The old man from Kansas
The little green man opened the door. He gave them all glasses, then he took them through the city to the Wizard's house. There, in the long green room, the friends waited, and waited... and waited.
After three hours the Scarecrow said, 'I'm tired of waiting.' He called the green man. 'We want to see the Wizard now. Or we're going to call the Magic Monkeys. Please tell the Wizard that.'
The green man went away to speak to the Wizard through the door. The Wizard knew about the Magic Monkeys, and he was very afraid of them. So he said to the green man, 'These people can come and see me at nine o'clock tomorrow morning.'
At nine o'clock the green man took the friends to the Wizard's room. They went in and looked all round, but they could not see anybody. Then a voice said, 'I am the Wizard of Oz. Who are you, and what do you want?'
'Where are you?' asked Dorothy.
'I am everywhere, but you can't see me. Now answer me-who are you and what do you want?'
'You know us all,' said the Scarecrow. 'You said to me, "Help Dorothy to kill the Witch of the West, and you can have some brains." Well, the Witch is dead, and now I want my brains.'
'And I want my heart,' said the Tin Man.
'And I want to be brave,' said the Cowardly Lion.
'And I want to go home to Kansas,' said Dorothy.
'Is the Witch truly dead?' asked the Voice.
'Yes,' said Dorothy. 'I threw a bucket of water over her, and she disappeared.'
'Very well,' said the Voice. 'Come again tomorrow. I must think about things first and-'
'No!' said the Tin Man. 'I want my heart now!'
'I'm not going to wait another minute!' said the Scarecrow.
'And I'm going to eat you!' the Lion shouted very angrily. Toto was afraid. He jumped away from the Lion, and hit a screen near the wall. The screen fell over, and behind it the friends saw an old man with no hair.
The Tin Man looked angry and picked up his axe.
'Who are you?' he said.
'Please don't hurt me!' said the old man, in a quiet little voice. 'I'm the Wizard of Oz.'
'But the Wizard of Oz is a big head without a body,' said Dorothy.
'No, he's a beautiful woman,' said the Scarecrow.
'You're wrong,' said the Tin Man. 'The Wizard of Oz is a big animal with two heads.'
'No,' said the Lion. 'The Wizard is a ball of fire.'
'You're all wrong,' said the old man. 'I am the Wizard... Well, I'm not a true wizard. Oh, I know a lot of tricks, but I don't know any true magic. You see, I'm from Kansas too. I went from town to town and did magic tricks. And I went up in a big balloon. The balloon was always on a rope, but one day something went wrong. The rope broke and the balloon blew away. For a long time the wind carried my balloon across the sky. Then I came down here, in the country of Oz. The people saw my balloon and said, "This man is a wizard! He comes out of the sky!" They were afraid of me and wanted to work for me... So they built this city for me, and I called it the Emerald City. Well, emeralds are green, so I made green glasses for everybody. That's why everything in the city looks green.'
The Scarecrow took off his glasses. 'Oh,' he said. 'Now I understand. The Emerald City isn't green. It just looks green. It's all a trick.'
'That's right,' said the old man. 'Well, all that happened many years ago. I never went out because I was afraid of the two bad Witches. Now they are dead-thanks to you, Dorothy. But I'm very sorry, I don't know any true magic, so I can't help you.'
'You're a very bad man,' said Dorothy.
'No, my child. I'm a very good man, but I am a very bad wizard, that's true.'
'What about my brains?' said the Scarecrow.
'You don't need brains. You understand things; you can think, you learn quickly. You're very clever.'
'I want brains,' said the Scarecrow.
'Very well,' said the old man. 'I can give you some brains tomorrow morning.'
'What about my heart?' asked the Tin Man.
'You don't need a heart,' said the old man. 'You laugh, you cry, you love, you feel sorry for people.'
The Tin Man looked angry and picked up his axe.
'All right-please don't hurt me!' said the old man. 'I can give you a heart tomorrow morning.'
'I want to be brave,' said the Cowardly Lion.
'But you are brave. You do a lot of brave things! No, no-don't eat me! Come here tomorrow morning. I'm going to make you brave.'
'What about Toto and me?' asked Dorothy.
'We can go up in my balloon,' said the Wizard. 'The wind blew us here from Kansas-perhaps it can blow us back to Kansas again.'
* * *
The next morning the friends came again to the Wizard's room. The old man was ready. He took a bottle with BRAINS on it in big green letters, and carefully opened the Scarecrow's head.
'Don't move. I'm putting your brains in,' he said. 'There-now you're the cleverest scarecrow in Oz.' The Scarecrow thanked him.
