It was hard for the friends to find their way back to the Emerald City. There was no road. They knew they must walk east, toward the rising sun. But at noon, the sun was high in the sky. They did not know which way was east. They were lost.
Day after day, they walked through the big yellow fields. They saw nothing but flowers. Everyone started to feel sad and hopeless.
"I will never get my brains," said the Scarecrow.
"And I will never get my heart," said the Tin Woodman.
"I don't have the courage to walk forever," said the Lion.
Dorothy felt sad too. She sat down on the grass. Her friends sat down with her. They did not know what to do. Then Dorothy had an idea. "Let's call the field mice!" she said. She blew the little whistle from the Queen of the Mice.
Soon, the Queen and many other mice came running. "We are lost," Dorothy told the Queen. "Can you tell us the way to the Emerald City?"
"Of course," the Queen said. "But you are going the wrong way." Then she saw the Golden Cap on Dorothy's head. "Why don't you use the magic of the cap? You can call the Winged Monkeys. They will carry you to the city in one hour."
"I didn't know the cap had magic," Dorothy said.
"The magic words are written inside the cap," the Queen explained. "But we must go now. The monkeys are full of tricks." And the mice all ran away.
Dorothy looked inside the Golden Cap. She saw the magic words. She put the cap on her head and said the words carefully. First she stood on her left foot, then her right foot, and then both feet.
Suddenly, they heard a loud noise. The Winged Monkeys flew to them. Their King bowed to Dorothy. "What is your command?" he asked.
"We want to go to the Emerald City," Dorothy said.
"We will carry you," the King said. Two monkeys gently picked up Dorothy. Other monkeys carried the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Lion, and Toto. They all flew through the air. It was much faster than walking!
"Why do you have to obey the Golden Cap?" Dorothy asked the Monkey King.
"It's a long story," the King said. "A long time ago, we were free. We played tricks on everyone. One day, my grandfather played a trick on a handsome boy named Quelala. Quelala was going to marry a beautiful and powerful princess named Gayelette. My grandfather and his monkeys dropped Quelala in a river."
"The princess was very angry," the King continued. "She wanted to punish us. But Quelala was kind and asked her to be nice. So she made a rule. The owner of the Golden Cap can command us three times. That cap was a wedding gift for Quelala."
"The Wicked Witch of the West got the cap later," the King explained. "She used it to make the Winkies her slaves. She also used it to make Oz leave the West. Now you have the cap. This is your first command. You have two more."
As he finished the story, they saw the green walls of the Emerald City. The monkeys carefully put the friends down in front of the gate. Then they all flew away.
"That was a good ride!" said Dorothy.
"Yes," said the Lion. "That cap is very lucky!"