Return to Oz

[One Radical Dude]

Heheh, definitely engrossing -- what the others said. Great work.

["C" the Dragon]

Originally Posted by CG

Poopy MSPaint doodle to get the idea across just what a Wheeler looks like:

Thanks! I was wondering that! Oh, and great story!

[CG]

Chapter 5: Pumpkin Head

It was now in the late afternoon, and Mac had long since moved away from the portrait. Moving around the different pieces of artefacts he found quite a few different objects. Some vases with the Wizards large green head upon them, some more of those sunglasses Bloo had gotten from their last trip, and many more. Out the window, which was also barred, Mac could see the distant horizon. There lay the woods, beyond those were the deadly desert and finally, a spot in the far distance was a mountain. The Gnome King’s mountain, as the large map had read.

"What this place needs is a woman’s touch." Billina said as she ate a spider which had made a home on one of the chest of drawers.

"Mooommmmyyyyy...?" came a voice from somewhere. Mac and Billina froze, and so did the whole room. The voice came again. "Mommy?" it sounded like it was coming form far away, an echo.

Mac and Billina observed the other, before making their way cautiously towards where the voice had stemmed from. Around a few more large portraits that had been placed up here, was a couch and leaning up against the couch in pieces was... well. Something. His head was orange, not only orange but a pumpkin. The pumpkin had been carved into a face, large wide eyes and a mouth forever stuck in a grin. Just like the Scarecrow. His body was made of twigs, odd in length so it gave him a rather lanky appearance with the clothes that didn't seem to fit him either. Once Mac stepped closer, the head turned suddenly and stared at him, somehow without eyes. "Aww..." it whined gently. "Not Mommy." It looked greatly disappointed.

"What is that?" Billina asked in a half whisper. "A man or a melon?"

"Pumpkinhead!!" the figure sang loudly, suddenly. "Jack, Jack Jack Pumpkinhead." Jack introduced himself by waving the remains of his right arm. "Daddy help Jack back togetheerrrr?"

"I'm not your Daddy." Mac replied, uneasily. This Jack was a peculiar fellow, maybe his head was beginning to go rotten. But, he couldn't hold that against him. Jack seemed to be as much a prisoner of Mombi as he was. Setting Billina down he walked over to him. "How'd you get in here?" he asked, looking at what pieces of Jack were strewn around, just out of his reach.

"Mommy make Jack, to scare mean Princess lady!" Jack explained as Mac picked up one of his arms. "I scare Princess, but then she get mad. GRRRRRR!" he emphasized with a growl, which failed since he had no sharp teeth or claws like the Lion. Mac began tying his arms and legs back on. "So she use magic sprinkle fairy dust and Jack is alive! ...but then is thrown away, to be made into pie! But meanie Princess lady forget about Jack."

Even if Jack's voice was a strain on the ears, Mac was taking in everything the pumpkinheaded man was saying. So Princess Mombi could bring things to life? Maybe that explained those heads she had. And if she had something to make things come to life... his eyes scanned the room quickly. There were a lot of couches, an old palm tree and more interestingly enough, the head of an animal mounted on the wall gathering cobwebs and dust. His mind already ticking away at an idea, Mac helped Jack to his feet. "Jack, think really hard now."

"Mmmmmmm?" Jack asked,

"Do you know where Mombi keeps the powder?" Mac asked, hoping he had an idea where.

Jack stood there, unsteady on his shaky feet and looked to be in thought. Or watching a dust particle make its way through the air. It was hard to tell.

"Jack!" Mac called out. "Do you know?"

"32!" Jack cheered.

"32?" Mac asked, "That's the answer?"

"32." Jack echoed, nodding his head as best he could.

Now normally that would mean nothing, but it meant something to Mac. When he had been taken down the hallway of heads, every single cabinet was a see through glass. Except 32, which had a mirror instead. That must be where Mombi keeps the powder of life!

"Jack. Billina. I've got a plan."

"Yay plan!"

