Beatrice’s eyes widened with surprise. “TinMan? Where is he? Is he nearby?”

Scarecrow’s voice grew softer. “Not exactly.”

She gave him a look of bewilderment. “Where is he then?”

Scarecrow tucked in his lips to keep from speaking.

Beatrice stepped closer to him. “Hey, you brought it up so now you have to tell me. Scarecrow, where is TinMan?”

Without saying another word, he sheepishly pointed over her shoulder. When Beatrice turned around she saw the view of the Emerald City looking as though it had seen better days.

“He’s over there?” That didn’t make any sense to her. When she peered back at Scarecrow she said, “But I thought Rolin the munchkin said Emerald City was now invaded by the evil male witch, or whoever he is.”

“Dark warlock” he corrected her gently.

Beatrice shook her head dismissively. “Whoever.”

“It is” he told her sadly, “Emerald City has been taken over.”

She stepped even closer to him as she continued on. “And I was also informed that any Munchkin that isn’t in that hideout right now is held prisoner over there.” She pointed at the tall green buildings to her west, the same direction the Skywatchers and the giant stallion disappeared to.

Scarecrow reluctantly nodded once. “You were informed correctly.” He waited patiently as she put all the pieces together.

“Therefore, is it safe to assume that anyone else over there is either a prisoner or a loyalty to the…warlock?”

He held her gaze before he nodded again.

She gasped in disbelief, “TinMan is a prisoner?”

“Like many others over there” he said in a low tone.

“What about Lion?”

Scarecrow immediately diverted his eyes away from her but she had already seen the heartbreak shining through them. “That’s another story.” Before she could pry further on what was going on with Lion, he quickly took her by the hand and ran in the direction of the city that now lost its spark and excitement. “Come on. If we leave now we can make it there right at sunset.”

“What about the Munchkins? Don’t they need you?” she called out as they ran. Storm was still in her left hand.

“They’ll be fine as long as they don’t leave the hideout. Don’t worry though, they won’t.”

It wasn’t long before the two of them halted and reached a yellow path comprised of dull golden bricks. Tall grass surrounded it on each side. Beatrice gasped.

“It used to have a much more vibrant color” Scarecrow told her sadly. “Nothing is the same around here anymore.”

“It’s the yellow brick road” she said in wonderment. “Whoa, my mother wasn’t kidding about any of this.”

“We can’t take the road. It’ll be too obvious. This way.” He quickly led her into the tall grassy area. “We’re less likely to become spotted this way.”

“How will we be able to see TinMan if he’s a prisoner? Better yet, how can we go to the Emerald City without getting caught ourselves?”

“I know a way inside the city without being spotted. Rolin and I, along with some of the other Munchkins take this path when we go on raids for food and supplies. Plus, I have to visit TinMan every so often to slide him some oil or he won’t be any good to Wickus and he will have him destroyed. Until I can think up a way to free him and everyone else, this is what I have to do.”

Be any good to Wickus? That meant Wickus was using him for something. Poor TinMan. But more than anything, poor Scarecrow, Beatrice thought quietly as they ran on. He really was doing all he could to help the people in Oz, whether they were prisoners or runaways. Could he really save everyone all by himself? Beatrice didn’t doubt his ability to think up a clever plan but this didn’t sound like a one person job. Could this be why she was sent here? To help him out? But Scarecrow would need an army in order to successfully override a dark warlock, not just her. What could just the two of them do?

As they continued to run, Beatrice’s breath was growing shorter and shorter. Nothing but tall grass filled their vision so she had no idea how Scarecrow knew if they were still going the right way or not. At this point, all she cared about was rest. The moment she began to slow down, Scarecrow turned around to look at her.

“I’m sorry” she told him while coming to a complete stop and catching her breath. Storm hopped on the ground while she bent over and placed her hands on her knees. “I need a minute.”

“It’s okay. We can rest for a few minutes. It might be better if you sit down.” Beatrice took his suggestion and sat on the ground. Scarecrow followed suit and sat close enough that their arms brushed against each other.

Beatrice pretended not to have noticed the contact but she was very much aware of it but wasn’t complaining. Although she dared not say anything about it, she really did enjoy being very close to him. She couldn’t explain it but it just felt…right.

Storm soon caught her attention as the FlyMam started to pick at the ground with his paw. “What are you doing, Storm?”

“Smelling around for food, most likely” Scarecrow answered her.

“What do FlyMams usually eat?”

“Pretty much anything that’s edible but the ones that have someone to belong to will adopt the diet of their owner.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Cool.” She glanced back at Storm who still had his little nose in the ground. “I don’t have any food for you” she said apologetically. “You pulled me away from my world before I could even grab a slice of birthday cake my mom made for me. Which reminds me,” she turned back to Scarecrow. “Do you have any idea how he could have gotten in my world?”

Scarecrow was staring at her in disbelief. “Not sure. Beatrice, is today your birthday?”

“Yeah, why?”

He stood up abruptly. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Beatrice was taken aback by his reaction. She still remained on the ground. “Uh…I don’t know, maybe because more things seem to be of greater significance than today being my birthday.” Yeah, things like a dark warlock taking over the Emerald City and almost getting crushed by a colossal stallion.

