The Guardian of the Gate unlocked their green glasses. He opened the gate and they left the Emerald City.
"Which road goes to the Wicked Witch of the West?" Dorothy asked.
"There is no road," the Guardian said. "No one wants to go there. When she knows you are in her country, she will find you. And she will make you her slaves." They thanked him and walked west, toward the setting sun. The country became rough and hilly. There were no houses or farms.
The Wicked Witch of the West had only one eye, but it was very powerful. It was like a telescope (a tool to see things that are far away). She saw Dorothy and her friends in her country. She was very angry. She blew a silver whistle.
A big group of wolves with sharp teeth ran to her. "Go to those people," the Witch said. "Tear them to pieces."
But the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman were awake. "This is my fight," said the Tin Woodman. He took his sharp axe. When the wolves came, he chopped off their heads, one by one. Soon, all forty wolves were dead. Dorothy was scared when she saw the dead wolves, but she was safe.
The next morning, the Witch saw that her wolves were dead. She was even angrier. She blew her whistle twice. A big group of wild crows flew to her. "Go to the strangers," she said. "Peck out their eyes."
When Dorothy saw the crows, she was afraid. But the Scarecrow said, "This is my battle." He stood up and stretched out his arms. Crows are always afraid of scarecrows. But the King Crow was brave. He flew at the Scarecrow. The Scarecrow caught the King Crow and twisted his neck. He did this to all forty crows until they were all dead.
The Witch was in a terrible rage. She blew her whistle three times. A swarm of black bees flew to her. "Go and sting them to death!" she commanded. But the Scarecrow had a plan. "Take my straw," he told the Tin Woodman. "Cover Dorothy, Toto, and the Lion with it." The bees could not sting them through the straw. The bees tried to sting the Tin Woodman, but they broke their stingers on his tin body and died.
The Witch was now very, very angry. All her animals were gone. She had a special Golden Cap. It had a magic charm. The owner of the cap could call the Winged Monkeys for help three times. The Witch already used the charm two times. This was her last time.
She put on the Golden Cap and said the magic words. Soon, the sky became dark. A big group of monkeys with powerful wings flew to her. "What do you want?" their leader asked.
"Destroy the strangers!" the Witch said. "But do not hurt the Lion. Bring him to me."
The Winged Monkeys flew to Dorothy and her friends. They caught the Tin Woodman and dropped him on sharp rocks far away. He was broken and could not move. They took all the straw out of the Scarecrow and threw his clothes in a tall tree. They tied up the Lion with ropes and carried him to the Witch's castle.
But they did not hurt Dorothy. The leader saw the kiss from the Good Witch on her forehead. "We cannot harm this girl," he told the other monkeys. "She is protected by the Power of Good." So they gently carried Dorothy to the Witch's castle and left her there.
The Wicked Witch was angry that she could not hurt Dorothy. But she saw the powerful Silver Shoes on Dorothy's feet. The Witch was afraid of the shoes, but she saw that Dorothy did not know about their power. "I can still make her my slave," she thought. She took Dorothy to the kitchen and made her work hard every day.
The Witch also tried to make the Lion pull her chariot (a small cart pulled by a horse). But the Lion roared and scared her away. So the Witch gave him no food. But every night, Dorothy secretly brought food to the Lion. They talked and tried to think of a way to escape.
The Witch wanted the Silver Shoes. One day, she used magic to make an iron bar on the floor invisible. Dorothy did not see the bar. She fell, and one of her silver shoes came off. The Witch quickly took the shoe and put it on her own foot.
"Give me back my shoe!" Dorothy cried. She was very angry.
"I will not!" the Witch said with a laugh.
Dorothy was so angry that she picked up a bucket of water and threw it all over the Witch. The Witch gave a loud scream of fear. "See what you have done!" she cried. "I am melting!"
The Witch began to get smaller and smaller, like melting sugar. Soon, she was just a brown puddle on the floor. Dorothy was surprised. She did not know that water was the end of the Wicked Witch.
Dorothy cleaned up the mess. She took the silver shoe back and put it on. At last, she was free! She ran to tell the Lion that the Wicked Witch was dead.