L. Frank Baum - Oz 37 - The Magical Mimics In Oz

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The Magical Mimics In Oz – Oz 37

L. Frank Baum

BY JACK SNOW

CHAPTER 1

TOTO CARRIES A MESSAGE

"Toto," called Princess Ozma of Oz as a small, black dog trotted down the

corridor past the open door of her study in theRoyalPalaceof the Emerald

City. "Toto, will you do me a favor?"

"Certainly," answered the little dog, his bright eyes regarding the Princess

questioningly. "What can I do for your Majesty?"

Ozma smiled. "I wonder if you would go to Dorothy's rooms and ask her to

join me here as soon as possible."

"That'll be easy, Ozma," said Toto. "I was just on my way to see Dorothy.

It's time for our morning romp in the garden."

"Well," laughed Ozma, "I shall keep Dorothy for only a few minutes, then she

can join you in the garden for your play."

"Thank you, Ozma," replied Toto as he turned and trotted down the corridor

leading to Dorothy's suite of rooms.

As the little dog disappeared, the smile slowly faded from Ozma's face, and

the lovely little ruler of the world's most beautiful fairyland looked

unusually serious.

The truth was that Ozma was thinking of events that had happened many years

before in the history of the Land of Oz. Not always had Oz been a fairy

realm. In those olden times Oz had been nothing more than a remarkably

beautiful country of rolling plains, wooded hills and rich farmlands.

Indeed, Oz had not been so much different from our ownUnited States,

except that it was surrounded on all sides by a Deadly Desert.

It was this desert which prevented curious men from the great outside world

from finding their way to Oz. For the fumes and gasses that rose from the

shifting sands of the desert were deadly poison to all living things, and

for a human to have set foot on the desert would have meant instant and

terrible death. Consequently, all living things avoided the Deadly Desert,

and it is no wonder that Oz was so entirely secluded and went unnoticed by

the rest of the world for so many long years.

Meanwhile, the Oz people were happy and contented, living their simple,

carefree lives without worries or troubles. The soil of Oz was fertile and

the people naturally industrious, so there was always an abundance of

everything for everyone. Hence destructive and terrible wars were unknown

in Oz, even in the olden days.

One fine day Queen Lurline, Ruler of all the fairies in the world, chanced

to be flying over the Land of Oz with her fairy band. She was greatly

impressed with the beauty of the hidden country. The Fairy Queen paused,

flying in wide circles over the peaceful land. Here was a country so

entirely beautiful and charming that it deserved to be a fairy realm.

Queen Lurline sought out the King of this favored land and found him to be

an old man with no son or daughter to whom he could pass on his crown. With

great joy the old King accepted the tiny baby fairy whom Queen Lurline

placed in his care. When the baby fairy attained her full age of girlhood

(no fairy ever appears to be older than a young girl of fourteen or

fifteen), she was to be crowned Princess Ozma of Oz.

>From the time of Lurline's visit, Oz became a fairyland, abounding in

enchantments and strange happenings. Indeed, several of the inhabitants of

Oz fell to studying the magic arts and became witches and magicians, very

nearly preventing Ozma from becoming the rightful ruler of the fairyland.

Ozma was fully aware that she was a member of Queen Lurline's fairy band,

and she was justly proud of her immortal heritage. She knew, too, that she

owed allegiance to the powerful Fairy Queen, and that was the reason she

appeared so thoughtful this morning as she awaited Princess Dorothy.

Ozma's reverie was broken by a gentle rap on the open door. Looking up, she

saw Dorothy standing in the doorway.

"Come in, my dear," said Ozma. "There is something I must discuss with you."

CHAPTER 2

OZMA AND GLINDA GO AWAY

"What is it, Ozma?" Dorothy asked as she sat down beside her friend.

"Dorothy," Ozma began, thoughtfully, "you have heard me tell the story of

how the good Queen Lurline left me here as a baby to become the Ruler of

the Land of Oz."

"Of course, Ozma, and how you were stolen by old Mombi, the witch, andFF20

C4"

"Yes," interrupted Ozma, smiling, "all that is true, but the important fact

is that now the day has arrived when I must answer the summons of the great

Fairy Queen. You see," continued the girlish ruler seriously, "every 200

years all the members of Queen Lurline's fairy band gather for a Grand

Council in the beautifulForestofBurzee, which lies just across the

Deadly Desert to the South of Oz."

"Isn't that the forest where Santa Claus was found as an infant and adopted

by the Forest Nymphs?" asked Dorothy eagerly.

"Yes," replied Ozma, "Burzee is indeed a famous forest. For untold centuries

its cool groves have been the meeting place of Queen Lurline and her

subjects. They gather to discuss and plan the work they will do during the

next two centuries. In the old days," Ozma's voice was musing and

thoughtful as she continued, "when mankind was simpler and gentler of

nature, it was easier for the fairies to do their good works and to aid the

helpless humans. But today few humans believe in fairies."