Next the Wizard gave the Tin Man a small red heart. 'Wear this always,' he said.
The Tin Man was very happy and thanked the Wizard again and again.
Then the old man took a bottle with BE BRAVE on it. 'Drink this,' he said to the Cowardly Lion.
The Lion drank. 'Yes. Yes, I feel brave!' he shouted. 'Very, very brave! Thank you!'
The Wizard smiled at them. 'You didn't need my magic,' he said. 'But you're all happy now, and that's a good thing. Now, Dorothy,' he said, 'come and see my balloon. It's all ready. I mended it last night.'
They went out into the garden behind the Wizard's house. The balloon was very big. There was a small box under it, and the Wizard of Oz jumped into the box.
'Come on, Dorothy!' he shouted. 'We're going to Kansas. Say goodbye to your friends.'
Dorothy kissed the Scarecrow, the Lion, and the Tin Man, and said goodbye. 'Come on, Toto,' she said. 'We're going home to Kansas. We're going to see Aunt Em and Uncle Henry.'
But just then Toto saw a cat. He jumped out of Dorothy's arms and ran after it.
'Toto!' called Dorothy, and she began to run after him.
綠衣小矮人打開了門。他給了他們每人一副眼鏡,帶他們穿過(guò)城市,來(lái)到魔法師的房子里。在那長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的綠房子里,他們幾個(gè)等啊,等啊,等啊......
三個(gè)小時(shí)以后,稻草人說(shuō):"我討厭就這么等下去了。"他叫綠衣人,"去告訴魔法師,我們現(xiàn)在就要見(jiàn)他。否則我們要召喚魔猴來(lái)幫忙了。"
綠衣人隔著門將稻草人的話轉(zhuǎn)告給了魔法師。魔法師知道魔猴是怎么回事,并且很怕它們。因此他對(duì)綠衣人說(shuō):"這些人可以在明天早上9點(diǎn)來(lái)見(jiàn)我。"
第二天9點(diǎn)鐘,綠衣人將多蘿西和她的朋友們帶到魔法師那里。他們進(jìn)去四處張望,卻看不見(jiàn)任何人。這時(shí)一個(gè)聲音響起了:"我就是奧茲魔法師,你們是誰(shuí)?有什么要求?"
"你在哪兒?"多蘿西問(wèn)。
"我無(wú)處不在,但你們看不見(jiàn)我。現(xiàn)在回答我--你們是誰(shuí),有什么要求?"
"你認(rèn)識(shí)我們,"稻草人說(shuō),"你還對(duì)我說(shuō)過(guò):'幫助多蘿西殺死西方女巫,你就可以得到智慧。'嗯,現(xiàn)在巫婆死了,我要我的智慧。"
"我要我的心。"錫人說(shuō)。
"我要我的勇氣。"膽小鬼獅子說(shuō)。
"我要回堪薩斯的家。"多蘿西說(shuō)。
"巫婆真的死了?"那聲音問(wèn)道。
"是的,"多蘿西回答說(shuō),"我朝她潑了一桶水,然后她就消失了。"
"很好,"聲音說(shuō),"你們明天再來(lái)吧!我需要先考慮一下然后--"
"不行!"錫人說(shuō),"我現(xiàn)在就要我的心!"