“But birthdays are special because they are beautiful reminders that you are a part of life. So you should definitely make today special as well as every other moment in your life. Look.” He removed a small piece of paper from his side and read out loud, “Sai Baba says that, ‘Life is a song – sing it. Life is a game – play it. Life is a challenge – meet it. Life is a dream – realize it. Life is a sacrifice – offer it. Life is love…” He slowly lifted up his eyes to hold Beatrice’s gaze before he finished his quote with a sweet smile on his face. “enjoy it.’”

That smile was a contagious one and had Beatrice doing the same thing. “You really are a clever one to have healthy little reminders like that on you every day.”

He chuckled and tucked the piece of paper away. “They keep me going. Speaking of going…” He turned his head towards the sun and narrowed his eyes. “We should probably get a move on if we want to beat the sunset.” He looked down at her and extended his hand.

She wasted no time reaching for it. Scarecrow yanked her up so swiftly that she collided into his arms and they both snickered.

“I’m sorry” he told her, but he didn’t look sorry at all. In fact, he was beaming down at her. The tip of his dark brown nose was touching on hers.

“No, it’s my fault” she laughed. “I just wasn’t ready for it.” Beatrice couldn’t help but to take a mental note of how delightfully strong Scarecrow was.

He didn’t ease away from her. “Beatrice?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re in Oz now so you should probably get ready for everything.” Without any kind of warning, Scarecrow was suddenly darting towards the Emerald City once more with Beatrice’s hand in his.

***

Luckily, Scarecrow and Beatrice made it to the Emerald City just before sunset. The horizon was beautiful behind them but Beatrice couldn’t admire it the way she really wanted to because she had to focus on not letting anyone see her.

When the two of them made it to the back wall of the city, they kept their back pressed against it in order to remain discreet as they crept forward. At some point, Scarecrow stopped and pressed at a certain area on the wall which gave in to his force and revealed to them a way inside the city.

“How did you do that?” Beatrice whispered.

“Miss One created this entrance a while back when the Munchkins and I had our first raid. She’s willed it to only open up to my hand. Just follow me and try to keep quiet.”

“Won’t someone see us come in?” she asked worriedly. This all just seemed too easy.

“It’s okay. I promise.” Scarecrow quickly crawled into the new passage way.

Beatrice gestured for Storm to go in next and she followed suit. Luckily, it wasn’t pitch black like the passageway to the Munchkins’ hideout, but it wasn’t a clear view either. She saw just enough to see what was going on in front of her.

They only crawled a few feet before they came to a dead end. Scarecrow listened to what was coming from the other side of the wall.

When Beatrice listened too, she heard a muffled sound of a piano playing someone singing. Was it blues?

Scarecrow softly scratched at it and was answered by a tap on the other side. He was definitely communicating with someone. He slowly pushed on the wall and it opened up like a door.

“Scarecrow, you’re just in time” someone whispered but Beatrice couldn’t see who it was just yet. All she could tell was that the voice belonged to a man. “TinMan’s is on right now and it shouldn’t be much longer.”

“Thank you, Simon.” Scarecrow crawled out, got to his feet, and immediately turned around to help Storm and Beatrice.

The strange man gasped. “Who’s this?”

When Beatrice got a good look at him she saw he was for the most part a normal man. There was nothing strange about him except for his costume which was a dramatic shade of black along with his makeup. His long sleeve shirt and slacks were all fabricated from silk and a bizarre black and gray mask sat on top of his head. As for his natural features, he was a dark skinned most likely in his late twenties or so.

“It’s okay. She’s here to see TinMan.”

Simon was looking over Scarecrow’s shoulder and at Beatrice with extreme curiosity. “I don’t think we’ve met before but yet you look oddly familiar.”

“You must have known my mother” she told him.

“Was she a beauty like you? It’s been so long since I’ve laid eyes on a beauty. Will you stay with me tonight?” Simon took an eager step forward while Beatrice took one step back and further behind Scarecrow.

Storm growled at Simon while Scarecrow gave Simon a disapproving sneer as he shielded Beatrice with his back.

Simon halted in his advance and took in concern Beatrice’s two bodyguards.

“Sounds like TinMan is almost done with his number” Scarecrow told him. “Why don’t you go greet him when he gets off stage and tell him that I’m here?”

“Very well.” Simon sadly exited the room and closed the door behind him.

Scarecrow turned to Beatrice. “Sorry about Simon. He said something like that to Dorothy a while back so that’s probably why he did that. You must have reminded him of her.”

“Is he a prisoner?”

He nodded. “Simon used to be one of the many people living here freely before the invasion. Like TinMan, he’s held captive here.” He began walking towards the door Simon just walked out of. His voice got lower when he said, “Right now, we’re in a backroom of a club where Wickus and many of his loyalties come for shows and entertainment.” Quietly, he cracked the door open just enough for the two of them to see a small view of TinMan tap dancing on stage with a fake smile plastered on his face.

