Monday Interview Series: Dorothy Gale

I'm pleased to announce that a special guest is visiting us this week at The Deliverers Publishing Headquarters. She just blew in all the way from Kansas, Miss Dorothy Gale!

Greg:  Welcome, Dorothy. Thanks for taking some time with us.

Dorothy:  Thank you very much for having me, I'm sure. You sure do have a lot of trees around here.

Greg:  Don't you have very many in Kansas?

Dorothy:  Oh no. It's all flat and kind of dusty and gray in Kansas, at least the part where I'm from. There aren't hardly any trees at all. And the twisters, my Aunt Em is always afraid of being caught in one. She always runs lickety split to the storm cellar whenever there's the faintest hint of a breeze, much less a twister. "Better safe than sorry, I always say," she always says.

Greg:  Yes, a wise woman, no doubt. If I remember correctly, it was being caught in a twister that started you on your adventure.

Dorothy:  Why, yes, yes it was. It's almost like you could read my mind, just like that Professor Marvel. Oh, he was a wise and wonderful man--he could see into the future. He didn't tell me that I'd be caught in a storm and taken to Munchkin Land. But then, I don't suppose that anyone in their right mind would have predicted that.

Greg:  No, I don't suppose they would. How did you get to Munchkin Land?

Dorothy:  By twister. Toto, that's my dog, and I were trying to get into the storm cellar, but Aunt Em and Uncle Henry had locked themselves in, so I took Toto into the house. That twister lifted us clear up and out of Kansas and into Munchkin Land. I guess that I was the first person to travel by twister who lived to tell the tale.

Greg:  What was Munchkin Land like?

Dorothy:  Oh is was beautiful. The Munchkins were very pleased to see me, mainly because my house had landed on the Wicked Witch of the East. The munchkins were happy, but the witch's sister, the Wicked Witch of the West, was pretty upset. I was very sorry. All I wanted to do was to get home, but she didn't listen to me. She just wanted her old ruby slippers, which her sister had, but which wound up on my feet somehow.

The Munchkins said that maybe the Wizard of Oz, a great and powerful wizard, might be able to send me home, so they had me follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City. I would have preferred to take a train instead of walking, but they didn't seem to have any such things, so I decided, when in Rome!

Greg:  So you were on your way. Did you make any friends on your way to Oz?

Dorothy:  Oh my stars, yes. I made three friends, There was the Tin Man, who had rusted in the rain, and had to be oiled constantly to keep him from seizing up all the time. He didn't have a heart, but he was very caring and loving.

Then, there was the Cowardly Lion. He pretended to be fierce, but he was really just a big cuddly teddy bear. He didn't have any courage, but he always tried to protect me.

My best friend, besides Toto, was the first friend I made in Oz, the Scarecrow. He didn't have much of a brain, but he wound up being a great leader. I find that many people who don't have very many brains wind up being leaders, don't you?

Greg:  I have noticed that many times. So, you all went to the Emerald City, walking, of course. Was it a pleasant journey?

Dorothy:  Some of it was wonderful, walking in the sunshine with my friends. But some of it was terrible and frightening. You see, the Wicked Witch of the West was still very upset. She tried to stop us from getting to Emerald City to see the Wizard. She still wanted my ruby slippers, you see.

She was always popping up at the worst possible moments. Jiminy crickets, it was frightening. She tried to frighten my friends and me, but we wanted to see the Wizard so badly that nothing was going to stop us. We were very determined.

Greg:  Did you make it to the Emerald City?

Dorothy:  Yes, we made it, and we met the Wizard. He was a humbug, unfortunately. He sent us to bring back the witch's broomstick, which we did. But, he couldn't help us. I think, though, that maybe he did help us after all, because he helped us discover what was really important to us. When we were through, everyone had received what it was that they really needed.

I learned that maybe what I had at home was more important than any journey to far away and exciting places, and that there really is no place like home. In fact, I think that I should be getting back there. Connecticut is beautiful, but I miss my aunt and uncle and the farm.

Greg:  Well, I'm glad you could take a few minutes to chat with us. It's a pretty blustery day, maybe you could travel back home by twister.

Dorothy:  Thank you very much, but no. If it's all the same to you, I think I'll walk.