Suddenly, the house stopped with a big shock. Dorothy woke up. The room was not dark. Bright sunshine came through the window. Dorothy sat up. The house was not moving. Toto, her dog, put his cold nose on her face. She got out of bed and opened the door.
Dorothy was very surprised. Outside, everything was beautiful. The cyclone put the house in a new, wonderful country. There were green fields and beautiful trees with fruit. There were colorful flowers everywhere. Birds with bright colors sang in the trees. A small river went through the green land. This was very different from her gray home on the prairie.
She saw a group of strange people coming to her. They were not big people, but they were not very small. They were the same size as Dorothy. Three were men and one was a woman. They all wore funny, pointed hats with little bells. The men's clothes were blue. The woman's clothes were white with little stars on them.
The little people came to the house and stopped. They were quiet and looked afraid. But the little old woman walked to Dorothy. She bowed and said in a sweet voice, "Welcome to the land of the Munchkins (the people who live in this land). Thank you for killing the Wicked Witch (a woman with magic powers) of the East. You made our people free."
Dorothy was confused. "You are very kind," she said. "But I did not kill anyone."
"Your house did," the little woman said with a laugh. "And that is the same thing. Look!" She pointed to the corner of the house. Dorothy saw two feet with silver shoes under the house.
"Oh no!" Dorothy cried. "The house fell on her! What can we do?"
"There is nothing to do," the woman said. "She was the Wicked Witch of the East. She was very bad. The Munchkins worked for her day and night. Now, they are free because of you."
"Are you a Munchkin?" Dorothy asked.
"No," the woman said. "I am their friend. I am the Good Witch of the North. When the Wicked Witch was dead, the Munchkins sent a person to get me, and I came."
"I thought all witches were bad," Dorothy said.
"Oh, no," said the Good Witch. "In the Land of Oz, there are four witches. Two are good and two are wicked. The Wicked Witch of the East is now dead. But the Wicked Witch of the West is still alive."
Dorothy then asked a question. "But my Aunt Em told me that all witches are dead."
The Good Witch thought for a moment. "I do not know your country, Kansas," she said. "The Land of Oz is a magic country. We are separate from the rest of the world. That is why we still have witches and wizards (men with magic powers)."
Just then, the Munchkins shouted and pointed. The feet of the dead witch were gone! Only the silver shoes were there. The Good Witch laughed. "She was very old, so she disappeared in the sun. But her silver shoes are now yours." She gave the beautiful shoes to Dorothy.
Dorothy put the shoes in the house. She came back outside and said, "I want to go back to my aunt and uncle. They will worry about me. Can you help me?"
The Munchkins and the Good Witch looked at each other. They all shook their heads. They said a great desert was all around the Land of Oz. Nobody could cross the desert. "I am afraid you must live with us," the Good Witch said.
Dorothy started to cry. She felt very lonely. The Good Witch did a little magic trick. Her hat became a slate with words on it. The words said: "LET DOROTHY GO TO THE CITY OF EMERALDS".
"You must go to the City of Emeralds," the witch said to Dorothy. "The great Wizard of Oz lives there. Maybe he can help you."
"How can I get there?" Dorothy asked.
"You must walk on the road of yellow brick. It is a long journey," the witch said. "Do not be afraid of the Wizard. I will give you a kiss for protection." She kissed Dorothy on her forehead. It left a shiny, round mark. "Now, no one will hurt you."
The Good Witch said goodbye. She turned around three times and disappeared. The three Munchkins also said goodbye and walked away. Dorothy was alone with Toto, but now she knew where to go. She must find the City of Emeralds.