for you,” she said softly.
“Looking for me?” The Tinman’s voice had a funny echo to it. Every word seemed to hang around just a little longer than it naturally should. “But why would you be looking for me?”
Taylor stepped toward him. “We don’t have a lot of time, but we’re... we’re here to help you get back to your fiancé.”
Locke wondered how he could read the expression on a metal face so easily, but he could tell Taylor’s words had taken the Tinman to a sad place he didn’t want to go.
“I don’t have a fiancé.” He grabbed his axe.
“What?” Wesley asked.
The Tinman answered, but he was walking away from them, ready to disappear into the woods. “You say you’re my friends, but I can see you are from a place far away from here.” The kids had to follow to keep from losing him. “Monsters don’t get happy endings in the Land of Oz.”
“Don’t say that about yourself,” Taylor said. “Don’t you dare say that.” Wesley smirked. This was starting to sound a bit familiar.
“Could you love a man without a heart?”
“Does that stop you from loving her?” This finally gave the Tinman pause. He stopped. A frown was his only response. “Then why would it matter to her?” Taylor asked.
The Tinman began to pace, his head down. “You don’t have to see her if you don’t want to,” Wesley explained.
“He wants to, Wes.”
“Maybe he doesn’t. Maybe—“
“I’ve thought of nothing else for all the time my joints have been frozen. But now that I’m free...” The Tinman was speaking in a whisper that trailed off into nothing at the end. He didn’t have to finish, though. Wesley suddenly understood the Tinman better than he ever had when reading the ratty copy of Oz that was buried in the bottom of his closet. Yes, sir. It was all starting to feel very familiar now.
“You’re afraid,” Wesley said quietly.
The Tinman turned to face Wesley, his arms out at his sides as his shoulders forced a stiff shrug. “What if she runs the moment her eyes fall on me?” He hung his head. “What if she’s found someone else?”
“What if she hasn’t?” Wesley suggested. “The Witch and the old woman have kept you apart for so long.” Locke looked over at Wesley. He knew where Wesley was going and hoped his new friend would take his own advice as well. “Don’t help them,” Wesley continued. “Don’t help them by holding yourself back because you’re afraid.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
“YOU CAN COME out,” Douglas explained. “It’s over.”
Randy cautiously came from beneath the table after his dad signaled everything had gone back to normal.
“Good,” Randy said in a huff. “Let’s get the heck out of here. I’m starting to think the stories about this place are true .”
The floor wasn’t moving, not anymore, but the library looked like the wrecked landscape of a disaster movie. As if Dorothy’s famous tornado had taken a wrong turn and torn through Astoria instead of the Kansas plains.
“It was an earthquake, son. That’s all.”
“Really?” Randy scanned the room and saw his book was buried beneath some rubble on the floor. He dug it out then shoved it into his father’s hand. “Look at the book the librarian gave me!” Douglas gave his son a quizzical look before taking the leather-bound volume. “I’m telling you, dad. This place isn’t right!”
Douglas opened the book and began to flip through its pages nonchalantly. He didn’t expect to find much, but his eyes registered surprise when he came to one of the book’s early pages. “I think I found your friends.”
“What?” Randy wasn’t sure what his father meant until he handed the book back to him. Randy couldn’t believe it. Douglas had stopped at one of the book’s illustrations: a black-and-white line drawing of Wesley and Taylor working to free the
“Looking for me?” The Tinman’s voice had a funny echo to it. Every word seemed to hang around just a little longer than it naturally should. “But why would you be looking for me?”
Taylor stepped toward him. “We don’t have a lot of time, but we’re... we’re here to help you get back to your fiancé.”
Locke wondered how he could read the expression on a metal face so easily, but he could tell Taylor’s words had taken the Tinman to a sad place he didn’t want to go.
“I don’t have a fiancé.” He grabbed his axe.
“What?” Wesley asked.
The Tinman answered, but he was walking away from them, ready to disappear into the woods. “You say you’re my friends, but I can see you are from a place far away from here.” The kids had to follow to keep from losing him. “Monsters don’t get happy endings in the Land of Oz.”
“Don’t say that about yourself,” Taylor said. “Don’t you dare say that.” Wesley smirked. This was starting to sound a bit familiar.
“Could you love a man without a heart?”
“Does that stop you from loving her?” This finally gave the Tinman pause. He stopped. A frown was his only response. “Then why would it matter to her?” Taylor asked.
The Tinman began to pace, his head down. “You don’t have to see her if you don’t want to,” Wesley explained.
“He wants to, Wes.”
“Maybe he doesn’t. Maybe—“
“I’ve thought of nothing else for all the time my joints have been frozen. But now that I’m free...” The Tinman was speaking in a whisper that trailed off into nothing at the end. He didn’t have to finish, though. Wesley suddenly understood the Tinman better than he ever had when reading the ratty copy of Oz that was buried in the bottom of his closet. Yes, sir. It was all starting to feel very familiar now.
“You’re afraid,” Wesley said quietly.
The Tinman turned to face Wesley, his arms out at his sides as his shoulders forced a stiff shrug. “What if she runs the moment her eyes fall on me?” He hung his head. “What if she’s found someone else?”
“What if she hasn’t?” Wesley suggested. “The Witch and the old woman have kept you apart for so long.” Locke looked over at Wesley. He knew where Wesley was going and hoped his new friend would take his own advice as well. “Don’t help them,” Wesley continued. “Don’t help them by holding yourself back because you’re afraid.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
“YOU CAN COME out,” Douglas explained. “It’s over.”
Randy cautiously came from beneath the table after his dad signaled everything had gone back to normal.
“Good,” Randy said in a huff. “Let’s get the heck out of here. I’m starting to think the stories about this place are true .”
The floor wasn’t moving, not anymore, but the library looked like the wrecked landscape of a disaster movie. As if Dorothy’s famous tornado had taken a wrong turn and torn through Astoria instead of the Kansas plains.
“It was an earthquake, son. That’s all.”
“Really?” Randy scanned the room and saw his book was buried beneath some rubble on the floor. He dug it out then shoved it into his father’s hand. “Look at the book the librarian gave me!” Douglas gave his son a quizzical look before taking the leather-bound volume. “I’m telling you, dad. This place isn’t right!”
Douglas opened the book and began to flip through its pages nonchalantly. He didn’t expect to find much, but his eyes registered surprise when he came to one of the book’s early pages. “I think I found your friends.”
“What?” Randy wasn’t sure what his father meant until he handed the book back to him. Randy couldn’t believe it. Douglas had stopped at one of the book’s illustrations: a black-and-white line drawing of Wesley and Taylor working to free the
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