Return to Oz: Dorothy to the Rescue Chapter 16: A Happy Ending, a wizard of oz fanfic

Woof! Woof!

Dorothy's eyes slowly opened a little by the sound of barking. Her vision was blurry for a minute, but she could just make out the figure of Toto standing in front of her face, wagging his tail and looking happy to see her. She was lying on the ground, still wet and muddy from the rain that night, and close to the river she had fallen in with Ozma.

Woof! Woof!

"Toto? Oh, Toto! It's you!" Dorothy immediately sat up and pulled Toto into her arms. Toto happily licked her in the face. Looking down at herself, she saw that she no longer wore that lovely blue gown but in her old gingham shirt and overalls, now dirty and wet.

"Dorothy!"

Just then, Uncle Henry came through the bushes, wearing a trench coat and fedora. When he found Dorothy, he rushed down onto his knees and embraced her.

"Oh, Dorothy, are you alright? I had almost given up hope!"

"I'm alright, Uncle Henry. Toto found me," said Dorothy, returning the hug.

"Good boy, Toto." Henry patted the little dog on his head.

Several people came in from the woods, followed by Aunt Em, who wore a black cloak to keep herself warm.

"It's Dorothy! Dorothy!" Aunt Em cried, as she ran over and put her arms around her niece, sobbing with relief. "Oh, thank goodness you're alive."

Carrying Dorothy in his arms, Henry took her back to the waiting truck just outside the woods, where many other people were just about to give up on the search when they saw Dorothy and were relieved. Nearby, news reporters began broadcasting the story about Dorothy mysteriously turning up alive and well in the forest.

"The clinic was hit by lightning, and then it burned to the ground," said Aunt Em, telling Dorothy the events that occurred right after she left. "Everybody was rescued except for Dr. Worley. He ran in to rescue his machines. Nurse Wilson ran in after him but never came out."

"We should never have sent you there, Dorothy," said Henry, looking solemn in the face. "We found out that Dr. Worley's machines had mentally damaged and driven his patients mad and insane. He had help from Nurse Wilson to lock them all away in a cellar to keep people from knowing the truth and be rid of those villains for their crimes."

"Actually, Uncle Henry, I already know about the damaged patients when I escaped," Dorothy said.

The sheriff's car halted beside them, and the car window rolled down so the Sheriff could talk to them.

"Well, glad to see that you're okay," said the Sheriff, smiling.

"Hello, Sheriff." Dorothy replied.

"So, any sign of the other girl? Staff members described her as a blonde wearing a white dress?" asked the Sheriff.

"No, we haven't found her," said Henry, "Half of the search party has gone down river. They're still looking."

Dorothy knew right away that they were talking about Ozma. "Oh, that girl was the one who told me about the clinic and got me out of there in time."

"I pray that they find her," said Em. "She saved my niece's life."

"Amen to that, Mrs. Gale," said the Sheriff.

After that, the car window rolled up and the Sheriff drove off back to town. As the car drove away, Dorothy noticed that in the back seat of the car, she could see the faces of that sour-faced assistant nurse and that angry long nosed assistant who worked with Nurse Wilson. Dorothy looked at them carefully and realized that the sour-faced woman looked exactly like Langwidere, and that long nosed man's face resembled the Head Wheeler.

-0o0o0-

Later that day, Uncle Henry was outside fixing up the hole in the roof of the barn and Dorothy was helping by cleaning out the dirt from the horse's feet. Toto did his usual thing; chasing chickens around the yard.

Inside the house, Aunt Em had finished laying out fresh clean clothes on Dorothy's bed for her to put away. Then something caught her attention. A bright shining light, but she didn't know where it came from. She turned around slowly and gasped when she saw where it was coming from.

"Henry! Dorothy! Come look!"

Uncle Henry and Dorothy were so startled by Aunt Em's sudden yell that Henry almost fell off the ladder. Running into the farm house, with Toto on their heels, they burst into Dorothy's bedroom. Aunt Em's face was as white as a bed sheet and she was pointing to the mirror. Dorothy and Henry looked and gasped in shock and amazement. Toto rushed in and his reaction was the same.

