The Wonderful Lizard of Laws Chapter 5

Astrid, Stormfly, the Scarecrow, the Twin Woodmen, and the Cowardly Liar strode out of the forest. The Marshmallow-Brick Road stretched ahead of them across a huge field of pretty red flowers. Far in the distance, they could make out the outline of a city, shining brightly against the horizon.

"It's the Tremor-Old City!" the Scarecrow exclaimed.

"We're almost there!" the Woodgirl added.

"Let's run so we can get there quicker!" her brother chimed in.

"That's too far to run," Astrid decided, then yawned hugely. "In fact, why don't we take a quick nap before we cross this field? That way, we'll be fresh when we get to the City."

"Sounds good, pretty lady," the Liar agreed through a yawn of his own. "Maybe we could nap together?"

"In your dreams," she sighed as she lay down against Stormfly. The others scattered nearby and found comfortable places to curl up and rest.

"No!" roared Alvin as he watched the scene through his mystical sunstone. "I don't want them to sleep! I want them to push on to the point of exhaustion so they'll be more vulnerable to my little tricks! But how to keep them awake? Hmm... it has to be distracting and full of energy, but pleasing to the senses." He grinned malevolently. "Puppies! Puppies won't let them sleep."

As the group began to nod off, they were distracted by a sudden chorus of excited yips and yaps. At least a dozen small, cute puppies burst out of the forest and threw themselves at the travellers, jumping on them and licking their faces. Even the Cowardly Liar couldn't help smiling at them.

"We're never going to get any rest this way," Astrid half-protested, but her heart wasn't in it. The puppies were so adorable!

The Woodgirl tried to fend them off; they were grabbing her braids with their teeth and tugging on them. "Astrid, the last time we saw a bunch of small, cute animals, it was when the dragon eggs exploded. This isn't going to end up like that adventure, is it?"

"I kind of hope it does," the Liar answered for her. "I could use a little excitement!"

"Isn't it strange," the Scarecrow mused, "that these puppies just appeared out of nowhere, right when we were trying to get some rest?" The others ignored him, completely distracted.

"Come on, you little guys! Leave us alone!" Astrid giggled. "We really need to rest!" But there was no rest in sight.

Then, just as suddenly as they had arrived, the puppies left. They had seen something out in the field that was even more interesting to them than the people were. It was a bright-red metal pipe, about eight inches across, that stood three feet tall. It had a domed top and two stubby arms that also ended in domes. Astrid and the others had never seen anything like it, and they didn't understand why the puppies were so fascinated by it. People in the future would call it a "fire hydrant" and would understand perfectly. In any event, Astrid and her companions were now free to relax and catch some Z's. Alvin, watching through his sunstone, used some very ungentlemanly language.

When the traveling party awoke, they were quite refreshed, and they set a brisk pace so they could get to the Tremor-Old City before sunset. When they arrived, they found the tall gates to the city closed. There was a pull-rope for a bell nearby, so Astrid marched up and pulled it. A deep bell resounded. After a moment, a round window in the gate opened and an angry-looking bald man stuck his head out the door.

"Who rang that bell?" he demanded.

"I did," Astrid said confidently.

"Can't you read?" the man snapped.

"Not very well," the Woodman admitted.

"Read what, sir?" the Scarecrow asked mildly.

"The notice!" the man exclaimed. They looked for a notice and saw nothing. Astrid began to protest, but the Liar cut her off.

"Why read words when you can just smash the stuff the words tell you stuff about?" With no further ado, he kicked the gate open. They heard a cry and a thud from inside. They looked in and found the bald man lying on the ground, rubbing a bump on his head; evidently, when the Liar kicked the gate, it had sent him flying.

"Okay, now we've got that settled," Astrid commented. "Which way do we go to see the Lizard of Laws?"

"You can't," the man retorted. "Nobody sees the Lizard, no way, no how!"

"Then... how do you know he's real?" the Scarecrow wondered out loud.

The man shook his head. "Don't confuse me with logic! You're new here. Do you have to be so irritating?"

"That's my specialty," the Woodgirl grinned.

"No, everybody knows I'm more irritating," her brother shot back. "See?" He made a face and blurbled his tongue at her.

o

A/N
...and this is where I ran out of ideas. I'm sorry, but this is it. I hope you liked what you read. Maybe I'll get some more ideas and finish this some day, but I won't make any promises that I might not be able to keep.