Land of Oz

The wind howled and my little house spun round and round in the giant gray cyclone. My dog, Toto, and I weren't in Kansas anymore, that was for sure. When the door opened, I saw a world bursting with colors I had only dreamed of—flowers of every shade, a sky brighter than any blue I’d ever seen, and a road made of shiny yellow bricks. Little people in pointy hats, the Munchkins, came out to greet me. My name is Dorothy Gale, and this is the story of my adventure in the Land of Oz. A kind woman named Glinda the Good Witch told me that my house had landed on the Wicked Witch of the East, and the only way to get home was to follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City and ask the great and powerful Wizard for help.

Toto and I set off on our journey, and it wasn't long before we met some new friends who needed help, too. First, we found a Scarecrow stuffed with straw, hanging on a pole. He wished more than anything for a brain so he could think big thoughts. I helped him down and he joined us. Then, we found a Tin Woodman who was rusted completely still. After we oiled his joints, he told us he longed for a heart so he could feel love. A little further on, a big lion with a fluffy mane leaped out at us with a roar, but he wasn't scary at all. He admitted he was a Cowardly Lion who wanted to find his courage. I invited them all to join me on my quest to see the Wizard. We walked for miles, helping each other through dark forests and sleepy poppy fields, always watching out for the Wicked Witch of the West, who wanted my magical shoes.

When we finally arrived at the glowing Emerald City, we were amazed. Everything was green and sparkly. The Wizard of Oz spoke to us in a big, booming voice from a giant throne, and he looked very scary. He told us he would only grant our wishes if we brought him the Wicked Witch's broomstick. We were frightened, but we knew we had to work together. We traveled to the witch's castle, and after she captured us, I didn't mean to, but I defeated her with a bucket of water. When we returned to the Wizard, my little dog Toto pulled back a curtain, and we discovered the Wizard wasn't a giant head at all. He was just a regular man from Omaha, pulling levers and speaking into a microphone to make his voice sound big and scary.

Even though he wasn't a real wizard, he was a kind man. He gave the Scarecrow a diploma to show he was smart, the Tin Woodman a silk heart to show he could love, and the Lion a medal to show he was brave. He showed my friends that they had what they were looking for inside them all along. Just then, Glinda the Good Witch appeared and told me I had the power to go home, too. All I had to do was click my heels together three times and say, 'There's no place like home.' After a tearful goodbye to my wonderful friends, that's just what I did. This story, first written in a book on May 17th, 1900, by a man named L. Frank Baum, still teaches us that we all have the brains, heart, and courage we need inside us. It inspires plays and movies that remind everyone that the greatest magic is friendship and the love we have for our homes.