Post by Esmeralda on Jul 4, 2023 14:13:07 GMT -5
This is another story that I really thought I'd posted here but I can't find it. Since something similar was mentioned in the Shoutbox, I had to post mine...my entry to a contest.
Here are the rules for this contest:
Here's JustRo's beginning:
And here is my entry, which didn't win. The others weren't based on the Wizard of Oz like mine.
Entry #3:
Here are the rules for this contest:
YOUR CHALLENGE: Can you write an end to the following story?
All entries for this challenge have to include the following:
The sisters
Chris
Wyatt
An unexpected visitor(s)
A surprising twist
and...since it has to be called “Magic, Mystery and High-Heeled Shoes”, it has to have high-heeled shoes in it.
And it has to take place after the show ended so that they have Leo back.
Other than that, it can be long, short, have any combination of characters, new, old, borrowed from other programs - just ANYTHING GOES!
The winner will receive the joy and satisfaction of writing the most popular (not necessarily the best) story...and a very special signature made just for them!
All entries for this challenge have to include the following:
The sisters
Chris
Wyatt
An unexpected visitor(s)
A surprising twist
and...since it has to be called “Magic, Mystery and High-Heeled Shoes”, it has to have high-heeled shoes in it.
And it has to take place after the show ended so that they have Leo back.
Other than that, it can be long, short, have any combination of characters, new, old, borrowed from other programs - just ANYTHING GOES!
The winner will receive the joy and satisfaction of writing the most popular (not necessarily the best) story...and a very special signature made just for them!
Here's JustRo's beginning:
It was a quiet day at the Manor.
All was peaceful in the Halliwell household. It had been several months since Leo had been returned by the Angel of Destiny and normality had resumed for the Halliwell sisters. Piper worked in her restaurant /club and Leo was retraining in current medical practices; Phoebe was continuing with her fabulous career and enjoying life with her very own Cupid. Paige and Henry lived close by, their own lives filled with the daily routine of social work and probation work.
Today, the sisters sat around having brunch while their husbands took Chris and Wyatt out for a ball game.
'I miss this', said Paige looking at her sisters over a large mug of coffee.
'What, having good home cooked food?' asked Piper, teasing her about her lack of domesticity.
Paige stuck her tongue out. 'No, I mean this! Us! Together! Talking and you know, planning stuff!'
Phoebe sighed. 'I know what you mean, she said mournfully. Sometimes.....' she paused and sighed again.
Piper frowned and pursed her lips.
'You'll get wrinkles' said Phoebe.
'I'll get botox', Piper snapped. She stared at her sisters. 'Do you mean to tell me that you actually miss demon hunting? That you want to go back to the old days? That you want to risk your lives again?'.
'No no!' both Paige and Phoebe agreed, warily eyeing Piper's hands. 'It’s just that…' began Paige,
'Sometimes....' said Phoebe.
'..There are times..' Paige continued.
'...When quite frankly, its a bit boring!' Phoebe finished.
Piper sighed. 'I do know what you mean'. She said quietly. 'I mean, did they have to bind all our powers to enable the truce? It'd be so handy for Leo if he could still heal!. And if I could still blast and freeze well, looking after kids AND work would be so much easier..'.
Paige looked wistfully at her sisters. 'I miss orbing.'
Phoebe looked at them 'I miss knowing what's gonna happen. I miss the intuitition - when I write advice now, it feels like half my heart has gone - that I'm only working on half power!'.
Paige sniffed. 'I miss orbing things. I miss fixing things.'
They both looked at Piper. 'Well - ' she began, 'I miss having powers too! But we can't do anything about it. There's a truce!' She folded her arms and looked sternly at her sisters. 'You just have to live with it!'
Paige rolled her eyes. 'Who died and made her the boss?' she hissed at Phoebe.
'Well...Prue, obviously..' Phoebe whispered back.
'What's that?' Piper snipped.
'Nothing ' Phoebe smiled sweetly at Piper. She knew the power that used to be contained in a single hand gesture of Piper's , and that knowledge hadn't worn off yet.
'Well, the Angel of Destiny said that we had to lose our powers for the Truce to work properly! There is no alternative! I'm not having my family put in danger just because you're both bored!'. Piper declared.
At this, the air in the kitchen began to twinkle, and a shower of bright lights appeared. The sisters gaped in amazement. 'Ohhhhh' they gasped.
'Shiny' Phoebe whispered to herself.
'A whitelighter' Paige whispered.