"我一分鐘都不愿再等了!"稻草人說(shuō)。
"我要吃了你!"獅子怒吼道。托托嚇壞了,它從獅子身邊跳開,撞到墻邊的一堵屏風(fēng)上,屏風(fēng)倒了,他們看見(jiàn)后面躲著一個(gè)禿頂?shù)睦项^兒。
錫人舉起斧子,一臉怒氣。
"你是誰(shuí)?"錫人問(wèn)道。
"請(qǐng)別傷害我!"老頭兒用細(xì)細(xì)的聲音說(shuō),"我就是奧茲魔法師。"
"可奧茲魔法師是一個(gè)沒(méi)有身體的大腦袋呀!"多蘿西說(shuō)。
"不,他是個(gè)漂亮的女人。"稻草人說(shuō)。
"你們都錯(cuò)了,"錫人說(shuō),"奧茲魔法師是一個(gè)長(zhǎng)了兩個(gè)腦袋的怪獸。"
"不對(duì),"獅子說(shuō),"魔法師是一團(tuán)火。"
"你們都錯(cuò)了。"老頭兒說(shuō),"我是奧茲魔法師......嗯,我不是個(gè)真正的魔法師。哦,我雖然會(huì)變?cè)S多魔術(shù),可我沒(méi)有魔力。你們看,我也是堪薩斯人。我走鄉(xiāng)串鎮(zhèn)變魔術(shù)。我鉆進(jìn)一個(gè)大氣球里,氣球通常是拴在一根繩子上的,但是有一天出了意外,繩子斷了,氣球飛起來(lái)了。風(fēng)使我的氣球在天空中飄了很久。最后我落在了這兒--奧茲國(guó)。這兒的人看見(jiàn)我的氣球,說(shuō):'這人是魔法師!他從天而降!'他們都怕我,愿意為我效勞......所以他們?yōu)槲倚蘖诉@座城,我將它命名為綠寶石城。哦,綠寶石是綠色的,所以我給所有人都做了綠色的眼鏡,這就是為什么城里一切看起來(lái)都是綠色的原因了。"
稻草人摘下眼鏡。"噢,"他說(shuō),"我明白了,綠寶石城原來(lái)不是綠色的,只是看起來(lái)是綠色的,這全是騙人的把戲。"
"完全正確,"老頭兒說(shuō),"嗯,這些都是許多年前的事了。我從不出去是因?yàn)槲遗聝蓚€(gè)壞巫婆。現(xiàn)在她們已死--謝謝你,多蘿西,但是很抱歉,我不會(huì)真正的魔法,所以不能幫你。"
"你真是個(gè)壞蛋!"多蘿西說(shuō)。
"不,我的孩子,我是一個(gè)非常善良的人,但我的確是一個(gè)糟糕的魔法師。一點(diǎn)不假。"
"那我要的智慧呢?"稻草人問(wèn)。
"你不需要智慧。你能理解事物,你會(huì)思考,你學(xué)東西也很快。你很聰明。"
"可我想要智慧。"稻草人說(shuō)。
"好吧,"老頭兒說(shuō),"明早我會(huì)給你一些智慧。"
"那我的心呢?"錫人問(wèn)。
"你不需要心,"老頭兒回答,"你笑,你哭,你愛(ài)別人,你同情別人。"
錫人氣乎乎地舉起他的斧子。
"好,好--別傷害我!"老頭兒說(shuō),"我明早就給你一顆心。"
"我要變得勇敢,"膽小鬼獅子說(shuō)。
"但你的確很勇敢。你做了許多英勇的事情!別,別--別吃我!明早來(lái)吧,我會(huì)讓你變得勇敢。"
"那我和托托怎么辦?"多蘿西問(wèn)。
"我們可以鉆進(jìn)我的氣球,"魔法師說(shuō),"風(fēng)把我從堪薩斯吹到這兒--或許它也能把我們吹回堪薩斯。"
* * *
第二天早上,這幾個(gè)朋友重新來(lái)到魔法師的屋里。老頭兒已經(jīng)準(zhǔn)備就緒了。他拿出一個(gè)瓶子,瓶子上用綠色的字母寫著兩個(gè)大字"智慧"。他小心翼翼地打開稻草人的腦袋。
"別動(dòng),我要把智慧放入你的腦袋里,"老頭兒說(shuō),"好--你現(xiàn)在是奧茲國(guó)最聰明的稻草人了。"稻草人謝過(guò)了老頭兒。
然后老頭兒又給了錫人一顆小小的紅色的心。他說(shuō):"一直戴著它。"
錫人非常高興,不停地感謝老頭兒。
接著,老頭兒拿出一個(gè)貼著"勇敢"標(biāo)簽的瓶子。"喝下去。"他對(duì)膽小鬼獅子說(shuō)。
獅子喝了下去。"是的,是的。我感到自己有勇氣了!"他大叫道,"非常非常的勇敢!謝謝你!"
魔法師微笑著望著他們。"你們并不需要我的魔法。"他說(shuō),"但你們現(xiàn)在很開心,這就好。現(xiàn)在,多蘿西,"他說(shuō),"來(lái)看看我的氣球,它已準(zhǔn)備就緒,我昨晚把它修好了。"
他們一起走到魔法師房子后面的花園里。氣球很大,下面掛了一個(gè)小箱子。魔法師跳進(jìn)箱子里。
"多蘿西,來(lái)呀!"他大喊,"我們要回堪薩斯去了,和你的朋友們告別吧。"
多蘿西一一吻了稻草人、獅子和錫人,并與他們道了別。"走,托托,"她說(shuō),"我們就要回家了,我們就要見(jiàn)到埃姆舅媽和亨利舅舅了。"
但就在那時(shí),托托看見(jiàn)了一只貓。它跳出多蘿西的手臂,追了過(guò)去。
"托托!"多蘿西大叫,開始追它。