The Oz Series
Chapter 1
Part of the Dorothy's Journey to the Wizard and Back to Kansas arc.
What happens
Dorothy, an orphan, lives on the great Kansas prairies with Uncle Henry, a farmer, and Aunt Em, the farmer's wife, in a small one-room house built from lumber hauled by wagon. The house holds a rusty cookstove, a cupboard, a table, chairs, and beds; it has no garret and no cellar except a small hole in the ground called a cyclone cellar, reached by a trap door in the floor and a ladder, into which the family retreats during whirlwinds. The surrounding country is a flat gray prairie baked and cracked by the sun, without a tree or house to break the view. The sun and wind have turned Aunt Em thin, gaunt, and gray, taking the sparkle from her eyes and color from her cheeks so she never smiles, and have made Uncle Henry equally gray, stern, and silent. Dorothy's laughter once startled Aunt Em into pressing her hand to her heart.
Toto, a little black dog with long silky hair and small twinkling black eyes, is the one thing that keeps Dorothy from growing as gray as her surroundings; Toto plays all day and Dorothy loves him dearly. On the present day the sky is grayer than usual. Uncle Henry watches the sky anxiously from the doorstep, Dorothy holds Toto in the doorway, and Aunt Em washes dishes. From the far north comes a low wail of wind bending the long grass in waves, and a sharp whistling rises from the south. Uncle Henry stands and declares a cyclone is coming, then runs to the sheds to look after the cows and horses. Aunt Em, recognizing the danger at a glance, screams for Dorothy to run for the cellar and climbs down the ladder into the dark hole. Toto jumps from Dorothy's arms and hides under the bed, and Dorothy goes after him.
As Dorothy crosses the room, a great shriek of wind shakes the house so hard she falls to the floor. The north and south winds meet exactly where the house stands, making it the center of the cyclone; the wind's pressure raises the house to the top of the cyclone, where it is carried miles away as easily as a feather. Riding inside, Dorothy finds the motion gentle, like being rocked in a cradle, after the first few whirls and one bad tip. Toto runs about barking; once he falls into the open trap door but the air pressure keeps him from falling through, and Dorothy catches him by the ear, drags him back, and closes the trap door to prevent further accidents. Hour after hour passes; Dorothy overcomes her fright and, resolving to wait calmly to see what the future brings, crawls to her bed with Toto and falls fast asleep despite the swaying house and wailing wind.