'A problem' Piper muttered.
All was peaceful in the Halliwell household. It had been several months since Leo had been returned by the Angel of Destiny and normality had resumed for the Halliwell sisters. Piper worked in her restaurant /club and Leo was retraining in current medical practices; Phoebe was continuing with her fabulous career and enjoying life with her very own Cupid. Paige and Henry lived close by, their own lives filled with the daily routine of social work and probation work.
Today, the sisters sat around having brunch while their husbands took Chris and Wyatt out for a ball game.
'I miss this', said Paige looking at her sisters over a large mug of coffee.
'What, having good home cooked food?' asked Piper, teasing her about her lack of domesticity.
Paige stuck her tongue out. 'No, I mean this! Us! Together! Talking and you know, planning stuff!'
Phoebe sighed. 'I know what you mean, she said mournfully. Sometimes.....' she paused and sighed again.
Piper frowned and pursed her lips.
'You'll get wrinkles' said Phoebe.
'I'll get botox', Piper snapped. She stared at her sisters. 'Do you mean to tell me that you actually miss demon hunting? That you want to go back to the old days? That you want to risk your lives again?'.
'No no!' both Paige and Phoebe agreed, warily eyeing Piper's hands. 'It’s just that…' began Paige,
'Sometimes....' said Phoebe.
'..There are times..' Paige continued.
'...When quite frankly, its a bit boring!' Phoebe finished.
Piper sighed. 'I do know what you mean'. She said quietly. 'I mean, did they have to bind all our powers to enable the truce? It'd be so handy for Leo if he could still heal!. And if I could still blast and freeze well, looking after kids AND work would be so much easier..'.
Paige looked wistfully at her sisters. 'I miss orbing.'
Phoebe looked at them 'I miss knowing what's gonna happen. I miss the intuitition - when I write advice now, it feels like half my heart has gone - that I'm only working on half power!'.
Paige sniffed. 'I miss orbing things. I miss fixing things.'
They both looked at Piper. 'Well - ' she began, 'I miss having powers too! But we can't do anything about it. There's a truce!' She folded her arms and looked sternly at her sisters. 'You just have to live with it!'
Paige rolled her eyes. 'Who died and made her the boss?' she hissed at Phoebe.
'Well...Prue, obviously..' Phoebe whispered back.
'What's that?' Piper snipped.
'Nothing ' Phoebe smiled sweetly at Piper. She knew the power that used to be contained in a single hand gesture of Piper's , and that knowledge hadn't worn off yet.
'Well, the Angel of Destiny said that we had to lose our powers for the Truce to work properly! There is no alternative! I'm not having my family put in danger just because you're both bored!'. Piper declared.
At this, the air in the kitchen began to twinkle, and a shower of bright lights appeared. The sisters gaped in amazement. 'Ohhhhh' they gasped.
'Shiny' Phoebe whispered to herself.
'A whitelighter' Paige whispered.
'A problem' Piper muttered.
Entry #3:
CHAPTER ONE
It was a quiet day at the Manor.
All was peaceful in the Halliwell household. It had been several months since Leo had been returned by the Angel of Destiny and normality had resumed for the Halliwell sisters. Piper worked in her restaurant /club and Leo was retraining in current medical practices. Phoebe was continuing with her fabulous career and enjoying life with her very own Cupid. Paige and Henry lived close by, their own lives filled with the daily routine of social work and probation work.
Today, the sisters sat around having brunch while their husbands took Chris and Wyatt out for a ball game.
“I miss this,” said Paige looking at her sisters over a large mug of coffee.
“What, having good home-cooked food?” asked Piper, teasing her about her lack of domesticity.
Paige stuck her tongue out. “No, I mean this! Us! Together! Talking and you know, planning stuff!”
Phoebe sighed. “I know what you mean,” she said mournfully. “Sometimes…” She paused and sighed again.
Piper frowned and pursed her lips.
“You'll get wrinkles, Phoebe warned.
“I'll get Botox,” Piper snapped. She stared at her sisters. “Do you mean to tell me that you actually miss demon hunting? That you want to go back to the old days? That you want to risk your lives again?”
“No, no!” both Paige and Phoebe exclaimed, warily eyeing Piper's hands . “It’s just that…” began Paige.
“Sometimes…” Phoebe made clear.
“…there are times…” Paige continued.
...when quite frankly, it’s a bit boring!” Phoebe finished.
