She touched the golden path and it was just yellow sand, with yellow pollen, yellow petals and some yellow seeds. All blown there along the twisted path. She walked on the golden path, her boots crunching and snapping. Totem the wolf did what he wanted, and he strayed off into the field of straw. He emerged later on with a dead rat in his mouth.
"You can have it, Totem," Dorothy said. She sat down and opened her rucksack. Hungry, she ate an apple and drunk water from a bottle. The straw fields and the distant spiky prehistoric looking forest sounded like crackling meat frying in a pan. The wind made the ferns and branches snap instead of rustle. Insects made noises like popping bubbles and scattering beads. There were glowing butterlies and various tiny beetles, sparkling like tiny gems.
Totem snarled. The wolf was staring at something across the straw field, fur standing up on his back. He bared his ferocious teeth.
"Totem?" Dorothy stood up. "What's the matter?"
She noticed the straw gathering together in the field, just metres away from her. It folded into a bale of hay in the shape of a golden cube.
"Is someone there?" she called out.
There wasn't anyone else in sight. The wind was too low, and the straw moved by itself. That she wasn't sure of, although the wolf was disturbed by something out there in the field.
Totem growled and moved slowly, his back lowered, his big bushy tail downwards between his legs. Dorothy saw nothing at first. Then two bright big orbs flashed in the bale of hay, and a roar that sounded like thunder. Dorothy was horrified to see that that the bale of hay transformed itself into a tall 20 foot figure with arms and legs. She couldn't move and just stared in horror.
The moving figure made of straw and hay bellowed. It had a mouth complete with shining fangs. Sensing her, it strode through the hay, squashing down the golden foliage in its steps. Dorothy broke free from her trance and ran, just running into the next golden field, listening to the thumping footsteps of the giant hay monster.
Dorothy stumbled and fell. She lifted the sword, which was so pure that it captured the sunlight and burned across the blade of precious metals. Smoke filled her nostrils. The sword's sunlit power created a fire and burnt the straw around her. She kept running, and then the bellowing became screams. Dorothy stopped and looked.
The giant straw monster was on fire. She watched it collapse into smouldering plumes of smoke and the flames licked around its form. Once out, the fire died with it, leaving just a burnt patch in the field.
The monster of hay and straw was gone. She returned to the golden path, collected her rucksack, and tore along as if there was no tomorrow. She wept. What had she just seen? It was unreal.
Dorothy was breathless, and eventually she stopped to rest. She took a swig of water from the bottle, and consumed a bicuit. There was a wild whip sound, and a smack. Just inches beside where she sat was a fierce arrow!
"Who shot at me!" she cried. Dorothy crawled into the straw and hoped to bury herself there. Thoughts raced into her mind, mainly she wanted to be home.
"Get up!" Snarled an angry man's voice.
Dorothy was startled. She wiped the tears from her eyes and stood. A strong hand pulled the metallic sword from her grasp.
"Where did you get this sword, girl?"
Dorothy looked at the man. Another strange looking one.
"It, it... it... please... help... it" lost for words, shaking from her ordeal, now quizzed by a man.
"This belonged to the witch, Princess Meng!"
Dorothy was scared. Helen the north witch, gave it to her.
The man sheathed the sword in his belt, where he carried a broadsword, daggers and arrow heads. The bow was rest against his bare back. Handsome, rugged features, eyes like deep blue stormclouds, he wore pale leather trousers and a sleevless waist jacket, covered in straw. His boots were layered in straw. He wore a headdress made of grass, and his hair was dark, waist length and braided in straw. She was struck by how frightening he was to look at, amused at how funny he would seem back home, yet also scared of him because he shot an arrow at her.
"You missed me!" she said.
"I didn't intend to shoot you, but warn you!" he said. "I'm escorting you along the gold path, because you carry the sword of the late princess Meng. You can't take that with you!"
"You can have it, I don't want it!"
"I confiscated it from you!" he reminded her, showing her the sword in his belt."It shall never be returned to you! This is the possession of princess Meng!"
He firmly grabbed her arm and they walked along the golden path. Dorothy was scared of him.
"What was that monster in the field?" she asked. "Did you see it?"
He ignored her.
By evening, the man ordered Dorothy to sit down and he prepared a small fire near the path. He demanded she remain with him or he'll definately shoot an arrow straight at her. She watched the man kill a wild hare with an arrow, and cook it over the fire. He chewed the meat, barely cooked, and he flung some of it to Totem. He finished the food, and flung some scraps at Dorothy. She couldn't eat it.
"Am I under arrest?" she asked, when the sun had set and they walked and walked. His hand so tight around her arm that it was hurting and bruised.
"Yes!" he snarled.
The man told her to lay on the grass near the golden path, and sleep there. Stars glittered, and there were two beautiful full moons. One looked like the familiar moon, and the other was a green orb that resembled an apple.
"Good night," she said quietly, knowing that the man was never going to be kind to her.
"My wishes for you to have a still sleep and not wake up until I am done sleeping!" He said.
(End of Part 2. To be continued in Part 3).
This story was written by me and it's loosely based on the "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" adventures by L. Frank Baum.
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