenery of Delaware promptly disappeared, soon to be replaced with a snowy field near a tall mountain.

CHAPTER 6
KOLDO THE DWARF

    Seeing as she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, the cold air around the snowy mountain was quite difficult for Anna to tolerate.  Shivering, she made her way around the foot of the mountain, eventually coming to what appeared to be the entrance to a cave.  Hoping that this would be a place to find warmth, the girl crawled into it, only to find that the floor was covered in slippery ice.  Unable to find anything to grab, Anna slid down a long passage.  It was all she could do to hold on to her glasses and make sure she did not hit her head against the sides.  Finally, she ended up in a small room, and tried to regain her footing.  Unfortunately, this room was just as slippery as the tunnel, and after three unsuccessful tries, she decided to crawl on her hands and knees instead.  Upon reaching a patch of snow, she returned to her feet, and walked toward a door that appeared to be made of solid ice.
    “’Authorized Dwarffel Only,’” read Anna.  “Well, I’m not a dwarf, but where else am I going to go?”  With that thought, she knocked on the door as well as she could with her frostbitten hand.  On the other side, she could hear footsteps, as if through crisp snow.  It opened to reveal a short, white-faced man with a beard that appeared to be made of snow.  He was dressed in an ice blue uniform, and wore a blue cap.
    “Well, what is it you want?” asked the doorman gruffly.
    “I’m looking for a girl named Niltia,” replied Anna.  “She’s a wood-nymph, I think.  No, wait, I mean the daughter of a wood-nymph.”
    “Doesn’t sound familiar, but I’d better take you to the King.  He can decide what to do with you.”
    With that, the dwarf motioned for the girl to follow him, and began walking down a long hallway.  The floor was covered with a carpet of snow, which made walking a lot easier than it had been on the ice.  The hall was really quite beautiful in a way, with ice sculptures along the sides, and icicles hanging in decorative patterns from the ceiling.  Anna was too cold to really appreciate this beauty, however, and only took passing glances at her surroundings while hurrying after the doorman.  After a little while, they made it to a vast archway lined with icicles.  This led to a large throne room, where dwarf guards stood in front of multiple archways resembling the one through which the two had come.  The smallest dwarf of them all sat on a throne of ice, wearing a tall ice crown and ice blue robes.  The doorman led the way up to this throne, and called out, “His Supreme and Most Frozen Majesty, Koldo the Eighth, King of the Snow Dwarves!”
    “Who is this, Chills?” inquired the King, as he held a monocle to his eye to examine the newcomer.
    “I found her in the west chamber,” replied Chills.  “She says she’s looking for someone named Niltia, who’s either a wood-nymph or the daughter of one.”
    “Another one?  We just had a group in here looking for Niltia.  An old knight, a horse, a camel, and a princess.  The princess totally refused to marry me, though.  Why does this always happen, Chills?  Do I look ugly to you?”
    With that, the dwarf monarch rose from his throne, revealing that he had several odd lumps on his back beneath his royal robes.  Chills, however, said that his king was the handsomest all of dwarves.
    “Just what I thought.  So why, in five hundred years, has no princess agreed to marry me?”
    “I’m sure I don’t know, Sire.”
    “So, what is your name, child?” asked the King suddenly, turning his attention to Anna.
    “Anna Thompson,” answered the girl.
    “And are you a princess, Annathompson?”
    “No, I’m from Delaware.”
    “I can’t say I’ve ever heard of Delaware.  Is it a place without princesses?”
    “It’s part of the United States.  We don’t have any kings, queens, or princesses there, just a president.”
    “A precedent for what?”
    “No, a president.  He’s the one who runs the country.”
    “I see.  So you’re not a princess, but you are very pretty.  Very pretty indeed, in fact.”  The monarch stared through his monocle as he said this.
    “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
    “Would you, then, be willing to marry me?”
    “What?  Marry you?  I’m only twelve!”
    “Snow dwarf law recognizes no minimum age for marriage.  Granted, it would be a significant age difference, as I am 579 myself, but we could make it work.”
    “But I couldn’t!  I don’t even know you!”
    “My parents didn’t even meet each other until they’d been married for fifty years, and they turned out well enough.”
    “I don’t think I could even live in your kingdom.  It’s too cold!”
    “Oh, you’d soon grow used to it.  Besides, my Snowcerer has ways of adapting strangers to life in our kingdom.  Blizzards, come here!”
    Blizzards, an old dwarf with a white staff, shuffled out of a side cavern and over to the King’s throne.  “Yes, Your Majesty?” he said, while bowing to his monarch.
    “I have found the girl I am going to marry!”
    “Again?”
    “What do you mean, again?”
    “Weren’t you just going to marry that Dorothy girl who came here earlier today?”
    “Yes, but she refused!”
    “Well, I also refuse!” shouted Anna.  “Thank you very much for the offer, but I just can’t live here, and I won’t be ready to get married for years!”
    “Very well, then,” said Koldo, with a much meaner tone to his voice.  “If you share Princess Dorothy’s refusal, you’ll also share her fate!  Snowballer, lock her up in the prison cavern!”
    A muscular dwarf who stood next to the throne bowed to the King, and despite the fact that Anna was actually a few inches taller than him, lifted her up and carried her through an archway and a hallway, finally arriving at another icy door like the one Chills had opened for her.  She tried struggling, but Snowballer was much stronger than her, so it was all to no avail.  Instead, she decided to calm down, and try to find a way to escape from the prison cavern.  After all, if magic had brought her to this place, magic would probably be able to get her back out.  She was not sure of this, but it seemed like a better prospect than trying to fight the dwarf.
    Holding onto Anna with one hand, Snowballer took an icy key from the pocket of his uniform, and used it to open the door.  He then threw the girl into the room, quickly locking it behind her.  Fortunately, Anna landed on a snow bank, and was not injured.  As she sat there and wondered what to do next, a blonde girl in a green dress with a golden circlet in her hair approached her.  “Hello, my name is Dorothy,” said the girl.  “What’s yours?”
    “Anna,” replied the new arrival.  “I’m from Delaware.”
    “Delaware?  How interesting!  I’m from Kansas.  What are you doing here?”