Piper sighed. “I do know what you mean,” she said quietly. “I mean, did they have to bind all our powers to enable the truce? It'd be so handy for Leo if he could still heal! And if I could still blast and freeze, well, looking after kids AND work would be so much easier...”
Paige looked wistfully at her sisters. “I miss orbing.”
Phoebe looked at them. “I miss knowing what's gonna happen. I miss the intuition - when I write advice now, it feels like half my heart has gone - that I'm only working on half power!”
Paige sniffed. “I miss orbing things. I miss fixing things.”
They both looked at Piper. “Well…” she began. “I miss having powers too! But we can't do anything about it. There's a truce!” She folded her arms and looked sternly at her sisters. “You just have to live with it!”
Paige rolled her eyes. “Who died and made her the boss?” she hissed at Phoebe.
“Well...Prue, obviously,” Phoebe whispered back.
“What's that?” Piper sniped.
“Nothing,” Phoebe smiled sweetly at Piper. She knew the power that used to be contained in a single hand gesture of Piper's, and that knowledge hadn't worn off yet.
“Well, the Angel of Destiny said that we had to lose our powers for the truce to work properly! There is no alternative! I'm not having my family put in danger just because you're both bored!” Piper declared.
At this, the air in the kitchen began to twinkle, and a shower of bright lights appeared. The sisters gaped in amazement. “Ohhhhh” they gasped.
“Shiny,” Phoebe whispered to herself.
“A whitelighter,” Paige whispered.
“A problem,” Piper muttered.
CHAPTER TWO
A shapely woman stood before them, long black hair cascading to her shoulders. She smiled brightly at the sisters. “Thank you,” she flashed bright white teeth at them. “It’s so nice to see you all.”
“PRUE!” cried Piper. “What are YOU doing here?”
“And,” cried Phoebe. “What are you doing dressed in PINK?”
“But that orange lipstick matches perfectly!’ added Paige, smiling with her own orange-painted lips.
Indeed their visitor looked just like the oldest Halliwell sister, but no one had ever seen her dressed in florescent baby-pink with different-colored sparkles sprinkled all over the gown. Sparkles that were now littering Piper’s freshly-waxed kitchen floor, making Piper glare. On the visitor's head was a sparkly crown and in her hand was a glittery silver wand, the glitters also littering Piper's floor.
She shook her head. “No, I am not Prue. My name is Glinda.”
“Glinda?” cried Paige. “As in the Good Witch of the North?”
“Ah,” their visitor smiled. “Someone still remembers me!”
“Wait!” cried Piper. “You are NOT a fictional character from some movie! You are my big sister.”
“No, I am not. I am indeed the Witch of the North from the Land of Oz.
Piper rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. And I’m the Wizard of Oz!”
“No, you are not. The original Wizard of Oz left many years ago, but now there is a new one, and he's not the same as the other one."
"I know!" cried Paige. "He's a very good man, but a very bad wizard!"
Their visitor shook her head. "No, not this one. This one is a very good wizard, but a very bad man. You three must come with me back to Oz and stop him.”
“But we can’t,” Piper pointed out. “We no longer have our powers.
“And you thought that Dorothy Gale from Kansas had powers?” Glinda/Prue demanded with a roll of her beautiful blue eyes. “Anyone who was not born in Oz and has powers cannot enter the Land of Oz.”
“Adventure!” cried Phoebe.
“Getting to fix things!” cried Paige. “In the Land of Oz!”
“With lots of shiny things!” added Phoebe who had also watched the movie.
“And lots of bad things,” Piper reminded them. “Including a wicked wizard who DOES have powers!” She turned to their visitor. “Look. We're all married now and I have two boys. We cannot just go running off to some land that doesn’t even exist just because my sisters are bored.”
Glinda smiled a strange un-Prue-like smile that piqued Piper’s suspicions. “Well, what if I told you that the Wicked Wizard of Oz has kidnapped your husbands and kidnapped your sons?”
“I would say you’re full of it,” Piper retorted. “They all went to the ballgame.”
“Did they?” Glinda asked.
Just to prove this Prue-look-alike wrong (something Piper had never been able to do to her big sister), Piper whipped out her cell phone and called Leo’s number.
There was no answer.
She looked at her sisters. Paige pulled out HER cell phone and tried calling Henry.
There was no answer.
“I can find Coop,” Phoebe insisted. “We're one. Where I am, he is,” and she called out her husband’s name.
But this time, no Coop appeared.