The mirror's reflecting glass had been replaced with the image of Queen Ozma, holding Billina in her arms, and both of them smiling.

"Good grief, who are you?" asked a shocked Uncle Henry.

"I'm Ozma, Queen of the Land of Oz, and a close friend of Dorothy."

"Of course you remember me since you tried to have me stewed up," Billina said mockingly.

Henry stared at the chicken in the mirror. "Did Billina just talk?"

"Of course she can, and so can I!" Came the Lion's voice, just as his face showed up inside the mirror, later followed by the Tin Man and the Scarecrow.

"Hi, kiddo!" exclaimed the Scarecrow, cheerfully. "Thanks to Ozma, we found a way to communicate with you using mirrors."

"And how is little Toto? He looks just as adorable as ever," said the Tin Man, looking down at Toto and waved at the little dog, who gave a friendly bark to his old friends.

Dorothy looked over at her aunt and uncle, both still staring at the mirror in shock, then glanced over at her. "You see? I told you Oz was real! It wasn't a figment of my imagination after all. And Ozma here is the girl who rescued me from the clinic."

"Well…" Henry sighed after recovering from the shock, "I suppose we owe you an apology, honey."

"Me too," said Em, feeling regretful. "We should have believed you."

"Apology accepted," Dorothy smiled.

"Dorothy, we were just getting ready for the wedding of Marshal Mallow and China Princess," said the Scarecrow. "She says she wants you to be her maid of honor. And the wedding isn't until sunset."

"Oh, I would be honored," Dorothy chuckled. "Is it okay if I bring Toto and my relatives along?"

"Of course, if it's alright with them," replied Ozma.

Henry and Em glanced at each other, before they smiled, then turned to Dorothy, who was giving them a pleading look.

"I think a wedding sounds like a great idea," said Em, "but we don't have anything fancy to wear."

"Don't worry, Em," assured Henry, "I still have your old dress and my old tuxedo in the closet. We can use them."

"But what about Dorothy? What will she wear?"

"It's okay, Aunt Em," said Dorothy, "I'll know what to wear."

"Then it's settled," chuckled Henry. "We'll go as soon as we're finished with the chores."

-0o0o0-

The wedding in the Emerald City went out without a synch, and right now, everyone was enjoying themselves; moving to the waltz in the dance floor, others eating cake or other foods, and some enjoying a good chat with one another. Civilians from the Candy County and the China Country had attended the wedding as well as people from Munchkinland, Winkieland, Quadling Country, and Gillikin Country, and important Oz leaders.

Ozma was sitting in a chair at the table chatting with Polychrome the daughter of the rainbow and Mr. Wogglebug and the Queen of the Field Mice, Aunt Em and Uncle Henry swayed together on the dance floor, the Wizard was dancing with Glinda, Jack Pumpkinhead danced with a Miss Scraps the Patchwork Girl, Wiser and Toto and the Tiger were gorging themselves with cake until a stern look from Tiktok and Billina made them stop to remind them that the cake was for everybody, Woodenhorse and the Woozy were giving pony rides to little Button Bright and the other children at the far end of the room, Marshal Mallow was dancing with his new wife China Princes who looked now as tall as Glinda because she was wearing a magical pink and white pendant around her neck.

Surprisingly, the Tin Man and the Lion found love themselves. The Tin Man was unexpectedly reunited with his old girlfriend, Nimmie Amee, and he immediately asked her to marry him, to which she accepted. The Lion met and fell in love with a beautiful ivory tigress princess named Muhlama, and the feeling was mutual when he asked her for a dance.

And as for Dorothy and the Scarecrow, they were together in the center of the dance floor. They moved together like two waltzing angels in heaven, their love blooming stronger than ever. And when no one was looking, the Scarecrow led his beloved out on the balcony, where he, once again, kissed Dorothy on the lips. The moon shone high in the sky, its light falling upon the two young lovers, as a shooting star flashed across the sky.

THE END

(Eva Cassidy)

Somewhere over the rainbow way up high

There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby

Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue

And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true

Someday I'll wish upon a star

And wake up where the clouds are far behind me

Where troubles melt like lemon drops

Away above the chimney tops

That's where you'll find me

(Instrumental)