The Red Jinn Read online

  The Red Jinn in

  By Mildred L. Palmer with illustrations by John R. Neill

  Founded on and Continuing the Famous Oz Stories by L. Frank Baum and Ruth Plumly Thompson 2007

  The Red Jinn in Oz Copyright © by Mildred L.

  Palmer 1225 Wilmot Rd. Deerfield, Ill. 60015

  All rights reserved. Second provisional edition: January 2007

  The Vanitas Press

  CHAPTER I

  THE SCARECROW’S PARTY

  “Ozma!” Dorothy ran down the palace steps. “Ozma! Where’s Ozma?” she asked Jellia Jam.

  “Out in the garden, watching the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger run a race,” answered the little maid.

  Dorothy ran out to the garden and threw her arms around her friend. “I have the most wonderful idea,” she announced breathlessly.

  Ozma laughed, returning her hug. “Your ideas are always wonderful,” she returned warmly. “But, sit down and tell me about it.”

  “Well,” began Dorothy, sitting down beside her, “all of us have birthdays and parties every year, but the Scarecrow has been here for years and years and never even had a birthday. Let’s give him’a birthday party and invite everyone.”

  “That’s a good idea,” approved the Cowardly Lion, who came up just then, panting from his race. “I think he should have a party. Only it can’t very well be a birthday party because the Scarecrow wasn’t born; he was made. Perhaps you could call it a Makeday party.”

  “Why, that would be splendid—a Makeday party,” laughed Ozma. “Let’s do it. Shall we have it be a surprise party?”

  “Oh, yes!” exclaimed Dorothy.

  “Shall I invite him here?“ Dorothy shook her head. “I thought it would be nicer to have a straw-ride party in the country,” she explained.

  “Hay-ride,” corrected the Lion.

  “Straw-ride,” repeated Dorothy firmly. “The Scarecrow is stuffed with straw and this is his party, so it’ll have to be a straw- ride. We can fill a wagon with straw and go get the Scarecrow, and take him along to a nice straw field, and have strawberry ice cream, and…”

  “And we’ll all have an ex-straw-dinarily good time,” put in the Lion helpfully. Dorothy pulled his ear reprovingly. “We’ll have cakes that look like little scarecrows,” she continued. “It’s too bad the Scarecrow can’t eat, but he’ll have fun anyway ‘cause the party is for him.”

  “Of course he will,” agreed Ozma. “He’ll be very pleased that we thought of him.”

  “It could be a costume party, too, and we all could dress like Scarecrows,“ proposed Dorothy eagerly.

  “That would be lovely, my dear,” rumbled the Lion. “How would I look in blue bib overalls with a straw hat over one ear? Leave me out of that, please.“ The girls laughed at this. Dorothy patted his head. “You don’t have to dress,” she assured him. “Though, you would look cute…“ The Lion snorted disgustedly. “Cute!” he grumbled.

  For a long time they sat and made plans for the party. But presently Ozma remarked: “It’s getting quite dark; we’d better go in now and go to bed. We can discuss this further in the morning.”

  “When shall we plan to have the party?” asked the Lion, accompanying them back to the palace.

  “Whenever Dorothy wants it,” returned Ozma, with a smile at her friend. Dorothy looked thoughtful. “It would be nice to have it on the same day that I found him,” she suggested, “but I don’t remember what day it was.”

  “I think it was a Thursday,” said the Lion. “And tomorrow’s Thursday, so how about having it tomorrow?“ Both little girls looked at him in astonishment. “You can’t just give a party like this right away,” explained Dorothy patiently. “You have to plan for it, and decide what to do and everything!”

  “It seems to me you have everything planned right now,” replied the Lion.

  “However, you’ve given more parties than I have.”

  “We have to wait ‘til Betsey and Trot come back from Sapphire City,” Dorothy reminded him. “They will want to come too.”

  “They won’t be back for several days,” added Ozma. “So let’s have the party the first Thursday after they’re back.”