“Believe me now?” asked Glinda/Prue, smiling sweetly.
“Very well,” Piper grudgingly agreed. "But how do we get rid of this Wizard?"
"I know!" cried Paige. "We just have to get to the Emerald City, get past the guard and then perform some task for him."
Again Glinda/Prue smiled that strange smile. "Yes, all you have to do is reach the Wizard."
"Well, at least we don't have to worry about the Wicked Witch of the West and the Wicked Witch of the East," Paige pointed out. "Dorothy killed them. I'm guessing that she vanquished them."
"Yes she did," agreed Glinda/Prue. "Many, many years ago. But they've been replaced by two brothers and they're worse than the sisters!"
“Well, there is no way we are going to kill anyone by dropping our house on them," Piper insisted, still not happy with this whole situation.
"I am not going to go anywhere via tornado!" Phoebe agreed. "Do you know what tornadoes do to your hair?? The Manor must stay right here!
“No, I have a port-key here for you,” replied the Witch of the North. She waved her silver wand and immediately ruby slippers appeared on Phoebe’s feet.
“Shiny!” cried Phoebe. “But slippers?”
“Sure,” insisted Paige. “Dorothy Gale wore slippers.”
“But Dorothy Gale was a teenager!” wailed Phoebe. “Do you know how short I feel without my heels?”
Again the Witch of the North smiled that same smile that had bugged Piper earlier. “Very well”, and she waved her wand again. Rather than wearing ruby slippers, Phoebe was now wearing ruby stilettos.
“Perfect!” exclaimed Phoebe, admiring her new high-heeled shoes.
Piper rolled her eyes. “Please don’t tell me that we have to chant, ‘There’s no place like home’.”
“But that’s what Dorothy chanted!” Paige protested.
Piper glared at her youngest sister. “How many times do I have to tell you? We are NOT Dorothy Gale!”
The Witch smiled. “No, you are not, and no, you will not have to chant the same words. If Phoebe simply clicks her heels three times and says, ‘Take us back home,’ the shoes will return here.”
Phoebe gave her a look. “Can’t I just say, ‘Get us outta here’?”
Again the Witch smiled that strange smile. “If you wish, but there’s no guarantee where they will take you.”
Piper sighed unhappily. “Very well. I don’t like this one bit, but if it means getting our husbands and my sons back, I guess we have to. But if we stop this Wicked Wizard of Oz of yours and we come back here to the Manor, our men and my sons will be here waiting for us, right?”
Glinda/Prue nodded. “Yes, that is exactly right.”
Piper sighed again. “Very well. Start clicking your heels, Phoebe. It sounds like were going to Oz.”
CHAPTER THREE
Well, it took them quite a while, but the three sisters finally made it to the Palace of the Wizard of Oz in the Emerald City. Piper still couldn’t believe that they actually had a Scarecrow, a Tinman and a Lion as companions or the fact that each companion bore a strange resemblance to someone she knew, the same way the Wicked Witch of the East and the Wicked Witch of the West they met in Munchkinland looked too much like the grown-up versions of her sons.
No! She wouldn’t think about that! All three of their companions kept insisting that they had never met them before and that they both always lived in Oz, and Piper had to believe that they were right.
Those two could NOT be her sons, no matter HOW much the new Wicked Witch of the West looked and sounded like the grownup version of her younger son!
Despite what had happened back in Munchkinland, Paige thought the whole thing was cool. Even though Piper kept grumbling over the fact that if they still had their powers, Paige could’ve just orbed them to the Emerald City, Paige was thoroughly enjoying watching her favorite childhood movie come to life. And after all, Dorothy got back to Kansas, didn’t she? So that certainly meant that they would get back to San Francisco, right? Or better, just like Dorothy in the movie, this was just a dream, right? So why not enjoy it while she was dreaming it, right?
Paige kept trying to convince the Scarecrow that he was actually quite wise, the Tinman that he was truly quite sentimental and the Lion that he was as brave as any of them, but they refused to believe her. When she told them about the degree in Thinkology the original Wizard gave the original Scarecrow, the testimonial given to the Tinman and the medal given to the Lion, they just rolled their eyes and wanted to know how anyone could’ve been fooled by crap like that.
What Paige found the most cool, though, was the fact that Kit appeared before them as soon as they landed in Oz. Rather than accompanied by a little dog, like the one who had followed Dorothy, they were being led by their Siamese cat, who somehow seemed to know exactly where to go. Kit's appearance made it easier to forget the results of their landing in Oz--Paige was SO sure that 'little incident' wouldn’t happen since they didn’t take the Manor with them!
