Ẃn Doṛʈi wz left alon ś bgan t fīl hungri. So ś wnt t ɖ cuḅd n cut hrslf sm bred, ẃć ś spred wɖ butr. Ś gev sm t Toto, n tecñ a peil fṛm ɖ ślf ś carid it dǎn t ɖ litl brŭc n fild it wɖ clir, sparc̣lñ wōtr. Toto ran ovr t ɖ triz n bgan t barc at ɖ brdz sitñ ɖr. Doṛʈi wnt t gt him, n sw sć dliśs frūt haññ fṛm ɖ branćz ɖt ś gaɖrd sm v it, fîndñ it jst ẃt ś wontd t hlp ǎt hr brecfst.
Ɖen ś wnt bac t ɖ hǎs, n hvñ hlpt hrslf n Toto t a gd drinc v ɖ cūl, clir wōtr, ś set abt mcñ redi fr ɖ jrni t ɖ Siti v Emṛldz.
Doṛʈi hd onli wn uɖr dres, bt ɖt hapnd t b clīn n wz haññ on a peg bsd hr bed. It wz gñm, wɖ ćecs v ẃît n blu; n olɖo ɖ blu wz smẃt fedd wɖ mni wośñz, it wz stl a priti froc. Ɖ grl wośt hrslf cerḟli, drest hrslf in ɖ clīn gñm, n taid hr pnc súnbonit on hr hed. Ś tc a litl bascit n fild it wɖ bred fṛm ɖ cuḅd, leyñ a ẃît cloʈ ovr ɖ top. Ɖen ś lct dǎn at hr fīt n notist hǎ old n wòrn hr śuz wr.
“Ɖe śrli wl nvr d fr a loñ jrni, Toto,” ś sd. N Toto lct p intu hr fes wɖ hiz litl blac îz n wagd hiz teil t śo h ń ẃt ś mnt.
At ɖt momnt Doṛʈi sw layñ on ɖ tebl ɖ silvr śuz ɖt hd b’loñd t ɖ Wić v ɖ Īst.
“I wundr f ɖe wl fit m,” ś sd t Toto. “Ɖe wd b jst ɖ ʈñ t tec a loñ wōc in, fr ɖe cd nt wer ǎt.”
Ś tc of hr old leɖr śuz n traid on ɖ silvr wnz, ẃć fitd hr az wel az f ɖe hd bn md fr hr.
Fîṇli ś pict p hr bascit.
“Cm alñ, Toto,” ś sd. “W wl g t ɖ Emṛld Siti n asc ɖ Gret Óz hǎ t gt bac t Canẓs agn.”
Ś clozd ɖ dor, loct it, n pt ɖ ci cerḟli in ɖ pocit v hr dres. N so, wɖ Toto trotñ alñ sobrli bhnd hr, ś startd on hr jrni.
Ɖr wr sevṛl rodz nirbî, bt it dd nt tec hr loñ t fînd ɖ wn pevd wɖ yelo brics. Wɖn a śort tîm ś wz wōcñ briscli twd ɖ Emṛld Siti, hr silvr śuz tnc̣lñ meṛli on ɖ hard, yelo rodbed. Ɖ sún śon brît n ɖ brdz sañ swītli, n Doṛʈi dd nt fīl nirli so bad az y mt ʈnc a litl grl wd hu hd bn sudnli ẃisct awe fṛm hr ǒn cuntri n set dǎn in ɖ mdst v a strenj land.
Ś wz s’prîzd, az ś wōct alñ, t si hǎ priti ɖ cuntri wz abt hr. Ɖr wr nīt fnsz at ɖ sîdz v ɖ rod, pentd a denti blu culr, n bynd ɖm wr fīldz v gren n vejtblz in abundns. Evidntli ɖ Munćcinz wr gd farmrz n ebl t rêz larj crops. Wns in a ẃl ś wd pas a hǎs, n ɖ ppl cem ǎt t lc at hr n bǎ lo az ś wnt bî; fr evrwn ń ś hd bn ɖ mīnz v dstroyñ ɖ Wicid Wić n setñ ɖm fri fṛm bondij. Ɖ hǎzz v ɖ Munćcinz wr od-lcñ dwelñz, fr ć wz rǎnd, wɖ a big dom fr a rūf. Ol wr pentd blu, fr in ɖs cuntri v ɖ Īst blu wz ɖ feṿrit culr.