  “Good; that’s settled,” sighed the Lion. “Are you going to tell everyone about the party now, or have them all be surprised?”

  CHAPTER II

  FALEERO PLOTS MISCHIEF

  “That’s a wonderful idea!” cried Dorothy.

  The Lion was astonished. “Is it really?” he asked, blinking.

  “Oh, yes,” exclaimed the-little girl. “We won’t tell anyone at all. On the morning of the party we’ll give them their costumes and then tell them. That will be loads of fun.”

  “Loads of fun with loads of straw,” yawned the Lion. “Run along now to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.” They had reached the palace, and after an affectionate good night to the Lion, both little girls hurried to their rooms to prepare for bed.

  In the middle of the night Dorothy was awakened by a blinding flash. Startled, she sat up in bed. Her first impulse was to rush out into the corridor to see what had happened; but hearing no out-cry, she yawned and lay back again. “Probably just the Wizard trying out a new invention,” she decided as she drifted off to sleep.

  Deep in the heart of Follensby Forest, in the northernmost part of the Gilliken country, stood a small, mean-looking hut. Inside this but was an enormous fireplace which took up one whole side of the cabin. Over a huge fire roaring in the fireplace hung a cauldron filled to the brim with a noisome bubbling purple mixture which two old crones were stirring briskly. A thin, sly-looking man sat in the corner, while overhead a huge raven flapped in angry circles, screeching in rage as one of the old women spilled a bit of the mixture out of the kettle.

  “It’s taken me years to fill that kettle,” the bird screamed. “Years of searching in every corner of Oz, and you sloop it about like a kettle of soup. Be careful!”

  The old hag looked up with a toothless grin. “Don’t fret. There is enough left, and more than enough. It has been a long, difficult job, but in one minute it will be finished. And then…”

  “And then,” croaked the raven, “and then I’ll have my revenge. I’ve had years to plan it, and it will be a worthy one. First, I’ll wipe Pumperdink off the face of Oz. Then, I’ll take care of Ozma. Turn me into a raven, will she? She’ll pay for it — and tomorrow I’ll be the ruler of Oz.”

  The bird’s voice rose to a hoarse shriek and, at a sign from the old woman, it dived headlong into the bubbling purple cauldron.

  The cauldron rocked violently, then overturned, spilling its contents onto the fire.

  A cloud of purple vapor filled the room; and when it had faded a fearsome old woman, bent and wrinkled, stood in place of the raven—Faleero, fairy princess of Follensby Forest.

  You remember, of course, how Faleero, enraged by the refusal of the Prince of Pumperdink to marry her, had by red and forbidden magic transformed the Royal Family of Pumperdink into logs; and with Kettywig, the King’s brother, set herself up as Ruler of Pumperdink. The Royal Family was rescued by Randy, Crown Prince of Regalia, and Kabumpo, the Elegant Elephant of Pumperdink, with the help of the Red Jinn of Ev.

  To punish Faleero, Ozma had turned her into a raven. But now, restored to her rightful form, the wicked old fairy glared malignantly into the fire and muttered dire threats against Ozma.

  The thin man stood and approached her nervously. “Congratulations,” he smirked.

  “Our plan succeeded remarkably well, didn’t it?”

  “Our plan!” shrilled Faleero, whirling to face him. “What did you have to do with it? It was my plan, Kettywig, and don’t you forget it!“ Kettywig backed away. “Of course it was your plan,” he agreed q
uickly. “Still, you must admit that I helped considerably, especially in planning your revenge against Ozma.”

  “Helped me!” snapped the old fairy. “I don’t need your help.”

  “You’ll need it at the Errierald City,” grinned Kettywig.

  “Bah!” she retorted. “I haven’t even made up my mind to take you with me. You’re a poor, soft fool, Kettywig. Why should I burden myself with you?”

  “Because you don’t dare go without me,” replied Kettywig calmly. “You know you can’t leave out the Wizard. He’d find you out in a minute; and who but me can take his place?”