TinMan, she mentally crooned. There he was, robotic and mechanic as ever but also so real looking. This was all like a fantasy world come to life. Before her was the man with the biggest heart her mother had ever known. Even though this was her first time ever laying eyes on him, Beatrice grew fond of him immediately and wanted more than ever to rescue him from this dreadful life. They were treating him as if he was some kind of circus animal.

Although, Beatrice couldn’t see them, she heard a rowdy crowd before him. They shouted at him, “Do something funny!” and “You did this number last week!”

TinMan ignored them and kept on singing and dancing. Eventually, he danced toward a statue of a dark skinned lady who had a severe case of obesity. He started singing along with the rhythm of the blues like melody, “Ateeny, why you gotta treat me so bad? Ateeny, I gave you my time, my money, and everything I had.” As he kept on shuffling his feet to beat, tears streamed down his face as he cried over and over, “Ateeny! Ateeny! Ateeny!”

The crowd erupted in laughter. “Look at him! He’s hopeless!”

“Poor TinMan” Beatrice whispered.

“He needs to get off stage soon, before he starts to rust himself. The minute Wickus and his loyalties see that, they’ll begin to feel that he’s not worth keeping around.”

At the end of his number, TinMan kneeled down on one knee with his arms extended out as he held on to his hat in his right hand. No applause was given, just a mighty roar of laughter.

TinMan didn’t move from his position. He was idle like a statue. He was as still as that Ateeny figure next to him.

Before anyone in the crowd could grow suspicious, Simon pulled on the curtain strings and shielded the stage. Scarecrow took this opportunity to jump out and help Simon carry TinMan back into the room.

Beatrice moved out of the way as they wondered inside.

Back on stage, a woman dressed in something similar as Simon, opened up the curtains and stole the show with an opera number Beatrice found to be very sad and depressing, but it seemed to be holding the crowd’s attention.

Scarecrow wasted no time pulling out a small oil can from the inside of his shirt and went to work on TinMan’s mouth, sliding oil down his throat.

TinMan gulped and sighed, “Thank you, my brother.” Beatrice remembered her mother telling her that he had such a soulful way of talking and she was correct. The rest of his body remained frozen in position until Scarecrow oiled him free and helped him up. The minute TinMan was on his feet, the two friends hugged. TinMan patted Scarecrow’s back affectionately. “It’s good to see you as always and once again you’re keeping me another day from becoming scrap metal.”

Scarecrow chuckled briefly.

As the two embraced, TinMan peered over Scarecrow’s shoulder and made eye contact with Beatrice. His gaze grew into astonishment as he slowly let go of Scarecrow and cautiously approached her. “I don’t believe it” he whispered out of pure amazement. Before Beatrice could stop him from making the same mistake as everyone else and call her Dorothy, he said, “You’re Dorothy’s daughter.”

She gasped at how correct he was. “How did you know that?”

TinMan laughed in delight. “I may be an old trooper but I ain’t no dumb trooper. You surely look like Dorothy but only enough to be a close relative. I’ll say though,” TinMan affectionately touched one of her curly strands of hair. “You are just as beautiful as your mother.”

Beatrice beamed at the compliment. “My mother always mentioned how kind you were.”

“How is she?”

She nodded and smiled. “Happy.” The moment she said that, she noticed Scarecrow turned away from them as if to hide his face and her smile faltered. “But she misses you all terribly” she added.

“Likewise” TinMan told her. “But allow me to be rude no more with my dwelling in the past and let me introduce myself properly to the next generation.” He stepped back and took her hand before presenting her with the most formal bow she’d ever seen. “My name is TinMan and it is an honor to make your acquaintance” he stated before kissing the back of her palm.

“I’m Beatrice” she smiled in delight at his chivalry. When she looked back up at Scarecrow, he was smiling in delight as well. His earlier sadness seemed to have evaporated.

“I knew you would want to meet her” Scarecrow told him.

TinMan rose from his bowing position. “That Scarecrow is a smart one, I tell ya.”

“Yes, he is” Beatrice said. “And we’re going to find a way to get you out of here.” She then peered at Simon. “All of you. Just be patient with us while we figure something out.”

“Oh no, Sweetheart. I’m afraid there isn’t much you can do for us” TinMan spoke sadly. “This dark warlock got more tricks up his sleeve than Eviline ever did. It’s best that you don’t get yourself mixed up in this madness.”

Too late, she thought. “I’m here for a reason, TinMan and I believe it is help you all. You can’t spend the rest of your live like this. How long have you all been enslaved?”

“The invasion happened a year after the girl with the silver slippers appeared and then left” said Simon. “We were invaded exactly twenty one years ago from today.” His voice turned pensive and grim. “I remember because that was the day my life changed and will never be the same again. The date was March 3rd 1979.”

Beatrice frowned. “So, the invasion happened exactly one year before I was born?” She turned to Scarecrow. “Today’s my birthday. I was born March 3rd 1980.”

“Does that sound like a coincidence to you?” Scarecrow asked TinMan with puzzlement and uncertainty.

TinMan eyed Beatrice in awe. “Sounds to me like she might have just been born to help us.”