Twd īvnñ, ẃn Doṛʈi wz tîrd wɖ hr loñ wōc n bgan t wundr ẃr ś śd pas ɖ nît, ś cem t a hǎs rɖr larjr ɖn ɖ rest. On ɖ grīn lōn bfr it mni men n wimin wr dansñ. Fîv litl fidlrz pleid az lǎdli az poṣbl, n ɖ ppl wr lafñ n sññ, ẃl a big tebl nirbî wz lodd wɖ dliśs frūts n nuts, pîz n cecs, n mni uɖr gd ʈñz t īt.
Ɖ ppl grītd Doṛʈi cîndli, n invîtd hr t supr n t pas ɖ nît wɖ ɖm; fr ɖs wz ɖ hom v wn v ɖ rićist Munćcinz in ɖ land, n hiz frendz wr gaɖrd wɖ him t seḷbret ɖer frīdm fṛm ɖ bondij v ɖ Wicid Wić.
Doṛʈi ét a harti supr n wz wêtd upn bî ɖ rić Munćcin himslf, huz nem wz Bóc. Ɖen ś sat upn a s’ti n woćt ɖ ppl dans.
Ẃn Bóc sw hr silvr śuz h sd, “Y mst b a gret sorṣres.”
“Ẃ?” asct ɖ grl.
“Mî dres z blu n ẃît ćect,” sd Doṛʈi, smuɖñ ǎt ɖ rinclz in it.
“It z cînd v y t wer ɖt,” sd Bóc. “Blu z ɖ culr v ɖ Munćcinz, n ẃît z ɖ wić culr. So w nǒ y r a frendli wić.”
Doṛʈi dd nt nǒ ẃt t se t ɖs, fr ol ɖ ppl sīmd t ʈnc hr a wić, n ś ń vri wel ś wz onli an ordnri litl grl hu hd cm bî ɖ ćans v a sîclon intu a strenj land.
Ẃn ś hd tîrd woćñ ɖ dansñ, Bóc léd hr intu ɖ hǎs, ẃr h gev hr a rūm wɖ a priti bed in it. Ɖ śīts wr md v blu cloʈ, n Doṛʈi slept sǎndli in ɖm tl mornñ, wɖ Toto crld p on ɖ blu rug bsd hr.
Ś ét a harti brecfst, n woćt a wí Munćcin bebi, hu pleid wɖ Toto n pld hiz teil n croud n laft in a we ɖt gretli aḿzd Doṛʈi. Toto wz a fîn krioṣti t ol ɖ ppl, fr ɖe hd nvr sìn a dog bfr.
“Hǎ far z it t ɖ Emṛld Siti?” ɖ grl asct.
“I d nt nǒ,” ansrd Bóc grevli, “fr I hv nvr bn ɖr. It z betr fr ppl t cīp awe fṛm Óz, unls ɖe hv biznis wɖ him. Bt it z a loñ we t ɖ Emṛld Siti, n it wl tec y mni dez. Ɖ cuntri hir z rić n pleznt, bt y mst pas ʈru ruf n denjṛs plesz bfr y rīć ɖ end v yr jrni.”
Ɖs wurid Doṛʈi a litl, bt ś ń ɖt onli ɖ Gret Óz cd hlp hr gt t Canẓs agn, so ś brevli rzolvd nt t trn bac.
Ś bád hr frendz gdbî, n agn startd alñ ɖ rod v yelo bric. Ẃn ś hd gn sevṛl mîlz ś ʈt ś wd stop t rest, n so clîmd t ɖ top v ɖ fns bsd ɖ rod n sat dǎn. Ɖr wz a gret cornfīld bynd ɖ fns, n nt far awe ś sw a Scercro, plest hî on a pol t cīp ɖ brdz fṛm ɖ rîp corn.
Doṛʈi līnd hr ćin upn hr hand n gezd ʈōtḟli at ɖ Scercro. Its hed wz a smōl sác stuft wɖ strw, wɖ îz, nǒz, n mǎʈ pentd on it t repriznt a fes. An old, pôntd blu hat, ɖt hd b’loñd t sm Munćcin, wz prćt on hiz hed, n ɖ rest v ɖ figr wz a blu sūt v cloɖz, wòrn n fedd, ẃć hd olso bn stuft wɖ strw. On ɖ fīt wr sm old būts wɖ blu tops, sć az evri man wòr in ɖs cuntri, n ɖ figr wz rezd abv ɖ stōcs v corn bî mīnz v ɖ pol stuc p its bac.
