Abducted to Oz Read online

  Produced by Juliet Sutherland, L Barber and PG Distributed Proofreaders

  ABDUCTED to OZ

  BY

  Bob Evans & Chris Dulabone.

  Founded on and Continuing the Famous Oz Stories

  by L. Frank Baum.

  Illustrated by Dennis Anfuso.

  List of Chapters

  Chapter I The AbductionChapter 2 Historical BackgroundChapter 3 Prelude to the ParadeChapter 4 An Unfortunate OutcomeChapter 5 The Best Laid PlansChapter 6 Spellbound!Chapter 7 An Alien PresenceChapter 8 A Strange EncounterChapter 9 Captured Again!Chapter 10 A Mystical ExperienceChapter 11 The Winkle CountryChapter 12 The Meeting with Princess OzmaChapter 13 A Window, A WindowChapter 14 Jeanne-MarieChapter 15 Can't Stand in the Way of LoveChapter 16 A Story with a Happy Ending

  This book is dedicated to

  Graham Dunn

  Whose love and enthusiasm for all things Oz is a true inspiration.

  CHAPTER ONE:

  THE ABDUCTION

  The boy was doing his homework. His parents had taken his little brotherto see _Return to Oz_ at the movie theater. He had seen it when it firstcame out and, although he enjoyed it at the time, he felt he was gettingtoo old for that sort of stuff. Besides, he had too much work to do. Itseemed to him that each teacher allocated enough work to practicallytake up a fellow's entire evening--as if their class was the only one.So Graham, for that was his name, knew he would have to work for severalmore hours if he was to complete all the assignments.

  Graham began to work on his math problems, but he could not concentrate.His mind drifted off to the original L. Frank Baum story: _The WonderfulWizard of Oz_. He was thinking about the characters in it and what aterrific imagination Mr. Baum must have had, when suddenly, out of thestillness of the house, came a weird screeching sound. The sound waslike nothing he had ever heard before. It seemed to have come frombehind him; from the vicinity of the fireplace. Graham shivered. He didnot believe in ghosts, and at twelve years old (almost thirteen) heshould not be afraid to be home alone. But he was scared right now--noquestion about it. However, when no other sound was forthcoming, hebegan to rationalize that it had all been his imagination, perhaps justthe wind whistling down the chimney. Then it happened! The awful soundof breaking glass. "Oh no," he thought. "Someone is breaking in!" Helooked over to the window--then to the French doors. Nothing! Yet thesound had seemed very close. He glanced at the mirror above thefireplace only to see that all the glass had gone, leaving an emptyframe. Now he was really frightened. He wondered what had caused theglass to shatter. Then, to his amazement, all the pieces of sliveredglass suddenly flew up from the fireplace and reconstructed themselvesin the frame.

  "I must be going crazy!" thought the poor lad. "All this school work isgetting to be too much for me. I must have cracked completely!" Then allthe lights in the house went out, leaving him in pitch blackness. Atthat moment there was a strange crackling sound, and the mirror becameilluminated with a purple glow. A grotesquely human face began to forminto the image of an evil Witch. A loud, screechy cackle emanated fromher throat. It was the same sound he had heard earlier. By now Grahamwas absolutely frozen with fear.

  The Witch's evil eyes glared at him as she screamed, "So, my little man.We meet at last. You have hated me ever since you first read about me,haven't you? HAVEN'T YOU?" she shouted. "ANSWER ME, YOU LITTLE BRAT!"She reached her arms out of the mirror, grabbed him, and shook him hard.She shook and shook until he thought he was going to be sick. Then shelifted him right up off the floor and into the mirror. By now Graham wasabsolutely terrified. He kicked and screamed and tried to escape, but tono avail. The Witch was much too strong for him. He found himselfdragged to the other side of the mirror and out into a room in theWitch's castle, whereupon the Witch immediately released her grip, forshe knew that the boy had nowhere to run.

  "Well, what say you now, squirt? Do you still hate me?" cackled theWitch, breaking into fits of hideous laughter.

  "Oh, no. Not anymore," replied Graham, his voice trembling. "I thinkyou're pretty nice, um, all things considered."

  "Oh, come now!" replied the Witch. "Let's be reasonable. You don'treally think that. You're just afraid of what I might do to you. Look atyou. You're shaking in your boots!"

  "I'm afraid, yes," said Graham. "Really afraid. But I don't think you'llharm me after you hear what I have to say."

  "Oh," replied the Witch. "Really? And what might that be?"

  Graham knew he had piqued her interest and was now desperately trying tothink of a plausible story that would keep her occupied while he triedto figure out a way to escape. He had managed to see out of one of herwindows and knew he was, without a doubt, in the Land of Oz.