The Complete Wizard of Oz

Author: Frank Baum (USA), translated by Ren Rongrong and others
Translators: Ren Rongrong and others / Country:
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features:
It won’t be too difficult from here on out. Now that they had his guidance: what kind of clothes he wore, how to find the rest of him. Everyone gathered around the chef, trying piece by piece to see if it fit, and finally they put him together. As soon as he was put together, he bowed to everyone and said, “I’ll be right in the kitchen to make dinner for you. You’ll find it takes a lot of work to put all the scattered pieces together, so I suggest you start with Sir Gygelwitz. His name is Larry, he’s a bald, fat man, wearing a copper-buttoned blue jacket, a pink vest, and brown pants. His left knee is missing—a few years ago, when he scattered himself, he was too careless and lost it. This makes his leg a bit limp, but he gets along just fine with half a knee. He’s the number one character in the Land of Scattered People, and he’ll welcome you and help you put the others together. While I’m cooking dinner for you, you’d best start with him.”
“We will,” the sorcerer said. “Thank you very much for your guidance, Master Chef.” Aunt Em was the first to find a piece of Sir Gygelwitz. “I find it too boring to put people together like this,” she said. “But since we have nothing to do until dinner is ready, we might as well clear out this junk. Hey, Henry, start looking for Larry’s bald head. I’ve already found his pink vest.” Everyone started searching eagerly, and Bilia proved to be a great help. This yellow hen had sharp eyes and could lean her head against different pieces around her. She would check the already assembled Sir Gygelwitz to see which piece was next needed and then find it around. So in less than an hour, Mr. Larry stood whole before them.
“Congratulations, my friends,” he said in a cheerful voice. “You are indeed the cleverest among us who have come to see us. I’ve never been put together so quickly in my entire life. I was always considered a real puzzle.”
“I say,” Dorothy said, “Kansans are always fond of puzzles, and I have quite a bit of experience with them. But puzzles are flat, while you are three-dimensional, which makes it even harder to guess.”
“Thank you, dear,” old Larry replied with great delight. “I feel greatly flattered. If I weren’t a true puzzle, it would be pointless to open myself up.”
“Why did you scatter yourself?” Aunt Em asked sharply. “Why couldn’t you just stay together? Sir Gygelwitz seemed quite unhappy to hear this, but he still replied politely: ‘Madam, you may have noticed that everyone has something special about them. My special thing is scattering myself. As for yours, it’sto say, but no matter how special you are, I won’t mind.’”
“Well, you’ve got your certificate, Em,” Uncle Henry laughed. “I’m very happy. It’s a strange place, but we can’t be too picky about people here.”
“If we’re not picky, then we’ll just leave these people scattered,” she retorted, and her words made everyone smile kindly.
Just then, Oompa-Loompa found a hand holding knitting needles. They decided to restore the Knitting Grandmother. She was indeed easier to put together than Mr. Larry. Once she was assembled, everyone saw that she was a cheerful old woman who warmly welcomed them.
Dorothy told her that the kangaroo had lost her knitting gloves, and Knitting Grandmother immediately agreed to knit a new pair for the poor kangaroo. Then the chef came in to invite them to dinner, and they saw a delicious meal waiting for them. Sir Gygelwitz sat at the head of the long table, and Knitting Grandmother sat at the other end. The guests spent a pleasant time enjoying the feast.
After dinner, they went to the courtyard outside and put together a few more people. This work was so fun that if the sorcerer hadn’t suggested starting their journey again, they might have spent the whole day in the Land of Scattered People.
“But I don’t want to leave these poor people scattered here,” Dorothy said, unsure what to do.
“Oh, don’t worry about us, dear,” old Larry replied. “Almost every day, either the Gillikins, the Munchkins, or the Winkies come to put us together for fun, so it doesn’t matter if these pieces stay scattered for a while. But I hope you’ll come back to see us again—we always welcome you, I can guarantee that.”
“Do you never put yourselves together?” Dorothy asked.
“Never,” Larry replied. “Because we don’t have much to guess about each other, so it’s not any fun at all.”
After saying goodbye to the strange scattered people, they got into the carriage and continued their journey.
“They’re really strange people,” Aunt Em said thoughtfully as they left the Land of Scattered People. “But I really can’t see what use they have.”
“They kept us happy for several hours,” the sorcerer replied. “I’d say that’s their use.”
Ojo was overjoyed and said, “Thank you, that’s wonderful.”
The hostess led them to a round-roofed hall at the back of the house, which was the sorcerer’s study. A long row of windows almost occupied the entire round hall, so it was very bright inside. Besides the front door leading to the next room, there was also a back door. In front of the row of windows was a wide bench, and there were also some chairs and benches scattered around. At one end stood a large fireplace, with a blue log burning inside, sending up blue flames. Above the fire hung a row of four water jars, all bubbling and steaming violently. The hunchbacked sorcerer was stirring in all four jars at the same time—two with his hands and two with his feet, each foot tied to a long-handled wooden spoon. It turned out that this bent-over person could move his legs and feet just as easily as his arms! Uncle Neech approached to greet his old friend, but a handshake was out of the question, and even tapping his foot was impossible—his friend’s hands and feet were both busy stirring. Uncle Neech could only pat the hunchbacked sorcerer’s bald head and ask, “What is it?”