"The children do," Dorothy suggested.

"Yes," said Ozma, "but unfortunately as the children grow older and become

men and women, they forget all they ever knew about fairies. I wish," she

added wistfully, "that the men and women of the world would keep a bit of

their childhood with them. They would find it a valuable thing."

"When will you be going, Ozma?" Dorothy asked softly.

"Tomorrow morning," Ozma replied. "and so important is this meeting that I

have asked Glinda the Good to accompany me, although she is not a member of

Queen Lurline's fairy band."

"Ozma," said Dorothy seriously, her chin cupped in her hand, "there is one

thing I have often wondered about. What did Queen Lurline do $$after&& she

left you here to become the Ruler of Oz?"

"There is a story," Ozma began with a faraway look in her eyes, "that after

she made Oz a fairyland, Queen Lurline flew away to the Land of the

Phanfasms, that strange realm lying southeast of Oz across the Deadly

Desert and bordering the Kingdom of the Nomes."

"I remember the Phanfasms," Dorothy nodded. "They are the wicked creatures

who came with the Nome King through his tunnel under the Deadly Desert to

conquer Oz."

"Yes, and thanks to the wisdom of our famous Scarecrow, we were able to

render them harmless," Ozma recalled with a smile.

"Did Queen Lurline go to see the Phanfasms after she left Oz?" asked

Dorothy.

"No," replied Ozma. "It seems that instead of going toMountPhantastico,

where the Phanfasms dwell, Queen Lurline flew to the second of the twin

peaks C4 toMountIlluso, home of the dread Mimics."

"I don't remember hearing about the Mimics before. Just who are they, Ozma?"

asked Dorothy with interest.

"Not a great deal is known about them," replied Ozma seriously, "and what we

do know is so unpleasant that the Mimics are avoided as a subject of

conversation. They are not humans, nor are they immortals. Like the

Phanfasms, to whom they are closely related, they belong to the ancient

race of Erbs C4 creatures who inhabited the Earth long before the coming

of mankind. Both the Mimics and the Phanfasms hate all humans and

immortals, for they feel that mankind, aided by the immortals, has stolen

the world from them."

"They don't sound very nice to me," said Dorothy with a shudder. "Why did

Queen Lurline go to see such dreadful creatures?"

Ozma's voice was grave as she answered. "Queen Lurline knew that the Mimics

bitterly hated all that was good and happy and just in the world. The wise

Queen fully realized that now that Oz was so beautiful and favored and its

people so happy and contented a fairy folk, the Mimics would lose no time

in seeking to bring unhappiness to Oz. It was to prevent this that Queen

Lurline paid her visit to Mount Illuso."

"And did she succeed?" asked Dorothy.

"Yes, my dear," replied Ozma. "Queen Lurline placed a fairy spell on the

Mimics to make it impossible for them to attack the inhabitants of Oz. But

let's not discuss the unpleasant Mimics any further," Ozma concluded.

"Thanks to good Queen Lurline we don't even have to think about the

creatures. Let us return to our conversation about you."

"About me?" asked Dorothy.

"Yes," replied Ozma. "Can't you guess why I asked you to see me this

particular morning?"

"Why, to tell me about the trip you and Glinda are planning," said Dorothy.

"And something more, too," continued Ozma. "Who do you think will rule the

Emerald City and the Land of Oz while both Glinda and I are absent?"

"I suppose either the Little Wizard or the Scarecrow," ventured Dorothy,

remembering that in the past both the Wizard and the Scarecrow had ruled

the Land of Oz.

"No," replied Ozma calmly. "You, Dorothy, will be the ruler of the Emerald

City and the Land of Oz in my absence."

"I?" cried Dorothy. "Oh, Ozma, I'm only a little girl! I don't know the

first thing about ruling!"

"You are a Princess of Oz," stated Ozma with dignity. "I shall appoint the

Wizard as your Counselor and Advisor. With his wisdom and your honesty of

heart and sweetness of nature, I am confident the Land of Oz will be well

ruled."

Dorothy was silent, considering.

"Come, my dear," said Ozma with a smile. "I shall be gone only three short

days. I am sure once you have become accustomed to the idea, you will enjoy

the novel experience of being a real ruler, so do not worry."

Rising from the divan, Ozma concluded, "I must go now to inform the

Courtiers and Lords and Ladies of my journey. I will instruct them in the

regular affairs of state to be carried on in my absence, so that you will

not be annoyed with these routine matters."

Ozma kissed Dorothy on the cheek, and the two girls left the room arm in

arm, parting a few minutes later as Ozma went about making preparations for

her journey.20Dorothy joined Toto, who was waiting patiently for her in

the lovely gardens of the Royal Palace.