Ẃl Doṛʈi wz lcñ rṇstli intu ɖ qir, pentd fes v ɖ Scercro, ś wz s’prîzd t si wn v ɖ îz slǒli wnc at hr. Ś ʈt ś mst hv bn mstecn at frst, fr nn v ɖ scercroz in Canẓs evr wnc; bt prezntli ɖ figr nodd its hed t hr in a frendli we. Ɖen ś clîmd dǎn fṛm ɖ fns n wōct p t it, ẃl Toto ran arnd ɖ pol n barct.
“Gd de,” sd ɖ Scercro, in a rɖr husci vôs.
“Dd y spīc?” asct ɖ grl, in wundr.
“Srtnli,” ansrd ɖ Scercro. “Hǎ d y d?”
“I’m priti wel, ʈanc y,” rplaid Doṛʈi p’lîtli. “Hǎ d y d?”
“I’m nt fīlñ wel,” sd ɖ Scercro, wɖ a smîl, “fr it z vri tīdịs biyñ prćt p hir nît n de t scer awe croz.”
“C’nt y gt dǎn?” asct Doṛʈi.
“No, fr ɖs pol z stuc p mî bac. F y wl plīz tec awe ɖ pol I śl b gretli oblîjd t y.”
Doṛʈi rīćt p bʈ armz n liftd ɖ figr of ɖ pol, fr, biyñ stuft wɖ strw, it wz qt lît.
“Ʈanc y vri mć,” sd ɖ Scercro, ẃn h hd bn set dǎn on ɖ grǎnd. “I fīl lîc a ny man.”
Doṛʈi wz puzld at ɖs, fr it sǎndd qir t hír a stuft man spīc, n t si him bǎ n wōc alñ bsd hr.
“Hu r y?” asct ɖ Scercro ẃn h hd strećt himslf n yōnd. “N ẃr r y gwñ?”
“Mî nem z Doṛʈi,” sd ɖ grl, “n I am gwñ t ɖ Emṛld Siti, t asc ɖ Gret Óz t snd m bac t Canẓs.”
“Ẃr z ɖ Emṛld Siti?” h inqîrd. “N hu z Óz?”
“Ẃ, d’nt y nǒ?” ś rtrnd, in s’prîz.
“No, indd. I d’nt nǒ enʈñ. Y si, I am stuft, so I hv no brenz at ol,” h ansrd sadli.
“Ǒ,” sd Doṛʈi, “I’m ōḟli sori fr y.”
“D y ʈnc,” h asct, “f I g t ɖ Emṛld Siti wɖ y, ɖt Óz wd gv m sm brenz?”
“I canot tel,” ś rtrnd, “bt y me cm wɖ m, f y lîc. F Óz wl nt gv y eni brenz y wl b no wrs of ɖn y r nǎ.”
“Ɖt z tru,” sd ɖ Scercro. “Y si,” h cntinyd conḟdnṣ́li, “I d’nt mînd mî legz n armz n bodi biyñ stuft, bcz I canot gt hrt. F enwn trédz on mî toz or stics a pin intu m, it dz’nt matr, fr I c’nt fīl it. Bt I d nt wont ppl t cōl m a fūl, n f mî hed stez stuft wɖ strw instd v wɖ brenz, az yrz z, hǎ am I evr t nǒ enʈñ?”
“I unḍstand hǎ y fīl,” sd ɖ litl grl, hu wz trūli sori fr him. “F y wl cm wɖ m I’l asc Óz t d ol h cn fr y.”
“Ʈanc y,” h ansrd gretḟli.
Ɖe wōct bac t ɖ rod. Doṛʈi hlpt him ovr ɖ fns, n ɖe startd alñ ɖ paʈ v yelo bric fr ɖ Emṛld Siti.
Toto dd nt lîc ɖs adiśn t ɖ parti at frst. H smeld arnd ɖ stuft man az f h sspctd ɖr mt b a nst v rats in ɖ strw, n h ofn grǎld in an unfrendli we at ɖ Scercro.
“D’nt mînd Toto,” sd Doṛʈi t hr ny frend. “H nvr bîts.”
“Ǒ, I’m nt afreid,” rplaid ɖ Scercro. “H c’nt hrt ɖ strw. D let m cari ɖt bascit fr y. I śl nt mînd it, fr I c’nt gt tîrd. I’l tel y a sīcrit,” h cntinyd, az h wōct alñ. “Ɖr z onli wn ʈñ in ɖ wrld I am afreid v.”
“Ẃt z ɖt?” asct Doṛʈi; “ɖ Munćcin farmr hu md y?”
“No,” ansrd ɖ Scercro; “it’s a lîtd mać.”
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