The Wonderful Annie of Oz

This story is part of the Vocal + Assist on Facebook Lost in a Story Challenge. You can learn more about it here.

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“Run to the cellar!” startles me awake.

I must have fallen asleep on the couch, was all I could imagine. Maybe my niece put herself to bed when I fell asleep watching the Wizard of Oz with her. But I find myself in an old farmhouse, battered by fierce winds that rise in fury like the sound of a locomotive.

“Auntie Em!” I cry. Auntie Em….? I look at my hands, and I am still Annie, not Dorothy. Suddenly, the house rises in the air, the furniture knocks me into the wall, unconscious. I dream and dream, of witches and scarecrows, and empty promises, and magic.

When I awake, the house is rickety and off-kilter, but standing. “Oz,” I breathe. Not possible… but what if it is? I go to the window and peek outside, at a land of beautiful greens, and flowers and trees, and rushing, sparkling brooks winding through a diminutive town of cottages and gardens.

I go to the door and step outside to a waiting crowd of tiny Munchkins in their little pointy hats and bright clothing in blues and greens.

"You are welcome, most noble Sorceress, to the land of the Munchkins…." I stop the tiny wrinkled Munchkin woman with a gesture.

“Buckets,” is all I say. “We need lots of buckets.”

Moments later, the Wicked Witch of the West arrives with a crash of thunder and swirling red smoke. “Who killed my sister? Who killed the Witch of the East?”

“Now,” I say.

The Munchkins unload bucket after bucket of water over the Wicked Witch, and she dissolves in gray smoke and horrible smells, nothing left but her clothes and her broom.

I could just leave using the Witch’s ruby slippers… but I have a Scarecrow, a Lion and a Tin Man to find.

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(Some of the instructions for the challenge from Rick Henry Christopher)

1. Vocal + Assist (V+A) on Facebook has come up with its very own writing challenge!!! The admin team at V+A brainstormed and it was Darnell Lee that came up with the idea.
2. The challenge is to write a micro-story of 150 to 300 words. The prompt/challenge theme is called "Lost in a Story."
3. The object is to take a well known short story, fable, fairytale, movie plot, etc and let yourself (the writer) get trapped or lost in the story. Let the events of the story play out with your own twist as if you are now written into the plot.
4. Submit the URL to your entries in a COMMENT here in this post. The reason for that is because we are doing a RAFFLE. There will be two prizes.
5. The First Prize will be a $7 tip (a $5 + $2). The Second Prize will be a $3 tip (a $2 + $1).
6. In order to qualify for the raffle you must subtitle the story: "The Vocal + Assist Lost in a Story Challenge". Also at the beginning of the story mention: This story is part of the Vocal + Assist on Facebook Lost in a Story Challenge. You can learn more about it here. Here's the URL: https://vocal.media/fiction/lost-in-a-story-the-challenge
7. For each story you enter you will get an entry into the raffle. The more you enter the more chances you get to win.
8. Seeing that this one is a bit more involved and will take a bit of thought and time to create, they are making a three week deadline. All stories must be submitted by the end of the day Friday October 13th
9. You can enter as many times as you want.