~*~

Using Jack's thin fingers, Mac was allowed to break the lock of the door. He reattached Jack's arm, and the two began down the long winding steps to the floor below. Lucky for him, despite how unsteady Jack seemed, he was totally fine with walking unlike the Scarecrow who used to tumble over by just stepping on a rock. He explained the plan as he went, every now and then asking Jack if he could remember what he said. It took a while, but eventually Jack had the gist of what to do. Finally they reached a door, and pushed it open to reveal the large foyer Mac had entered with Billina and Tik-Tok.

Carefully the two crept along the foyer, but then Mac felt a cold hand land on his shoulder. He almost leapt out of his skin before he realised it was Jack. "What, what is it?" he asked through his teeth, in a hushed tone.

"Daddy?" he asked.

"No, I'm not." Mac said back.

"Daddy?" Jack asked again, looking as sad as a pumpkin could.

"No! I'm..." Mac grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Fine. Daddy."

"Yaaaaaaaay." Jack said in a hushed voice, tapping his fingertips together in a silent clap. Mac rolled his eyes. Maybe his pumpkin head really was going rotten.

[CG]

But finally he spotted what he was looking for, Tik-Tok was still frozen as they had left him. Mac hurried over to him, and whispered. "Tik-Tok. Don't talk. This is Jack, he's going to take you upstairs and tell you what has to be done." he said this whilst he wound up his actions again.

Tik-Tok blinked and looked over at Jack, with a look of bewilderment but did as Mac said. It was a fete of prowess for Tik-Tok to make it back across the foyer to the hidden door without making much noise, but he managed and the two vanished back up the stairs, leaving Mac to his mission. He swallowed bravely, and began his quest down one of the hallways, luckily labelled with a sign reading "PRINCESS SLEEPING - SILENCE!" He snuck around hallways, until finally he found the bedroom. He guessed that at some point it had been the Rabbits, and then the Scarecrows; evident from pieces of straw still on the floor here and there. Mac looked to the bed, where the form of the sleeping princess resided. She slept quietly. This would make things more difficult.

He tip toed up to the bed, and saw one of her arms were stuck out from beneath the large blanket. It was the hand with the key tied to it. Reaching over, and holding his breath as he did, Mac began untying the ribbon that held the key in place. It was extremely difficult since the bow was tied very tightly.

Mean whilst upstairs, Tik-Tok, Jack and Billina were at work. The two had already pushed two couches together to meet, and Billina was collecting rope and cords to tie them together. Tik-Tok was doing the knot tying and ordering Jack to collect various things they'd need. They had to work fast.

Finally the ribbon was untied, and Mac pulled the key into his hands. This opened all the display cases. Now he could get to 32 and get the powder. He crept as quietly as before from the room directly into the display hallway. They were connected to make life easier, he guessed. All of the heads were asleep, snoring or whimpering in their sleep. After counting them, he finally reached 32. His own image stared back. Taking a deep breath he put the key into the lock and turned it, then slowly pulled the door open, afraid it would squeak.

It didn't.

But what he saw wasn't what he expected. Another head was sat in the corner of the cabinet. This one had red hair, cropped around where the base of her neck would be. Freckles splashed her cheeks and nose. It must be her original head, surely! He made a face. No wonder she wanted so many other pretty heads instead of that one. But then he spotted it, on a small rack of shelves besides the head, was a canister that read 'Powder of Life'. Mac took another deep breath and reached out, and picked up the powder. But just as he was pulling his hand away, the real Mombi's eyes suddenly opened.

The two stared at the other in silence. Mac in fear, Mombi in hate. Then she screamed. "MAC OF FOSTERS!" she shrieked, "MAC OF FOSTERS!!!!"

He slammed the door shut and locked it, but already it was too late. All the heads around him were awake, eyes all on him and all screaming as one filling the air with the shrieks of over 40 young girls. Then Mac saw the bedroom, and the figure on the bed was standing up. She was headless. Knowing he had a chance to get past the headless body he made a run for it, the heads screams ringing in his ears as he avoided the grasping hands of the body, and away down the hallways. The screams echoed throughout the palace, and finally Mac found the foyer again.

