[CG]

Mac turned his head, and saw one of the walls of the cavern had become a face. The rocky, misshaped face of the Gnome King finally appeared. He looked old, rocks folding under his eyes to emphasize bags under them, and even had some glasses perched atop his big nose. But he didn't look regal, or royal; he looked tired but very angry. But Mac didn’t care about that now, standing up he ran over to the large face which quickly melted into the wall. As soon as Mac arrived he thumped his fists onto the cavern’s wall. "He didn’t steal anything! They were there when he got there!" he shouted into the darkness. He began to realise, there might be little to no hope for the Scarecrow now, being turned into an ornament? No longer alive (technically he wasn't before, but at least he had life within him), but frozen in time as a worthless nick-nack? Despite himself, Mac felt himself begin to shake and tears prick behind his eyes and he shut them, trying to stop himself from crying. "He... he didn’t steal them... they were there when he came..."

"Tut tut." the Gnome King's voice echoed all around, and Mac felt a very heavy hand pat him on the head but only lightly. "Poor Mac... poor poor Mac of Fosters."

Mac pulled away from the King, roughly rubbing his eyes to stop the tears before they happen and turned to look at the King. He looked slightly more human now, having made himself a body out of the rocks on the wall. He was sat on a throne.

The Gnome King observed him for a moment, "How about this." he snapped his fingers, and just as Mac had slid into the large room, Tik-Tok, Jack and the Gump suddenly slid into it as well.

"Guys!" Mac hurried over,

"Help me up. Help me up." Tik-Tok said, distressed since he was on his 'back' and slightly on the side given the knobs in his back. Mac managed to pull him onto his 'feet'. "Thank you." Mac set about helping Jack to his feet as the Gnome King continued.

"I'm going to give you all a chance to find your precious Scarecrow." the King said, "A... game, as you will."

"I like games!" Jack declared.

"Well then you'll like this. Through there," the Gnome King pointed to a hallway which suddenly appeared as some rocks were literally pulled back into themselves by granite arms, "Is my room full of my ornaments. All you have to do, is touch an ornament and say 'Oz'. You get three tries. That's all."

The group huddled for a moment.

"Is is on-ly way to save Scare-crow." Tik-Tok whispered as quietly as he could.

"I like games!" Jack said again.

"But how do we know we can trust him?" the Gump asked, eyeing the King over Jack's shoulder.

"We don't have much of a choice. It's this or... who knows." Mac mumbled. He turned to look at the King. "We accept your offer."

"Wonderful!" the old Gnome King clapped his hands together. "How about the couch first?"

"Gump." the Gump corrected. He held his head high and shook his head. "But fine, I'll go first."

"How is you touch things?" Tik-Tok asked, "Gump have no hands."

"I'll use my antler." the Gump replied in a matter-of-fact way. He grinned at Mac, "Don't worry Mac. I'll find him for ya." with that, the Gump lumbered away through the tunnel, and vanished as the granite arms returned the rocks to where they once were. It wasn't long until a rumbling noise echoed through the room, causing those gathered to look skyward. It came one more time after a few more minutes. It was here, that Tik-Tok realised something.

"Mac?" he asked.

"What is it?" Mac replied,

"Gnome King say this is game. What hap-pen when we loose?"

It was then a violent clap of thunder and lightning shook the room so forcefully, Tik-Tok fell to his side. His cries of 'help me up' were quietened as Jack and Mac helped him back to his 'feet' again. "What was that?!" Mac asked, shocked by the sound and sudden ground movement.

"Oh, it was just the couch loosing." the Gnome King replied as he puffed on a pipe he had somehow gotten from somewhere.

"So... where is he?" Mac asked, dreading the answer.

"He's been turned into an ornament." he replied simply. "He took his three turns, lost, and now he too is an ornament."

"BAD KING!" Red gasped in shock and anger.

"But that's not fair!" Mac shouted,

"I don't like this game." Jack mumbled to himself.

"Well it's the rules." the King said back sharply, "You take your turn, you loose. The end."

"But you didn't tell us that part!" Mac said, shaken to the core knowing that not only was the Scarecrow now an ornament, but also the poor Gump who just now came back to life after who knows how many years.

"You didn't ask." the tunnel suddenly reappeared. "Next. How about... Pumpkin head?"