did. There was something about it all that inspired Wes.
The Tinman’s joints whined as he let his head hang. “People will talk,” he said painfully. “What will you say when they laugh at you because you’re married to a man without a heart?”
She came to her feet, looking down on her lover with pride. “I’ll tell them they’re wrong.” She put a balled fist to her chest. “I’ll tell them you have mine.”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
BACK IN THE real world, the librarian pushed a large painting open and poked his head out from inside the hidden passage. There was no one nearby. Douglas and the hooded man were gone.
After carefully letting the painting swing shut behind him, the old man hurried down the corridor to the railing that looked down on the main hall. He arrived just in time to see the blinding light shining in one of the long aisles. He put both hands on the railing, leaning forward to watch the light disappear into one of the woodcarvings.
It was important he knew where he would be going next.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
TAYLOR AND LOCKE sprinted through the meadow for the Tinman’s cabin in the distance. Wesley was right behind them, the long grass and flowers clipping his ankles as he ran.
“Hurry up, Wes!” Taylor said.
“I am!” Wesley quickened his pace. “You guys were right. Seeing them together like that...” His labored breaths wouldn’t let him finish.
“No one’s gonna believe us,” Taylor said between gasps. “You realize we saved two people today?”
Locke pointed a thumb at his own chest. “Three,” he said with a grin.
Wesley continued running after his friends. He could feel the sun’s heat on his back. The yellow brick road was whipping through the edge of his vision as he ran. He could hear the musical roar of the mammoth waterfall in the distance. For the first time since his move to Astoria, Wesley Bates didn’t feel the weight of a heavy heart in his chest. He wasn’t worried about a thing. Not the bus ride to school or the locker room after gym, not the embarrassment of finding a seat in the cafeteria, not even Randy Stanford. He knew his old life was still waiting on the other side of the portal, but all that mattered now were the hopeful thoughts of adventure bouncing around in his head.
The three friends continued through the meadow until Locke came to an abrupt halt, putting an arm out to stop each of his friends. Wesley and Taylor were happy for the break. Both were sweating profusely and short on breath.
Locke pulled his dagger. “Pirates. Get ready.”
“Locke,” Taylor began with a grin. “This isn’t Neverland. I’ve read almost all the Oz books, and I never—“
“Well, there you all are!” The strange voice that interrupted them was coming from inside the cabin. “We were starting to worry,” Douglas explained as he and Randy stepped from inside the rickety building. Wesley saw Randy was still holding onto the Oz book the librarian gave him. Just seeing it was enough to put that heavy weight in his chest again.
“I guess I’ve got good news and bad news for you guys,” Douglas continued. “Which do you want first?” The kids didn’t respond. “The good news is that two of you get to stay behind with your Uncle Douglas. The bad? Well, one of you has to go back through and tell that boring old fossil that we have your friends.”
“How much time do we have?” Wesley whispered.
“We need to get in that cabin,” Locke explained.
“So?” Douglas held out his arms as if offering nothing more than a welcomed hug. “Who’s staying?”
Taylor jabbed an angry finger at the man blocking their path. “There’s three of us, and Locke’s got a knife. We’re all going home!”
Randy flinched. No one talked to his dad like that without paying a price. No one. He looked up at his dad. Douglas’s crooked grin was beginning to show. That kid
The Tinman’s joints whined as he let his head hang. “People will talk,” he said painfully. “What will you say when they laugh at you because you’re married to a man without a heart?”
She came to her feet, looking down on her lover with pride. “I’ll tell them they’re wrong.” She put a balled fist to her chest. “I’ll tell them you have mine.”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
BACK IN THE real world, the librarian pushed a large painting open and poked his head out from inside the hidden passage. There was no one nearby. Douglas and the hooded man were gone.
After carefully letting the painting swing shut behind him, the old man hurried down the corridor to the railing that looked down on the main hall. He arrived just in time to see the blinding light shining in one of the long aisles. He put both hands on the railing, leaning forward to watch the light disappear into one of the woodcarvings.
It was important he knew where he would be going next.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
TAYLOR AND LOCKE sprinted through the meadow for the Tinman’s cabin in the distance. Wesley was right behind them, the long grass and flowers clipping his ankles as he ran.
“Hurry up, Wes!” Taylor said.
“I am!” Wesley quickened his pace. “You guys were right. Seeing them together like that...” His labored breaths wouldn’t let him finish.
“No one’s gonna believe us,” Taylor said between gasps. “You realize we saved two people today?”
Locke pointed a thumb at his own chest. “Three,” he said with a grin.
Wesley continued running after his friends. He could feel the sun’s heat on his back. The yellow brick road was whipping through the edge of his vision as he ran. He could hear the musical roar of the mammoth waterfall in the distance. For the first time since his move to Astoria, Wesley Bates didn’t feel the weight of a heavy heart in his chest. He wasn’t worried about a thing. Not the bus ride to school or the locker room after gym, not the embarrassment of finding a seat in the cafeteria, not even Randy Stanford. He knew his old life was still waiting on the other side of the portal, but all that mattered now were the hopeful thoughts of adventure bouncing around in his head.
The three friends continued through the meadow until Locke came to an abrupt halt, putting an arm out to stop each of his friends. Wesley and Taylor were happy for the break. Both were sweating profusely and short on breath.
Locke pulled his dagger. “Pirates. Get ready.”
“Locke,” Taylor began with a grin. “This isn’t Neverland. I’ve read almost all the Oz books, and I never—“
“Well, there you all are!” The strange voice that interrupted them was coming from inside the cabin. “We were starting to worry,” Douglas explained as he and Randy stepped from inside the rickety building. Wesley saw Randy was still holding onto the Oz book the librarian gave him. Just seeing it was enough to put that heavy weight in his chest again.
“I guess I’ve got good news and bad news for you guys,” Douglas continued. “Which do you want first?” The kids didn’t respond. “The good news is that two of you get to stay behind with your Uncle Douglas. The bad? Well, one of you has to go back through and tell that boring old fossil that we have your friends.”
“How much time do we have?” Wesley whispered.
“We need to get in that cabin,” Locke explained.
“So?” Douglas held out his arms as if offering nothing more than a welcomed hug. “Who’s staying?”
Taylor jabbed an angry finger at the man blocking their path. “There’s three of us, and Locke’s got a knife. We’re all going home!”
Randy flinched. No one talked to his dad like that without paying a price. No one. He looked up at his dad. Douglas’s crooked grin was beginning to show. That kid
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