But where was the door way? Tik-Tok and Jack had shut the door, and now he couldn't tell which way was wich in the room of mirrors. Looking frantic now, Mac began banging on the glass walls hoping to find the entrance. Then something caught his eye, in the far corner a blurry shape drifted on a sheet of glass before vanishing. Having no other choice, Mac ran to it and pushed on the glass, it popped open and Mac rushed in and ran up the stairs as fast as he could.

What he found he wasn't expecting.

[CG]

The two couches were tied together as he had instructed, and some of the palm leaves had been tied on and the head was in place, but Jack was running around with a chicken with his head cut off whilst Billina was still trying to tie a few more knots into the rope. Tik-Tok, meanwhile was crashing into walls and talking like a maniac.

"Tie hog to-ge-ther feed fish-ies pret-ty flow-ers!!" he was yelling.

"What's happened?!" Mac shrieked.

"Tik-Tok go WAAUUU!!!" Jack replied, waving his arms to indicate something had gone wrong with the copper friend.

"His thoughts ran out!" Mac realised, and hurried over and quickly wound up the right key and Tik-Tok calmed instantaneously.

"Oooh. Thank you Mac. Me bet-ter now." he sighed in relief, loosing power of ones thoughts was a distressing situation, even for a copper army.

"We have to hurry guys! Mombi's coming!" Mac said as he hurried to the new beast before them and began sprinkling the powder of life all over it. The tail (which was a familiar looking golden broom), the couches, the wings which were finally tied on properly and lastly the head. The head looked like a horse, only its ears were much larger and it had a horn growing from the middle of its forehead. But the horn split down the middle, growing into what looked like antlers instead of one neat horn. Once it was all powdered Mac stepped back and waited.

They waited a good few moments.

"Nothings happening!" Mac wailed.

"Magic weeeerrrds." Jack pointed out, pointing to the powder.

"Oh." Mac felt foolish as he looked at the canister. "Eaugh. Weaugh. Teaugh!" he called out.

The creature sprung to life in an instant, ears flapping and eyes blinking. "Woah!" he shouted, "What the heck was that?!"

He got no answer since Tik-Tok was being pulled into the couches, and Billina was now in. Mac climbed in and he was just taking Jacks hands to help him in when the doors of the attic were thrust open and there stood Mombi. "MAAAACCC!" she shouted in a fury.

"Go, FLY FLY!" Mac screamed. "FLAP YOUR WINGS!"

The strange creature, with the head of a Gump and body of a sofa, shocked by all this happening lumbered forward. His large body smashed through the large locked window, and the terrace outside. Jack ran after them and jumped, managing to catch the tail as the large creature with his passengers toppled down below. Mombi rushed to the window and stared down, watching in amusement as he heard the shrieks and screams of those on the Gump's possible one way trip.

But just as they were about to crash into the floor, the large palm leaf wings caught an updraft and the Gump swerved, missing the ground and soared off over the city. Mombi's good mood ruined could only watch as the figure flew off into the distance. She could barely see them pull that pumpkinheaded man into the couches with them before they vanished. Screaming she stormed back through the castle, bursting out into the streets where the Wheelers were sleeping. "GET UP! GET YOU UP SQUEAKING IDIOTS!" she shouted, jolting them awake with a few kicks before pointing to the skies. "HE'S ESCAPING! MAC'S ESCAPING! GO GET HIM!! KILL THEM! Oh and by the way? BRING ME THAT CHICKEN!"

To be continued

[InsaneFan]

OMGYAY! Jack is Cheese, right? xD

Seriousleh, CG, you es muy awesome. =D

[Cassini90125]

Getting pretty wild, here.

[antgirl1]

"BRING ME THAT CHICKEN!"

Who knew that people would go crazy over chickens in Oz. XD

[One Radical Dude]

Jack: "Daddy?"

Mac: "No, I'm not."

Jack: "Daddy?"

Mac: "No! I'm..." *grumbles, rolls eyes* "Fine. Daddy."

Jack: "Yaaaay."

You're doing great, Ceeg.

[Government Man]

Great story so far! You're managing to avoid all the problem areas in the movie.

By the way, if you did not see Return to Oz as a child, you have something to be thankful for--headless Mombi (with this really creepy scream coming out of her neckhole) was a resident of my nightmares for weeks after the first time I saw it.