The four friends rang the bell at the gate of the Emerald City. The Guardian of the Gates was very surprised to see them. "You are back!" he said.
"The Wicked Witch is melted," the Scarecrow explained.
"Dorothy melted her!" said the Lion. The Guardian bowed very low to Dorothy. He was very impressed.
He put the green glasses back on their eyes and let them into the city. The people of the city heard the news. They followed Dorothy and her friends in a big crowd. Everyone was very happy that the Wicked Witch was dead.
The green soldier at the palace door let them in. They went to their old rooms to rest. They told the soldier they were back to see Oz. But Oz did not send for them. They waited for one day. Then another day. And another day. They were tired of waiting.
The Scarecrow sent a message to Oz. "If you do not see us, we will call the Winged Monkeys," the message said. Oz was very afraid of the Winged Monkeys. So he quickly sent a message back. He said he will see them the next morning.
The next day, they all went to the Throne Room. But the room was empty. They could not see anyone. Then, a loud voice came from above them. "I am Oz, the Great and Terrible. Why are you here?"
"We are here for your promise," Dorothy said.
"You promised to send me back to Kansas," she said.
"You promised to give me brains," said the Scarecrow.
"And you promised to give me a heart," said the Tin Woodman.
"And you promised to give me courage," said the Lion.
The voice asked, "Is the Wicked Witch really destroyed?"
"Yes," Dorothy said. "I melted her with a bucket of water."
"Oh my," the voice said. "Come back tomorrow. I need time to think."
But the friends were angry. "No!" they all said. "You must keep your promise now!"
The Lion gave a very loud roar to scare the Wizard. The roar was so loud that Toto jumped. He was scared and he knocked over a big screen in the corner of the room.
When the screen fell down, they all saw a surprise. Behind the screen was a little old man with a bald head. He was as surprised as they were.
The Tin Woodman ran toward him with his axe. "Who are you?" he shouted.
"I am Oz, the Great and Terrible," the little man said in a shaking voice. "Please don't hurt me!"
"I thought Oz was a Head," said Dorothy.
"I thought Oz was a Lady," said the Scarecrow.
"I thought Oz was a Beast," said the Tin Woodman.
"And I thought Oz was a Ball of Fire," said the Lion.
"You are all wrong," the little man said. "I was just pretending. I am not a real Wizard. I am a humbug (a person who is not what they say they are)."
The friends were shocked and sad. "But what about my brains? My heart? My courage?" they all asked. "And how can I get back to Kansas?" Dorothy asked.
The little man, Oz, showed them his tricks. The big Head was made of paper. The beautiful Lady was just a dress and a mask. The terrible Beast was just a costume. The Ball of Fire was a ball of cotton with oil on it. He explained that he was a ventriloquist (a person who can make their voice come from a different place). That is how he made the Head talk.
He told them his story. "I was a balloonist in Omaha, a city near Kansas," he said. "One day, my balloon flew away with me in it. It came to this strange land. The people here saw me come from the sky. They thought I was a great wizard. So I pretended to be one."
"I was afraid of the real Witches," he said. "That is why I asked you to kill the Wicked Witch of the West. I am sorry, but I cannot really keep my promises. I don't have real magic."
"I think you are a very bad man," said Dorothy.
"No, I am a good man, but a very bad Wizard," Oz said.
But Oz wanted to help them. He told the Scarecrow, "Come back tomorrow. I will put 'brains' in your head. They will be special things to help you think."
He told the Lion, "Come back tomorrow. I will give you a special drink. It will give you 'courage'."
He told the Tin Woodman, "Come back tomorrow. I will give you a 'heart' made of silk."
"And what about Kansas?" Dorothy asked.
"I need a few days to think about that," Oz said. "But please, keep my secret. Do not tell anyone that I am a humbug." The friends agreed. They were happy and hopeful again.