“Oh, it’s Tightlips,” Dr. Pipt said without looking up. “He wants to know what I’m brewing. Let me tell you, when I finally succeed, what I’ve brewed will be the marvelous Powder of Life. Only I, Dr. Pipt, can create such a magical elixir. No matter what you sprinkle with this powder, the dead will instantly come to life. I’ve spent years perfecting this magical powder, but I’m happy to tell you that I’m almost there. You don’t know, but I’ve brewed this powder especially for my dear wife, Margoletta, who has a special use for it. Don’t be shy, Uncle Neech, sit down and we’ll talk properly once I’m done.”
After the hostess settled the guests on the wide bench under the windows, she said, “To be honest, Dr. Pipt is a bit foolish. The first time he brewed the Powder of Life, he gave it all to the old witch Mombi. Mombi originally lived in the northern land of the Gillikins. She traded the doctor some powder called ‘Spring Powder’ for the life powder. But the old woman had ill intentions—she tricked the doctor. What Spring Powder? It was completely useless—it didn’t work at all.”
“Well, the Powder of Life probably won’t work either,” Ojo said.
“Where do you get that idea? It’s perfectly effective,” the hostess said with great certainty. “As soon as the powder was brewed, we first tested it on our glass cat. Not only did the cat come to life, but she’s still alive today. I don’t know where she’s gone now.”
“A glass cat!” Ojo exclaimed in surprise.
“Yes! With this cat for company, it’s quite amusing. But she’s a bit too proud of herself, which makes her seem un humble. And she refuses to catch mice,” the doctor’s wife said. “The doctor gave this cat a pink brain, but it turned out that she wasn’t fit for such a highly developed special function. With this kind of function, she felt that catching mice would be beneath her dignity. She also has a heart made of blood-red gems—probably rubies, I’d say—so her heart is quite cruel and heartless. In my opinion, if the doctor were to make another glass cat, he shouldn’t give it a brain or a heart. That way, once she comes to life, she won’t refuse to catch mice and will be useful to us.”
“What happened to the old witch Mombi after she got the Powder of Life from the doctor?” Ojo asked.
“She first brought Jack Pumpkinhead back to life,” the hostess replied. “You’ve probably heard of Jack Pumpkinhead. He currently lives near Emerald City and is very favored by Princess Ozma, the ruler of our Land of Oz.”
“No, I haven’t heard of him,” Ojo said. “I’m afraid you’ll laugh, but I know very little about the Land of Oz. You see, I’ve been living with Uncle Neech since I was a child—he’s called Tightlips, so no one ever told me anything about it.”
“It’s no wonder they call you Ojo the Unfortunate,” the hostess said with a tone of sympathy. “The more you know, the luckier you are, because knowledge is the greatest wealth in life.”
“But please tell me, what do you plan to do with the new batch of Powder of Life that Dr. Pipt has just brewed? The doctor said you have a special use for it.”
“Well,” she replied. “I plan to bring my Patchwork Girl back to life.”
“Aha! The Patchwork Girl? What is that?” Ojo asked, for the name sounded even more strange and unusual than the glass cat. There was also something else they paid close attention to: they avoided unpleasant topics, which was why nothing about Ojo and his questions was mentioned at the dinner table that day. However, the Scarecrow still told them about his encounter with the giant leaf that ensnared travelers and about how he had completely cut off the shooting thorns of the boar Cess. Hearing about such a great deed, Dorothy and Ozma were very pleased, saying that Cess deserved it.
They then talked about the Woodland Boy, and everyone agreed that such an extraordinary animal was something they had never seen before—even the living sawhorse could only be compared to it. Ozma had no idea that her land even had such a creature, and that there was only one in the world, which had been kept in the forest for many years.
Dorothy said that, in her opinion, the Woodland Boy was a kind and loyal beast. But she added that she didn’t particularly like the glass cat.
“However,” the Scarecrow said, “the glass cat should be quite beautiful. She wouldn’t be so annoying as a companion if she weren’t so proud of her pink brain and always boasting about it.”
The sorcerer, who had been eating quietly without a word, now looked up and said, “The Powder of Life brewed by the hunchbacked sorcerer is indeed remarkable. But Dr. Pipt doesn’t understand the true value of the powder—he’s using it for such trivial things—it’s truly foolish.”
“I’ll definitely handle this,” Ozma said, her tone serious, but she soon smiled faintly and continued in a lighter voice, “I could only become the ruler of the Land of Oz thanks to Dr. Pipt’s famous Powder of Life.”
“I’ve never heard this story before,” the Scarecrow said, looking at Ozma with an inquiring gaze.