  “A fine wizard you’ll make,” jeered Faleero. “You can’t even do a simple transformation.“ Kettywig picked up the poker and prodded the fire. “Have it your own way,” he shrugged. “Don’t blame me when you fail. This time you’ll probably end up as a tree toad instead of a raven. I may not know much magic, but I do know that all four of us are necessary to make this plan a success. We have to remove Glinda, because of her Book of Records; the Wizard, because of his various magic appliances; Jellia Jam, because of her close association with Ozma; and of course, Ozma herself. Every other attempt to conquer Oz failed because of the love everyone has for their Ruler. With my plan, no one will even know that she’s gone.”

  The old fairy scowled, but made no reply. Going to her cabinet, she began taking out tins, jars, bottles, and measures. In no time at all she had another kettle boiling in the fireplace, but this time the mixture was red. The two other old women came forward. One was Falingo, sister to Faleero, and the other was Dubra, Faleero’s servant.

  “Are you going to destroy the Princess?” asked Falingo, plunging her spoon into the crimson mass.

  “Don’t be ridiculous!” snapped Faleero. “You know very well Ozma cannot be destroyed, and if she could, I wouldn’t do it. I want her to know what is happening to her kingdom. I shall turn her into “

  “Into what?”

  “That’s my business!” scowled Faleero. “No one will know that but me. But she won’t be far away. Then I shall take her place and teach the people of Oz to hate and fear her very name. I’ll bring sorrow to everyone — and they’ll all think it’s their precious Ozma.”

  “That’s another thing,” interrupted Kettywig. “If you behave the way you did at Pumperdink, spoiling everyone’s fun, someone will be suspicious. Ozma has always been kind to everyone, and her people love her. Any changes you make had better be gradual.”

  “All right, all right,” grumbled Faleero. “I know what I’m doing.”

  “What will you do to the Red Jinn?” asked Dubra. “It was his magic that restored the Royal Family of Pumperdink.”

  “He’s in Ev; I can’t reach him there,” replied Faleero, “but I’ll stop at Pumperdink on my way to the Emerald City.”

  “Don’t forget the Elephant this time,” jeered Kettywig.

  “I’ll take care of the Elephant; I’ll take care of everyone in Pumperdink—man, woman and child. I’ll turn them all into ants, and their palace into an ant hill. And that good-for-nothing, meddling Elephant will be a beetle — a pinching bug!“ The four carefully lifted the kettle from the fire and placed it on a rickety table.

  Faleero measured a spoonful of golden powder and threw it into the kettle. There was a blinding flash, a puff of red smoke, and the four wicked necromancers were gone. In their places stood a lovely, dark-haired girl; a trim little maid; a plump, bald headed, smiling man with a black bag; and a tall, stately, red-haired woman.

  They eyed each other in wonder for a moment. Then with a triumphant screech, the dark-haired little princess threw up her arms and began to dance around the room. “I did it!” she exclaimed. “Look at me! Look at you! Look at Kettywig— Kettywig, wipe that silly smirk off your face.”

  “You put it there. I can’t,” answered the plump little man. “I am the smiling little Wizard of Oz, and smile I must, whether you like it or not. You’d do well to look a little more pleasant yourself, Faleero. No one ever saw Ozma with an expression like that.“ Faleero stopped dancing. “They’ll see her with worse expressions than this,” she asserted grimly. “You can go around grinning like a baboon if you want, but don’t think for a moment that I will.”

  She looked critically, at Falingo, who as Glinda stood tall and dignified beside the fireplace. “You’ll do,” she admitted finally.

  “You know enough magic to pass as Glinda. But whatever you do, don’t let anyone see the Book of Records. That would ruin everything.“ Falingo nodded.

  “How about me?” asked the little maid. “Do I look all right? And who am I? I’ve forgotten again.”

  “You’re Jellia Jam!” screamed the lovely little Princess. “Jel- lia Jam, and don’t you forget it. And if you call me Faleero just once, I’ll turn you into a soup bone and feed you to the Hungry Tiger. My name is Ozma — and you’d better not forget it!”