The little dog quickly noticed that his mistress was not nearly so carefree

in her play as usual, but seemed more serious and thoughtful. He wondered

if this had anything to do with her conversation with Ozma, but since

Dorothy didn't mention the subject to him and seemed to be so busy with her

own thoughts, Toto, being a wise little dog, refrained from troubling her

with questions.

Dorothy had a long talk with the Wizard later in the day. The little man

pointed out that Dorothy's duties as ruler would be very slight, so well

governed was Oz and so well behaved were the Oz people. Nevertheless,

Dorothy was greatly cheered and relieved when the Wizard promised to help

her should any problem arise that she found troubling.

Ozma's time was so entirely taken up with affairs of state and the many

preparations for her absence from her beloved country that Dorothy saw

nothing of the girlish ruler during the remainder of the day.

The morning of Ozma and Glinda's departure dawned bright and clear, with the

sunlight shining brilliantly on the beautiful City of Emeralds. Breakfast

had been over for several hours when Glinda the Good Sorceress arrived from

her castle far to the South in the Quadling Country of the Land of Oz.

Glinda and Ozma went immediately to the Royal Throne Room, where the famous

Oz personages waited to witness their departure.

At exactly 10 o'clock, Princess Ozma seated herself in her Emerald Throne,

while the stately Glinda stood at her right. Before them was as strange and

impressive an assemblage of Nobles, Courtiers and old friends as ever

gathered together in any fairy realm.

Among those present were: the famous Scarecrow of Oz with his highly

polished companion Nick Chopper, the nickel-plated Tin Woodman; comical

Jack Pumpkinhead astride the wooden Sawhorse, who was Ozma's personal steed

and earliest companion; Scraps, the jolly Patchwork Girl; sweet little Trot

and her faithful sailor friend, grizzled old Cap'n Bill; Betsy Bobbin and

her mule Hank; the cheerful Shaggy Man, looking shaggier than ever; the

Highly Magnified and Thoroughly Educated Woggle Bug wearing his wisest

expression for this important occasion; the stately Cowardly Lion, who was

one of Dorothy's oldest friends, and his companion, the Hungry Tiger, who

longed to devour fat babies but never did because his conscience wouldn't

permit him to; that strange creature the Woozy, whose eyes flashed real

fire when he became angry; Button Bright, the boy from Philadelphia, who

had been Dorothy's companion on several wonderful adventures; Ojo the Lucky

and his Unc Nunkie; Dorothy's beloved Aunt Em and Uncle Henry; and of

course the Little Wizard and many more.

Ozma stood before her throne and raised her hand. Immediately silence

settled over the assemblage in the vast Throne Room.

"As you all know," the Princess said, "Glinda and I are about to attend an

important Fairy Conference in the distant Forest of Burzee. We shall be

gone from Oz for a period of three days. During that time, Princess Dorothy

will be your sovereign and ruler."

Ozma removed her dainty fairy wand from the folds of her gown and lifted it

into the air. For a moment she smiled on all, then, with a graceful wave of

the wand and before the onlookers realized what was happening, both she and

Glinda had vanished.

But Dorothy knew that even at that moment Queen Lurline was greeting the

lovely Ozma and the stately Glinda in the depths of the enchanted Forest of

Burzee.

CHAPTER 3

MOUNT ILLUSO

On that faraway day those many years ago, when Queen Lurline had left the

baby Ozma to become the ruler of Oz, Queen Lurline did not pause, for she

knew the most important part of her work was still to be done. If the Land

of Oz was to be the happy fairyland she hoped it would be, she must protect

it from the evil of the Mimics.

With this thought in mind, the good Queen left Oz and flew straight to the

bleak land of the Phanfasms. Signalling to one of her Fairy Maidens to

accompany her, Queen Lurline flew down to grim Mount Illuso, home of the

dread Mimics.

Pausing at the entrance to the great hollow mountain, Queen Lurline bade her

fairy companion await her return. Then, taking the precaution to make

herself invisible to the eyes of the Mimics, the Fairy Queen stepped into

the enchanted Mountain.

The sight that met her eyes caused even the good Queen Lurline to chill and

falter momentarily on the rocky ledge on which she stood. Above her rose

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摘要：

TheMagicalMimicsInOz–Oz37 L.FrankBaum BYJACKSNOW Reilly&Leeedition,copyright1946 CHAPTER1TOTOCARRIESAMESSAGE"Toto,"calledPrincessOzmaofOzasasmall,blackdogtrotteddownthe corridorpasttheopendoorofherstudyintheRoyalPalaceoftheEmerald City."Toto,willyoudomeafavor?""Certainly,"answeredthe...

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L. Frank Baum - Oz 37 - The Magical Mimics In Oz

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