Chapter 5
That night, I dreamed of Oz again. It must have been on my mind.
In my dream, I was home alone in our apartment. Winds howled through window cracks and tree branches scraped against the pane. I pulled back my curtain slightly to peek outside. The sky was gray and everything looked gloomy. A mighty gust of wind ripped a branch off the tree. It hit the trunk and snapped in half.
Crraaak!
I yelped and ran under the covers.
Suddenly, the room rumbled. The walls shook. The dresser rattled. My porcelain dolls teetered on their stands until they tumbled to the floor.
Soon, the entire building pitched forward and backward until it lurched…upward! I tried to keep my balance as the floor under me spun around in circles. Looking out the window again, I was shocked at the sight. And what a sight it was!
The building was swirling and whirling inside the center of a cyclone. It flew faster and faster. It went high up over Queens, over the city, and continued over farmlands. In the distance, through the downpour and thunderclouds, I thought I saw a rainbow.
Just as quickly, the building started to come down. I sprinted to the bed and under the covers once again. Hugging Stanley close to my chest, I shut my eyes and held my breath.
Thud!
The building landed hard. I peeked my head out and thought, What a mess! If my mother were here she’d say that my room looked like a tornado passed through it. In this case, she’d be right!
Cradling Stanley in my arm, I brushed the curls out of my face and opened my bedroom door. Instead of the hallway of my home, I found myself in the town square of a tiny village.
The cottages were a little taller than I was, and each painted a bright pastel color. Our crumbling, lopsided apartment building stood out like a giant weed in a pretty garden.
“Whoa,” I said to Stanley. “Something tells me we’re not in Queens anymore.”
An object shimmering in the sun caught my attention. It was near the far corner of my busted building. Together, Stanley and I investigated.
That was when I saw them. There, sticking out from some broken wood and a pile of bricks, was a pair of legs! Human legs clad in long black stockings! Each foot had on a beautiful, shiny, silver slipper that reflected the sunlight.
I was shocked and horrified. I didn’t know what I had done or what to do.
And so, I screamed.