  “Well, you look like Ozma,” sniffed Falingo, “but you certainly don’t sound like her. If we fail, it will be your fault. I won’t have any trouble; all I have to do is be stately and dignified, and not let anyone see the Book of Records. But you—you’ll fly into a rage just once and spoil the whole thing.”

  “Oh, I’ll be pleasant,” snapped Faleero. “I’m no fool. But only for a little while, until I learn how to use the Magic Belt. Then I’ll turn everyone who opposes me into a doormat and walk on him.”

  “That’s a nice thought,” muttered Kettywig. “We ought to do a flourishing business in doormats. Why can’t you just rule the kingdom in a pleasant, kindly way and let everyone be happy? After all, you’ll be revenged on Ozma if you take her kingdom from her. There’s no reason to make everyone miserable. You have no quarrel with anyone but Ozma, have you?”

  “Yes!” insisted Faleero. “I’ll not be satisfied until everyone in Oz is as miserable as I’ve been these past years. And the best part of it is that everyone will think I’m Ozma.

  That’s why I want her near enough to know what’s happening. She’ll suffer as I’ve suffered, because everyone will hate her.“ Kettywig shook his head. “I don’t like this at all,” he objected. “My plan was only to conquer the Ruler of Oz and her chief assistants, and take their places… that we can do very easily. But if you persist in causing trouble, I know we won’t succeed. However there is no use trying to tell you anything.” He picked up his black bag. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go.”

  “Here!” Faleero jerked the bag from him. “If you must carry that you might as well have something in it.” She opened the cupboards and swept the contents into the bag. “This is my best magic—though what you’ll do with it, I can’t imagine.“ Kettywig took the bag. “The Wizard always carries a black bag,” he reminded her.

  “And even though I don’t think we’ll get very far with this, I’m going to play my part the best I can. As for magic, I’ll leave that to you.“ Together the four conspirators left the cabin.

  “We’ll stop at Pumperdink first, and then on to the Emerald City!” screamed the disguised fairy piercingly. “And then Ozma of Oz, you’ll see what happens to anyone who interferes with Faleero!“ Untying the largest of the four giant vultures that she kept for riding, Faleero climbed upon its back and sped away into the night, followed by the others.

  CHAPTER III

  DOROTHY’S DISCOVERY

  Dorothy’s first thought upon awakening was of the Scarecrow’ party. “I wonder what he’s doing now,” she thought. “I believe I’ll look in the Magic Picture and see.” She dressed quickly, and slipped across the hall to Ozma’s room.

  Her tap on the door met with no reply, but as Ozma’s dearest friend, she had always been allowed the freedom of the whole Palace, including Ozma’s private suite. Without hesitation, she opened the door and entered the room. Hurrying to the wall where the Magic Picture hung, she drew back the heavy drapes—and stood staring in amazement.

  The Magic Picture was gone!

  Memories of another time long ago when t
he Magic Picture was taken flashed through Dorothy’s mind as she stared at the empty wall. Then Ugu, the Shoemaker, had stolen all the important magic in Oz, and had kidnapped Ozma and held her prisoner until her friends rescued her. With a sob, Dorothy darted out of the room and ran down the steps to the great Throne Room. It was empty. She peeped into the dining; hall. No one was there. Rushing through the hall, she almost bumped into Jellia Jam.

  “Jellia, have you seen Ozma?” she panted.

  “She’s in the breakfast room, Miss,” answered Jellia nervously. “Is anything wrong?“ Dorothy shook her head and dashed into the breakfast room. There, at the head of the table, sat the little Ruler of Oz, as lovely and serene as ever. At her side was the Wizard. Both jumped up in alarm as the little girl burst in.

  “Oh, Ozma!” gasped Dorothy, “I thought something had happened to you!“ Ozma and the Wizard exchanged a quick glance, and Ozma turned to Dorothy.