During the entire journey, Phoebe promptly forgot who each companion reminded her of and instead flirted shamelessly with each one, even when all three would glare at her, even the Tinman, as would her sisters. But she figured that flirting with her companions was better than remembering what happened when they landed in Oz. Those tall, stiletto heels of her ruby shoes were still covered with gook from landing on the chest of the new Wicked Witch of the East after Paige had landed on top of him, knocking him to the ground.
And Phoebe still shuddered when she remembered the Wicked Witch of the West demanding, “Who killed my brother?”
She was SO glad that Paige knew the movie well enough to be able to remind him that his magic didn’t work in Munchkinland and to get out before someone’s stiletto heels landed on him!
But he still wanted her shoes! Naturally he didn't want them so he could wear them--well, at least she didn't THINK he would want to wear them. Certainly her younger nephew wouldn’t want to wear them...well, at least she didn’t THINK he would. So if her nephew wouldn't wear them, certainly that Wicked Witch of the West wouldn't want to wear them, even if he still wanted their magic.
Well, no way was she going to let him have them! Maybe she didn't know the movie as well as Paige did, but she certainly knew that she and her sisters needed those high-heeled shoes to get back to the San Francisco!
Prue, she meant Glinda, HAD to be right! Once they took care of the Wizard and she used the shoes to bring them home, certainly both of her nephews would be their cute little, sweet little, adorable, GOOD little charming selves! They HAD to! If not, when the truce was over and Piper had her explosion powers back... well, Phoebe didn’t want to think about it!
And certainly Coop, Henry and Leo would be back, too, and Coop would never know about her flirting with three imaginary characters, right?
Piper was just glad that they had finally reached the Emerald City, which Phoebe thought was the shiniest bunch of buildings she’d ever seen. They were able to talk their way into the city when Paige told the guard that Phoebe was wearing the high-heeled stilettos that the Good Witch of The North gave her. Both Phoebe and Paige were disappointed that unlike the movie, they were NOT led to a place where they could freshen up, the Wash and Brush Up Company. Phoebe was looking forward to her permanent and Paige wanted them to dye her lips to match her bright green dress. Piper very simply wanted to get this done and over with so she could go back home and be sure that her sons were all right.
Now they stood in front of the Palace of the Wizard of Oz, where another guard stood. Once more Paige tried to use her movie knowledge. “Please, sir,” she said. “We’re here to see the Wizard. Look, she’s the Good Witch’s Phoebe. She’s even wearing the ruby stilettos that the Good Witch gave her.”
“Tough,” the guard replied. “New orders from the New Wizard. No people coming from the Good Witch of the North allowed in to see the Wizard. And not the Good Witch of the South either! The Wizard has watched the movie, too!”
“Look,” Piper threatened, raising her hands. “Either get us in to see this Wizard or I’ll, I'll…”
“You will what?” the guard asked, but of course, there wasn’t anything that Piper could do, and again she grumbled about not having her powers.
Phoebe tried a different approach. She slinked up to the guard, putting her new high-heeled shoes to their absolutely best use--showing off her legs, and whispered into the guard’s ear. What she whispered, we’ll never know for sure, but whatever it was, it worked. Even as the Tinman glared at Phoebe, the guard opened the door and the little band of adventurers walked on in.
CHAPTER FOUR
The Charmed Ones and their three companions made their way down the long dark, deep-green hall, even creepier than it was in the movie, because it was they who were walking down it! The poor Lion looked absolutely terrified, but when Kit began walking down the hall, well, he couldn’t let a HOUSECAT of all things show him up, so picking up Kit with one arm and holding onto Paige’s arm with the other, he was the one who led them down the hall.
Maybe the Tinman didn’t think he had a heart, but Phoebe could swear she could hear it thunking against his tin chest as loudly as her own.
The Scarecrow kept patting Pipers arm reassuringly, while she kept insisting that he knocked it off. If ONLY she still had her powers! Then she could just threaten to blow the Wizard to kingdom come if he didn’t give them back their men and her sons, and this whole thing would be over! Darn that Angel of Destiny and darn Prue, she meant that Witch of the North!
As they drew close to the throne, the Scarecrow reminded her, “All we have to do is perform whatever task the Wizard asks and you can go home and your husband and sons will be safely there waiting for you. If the Good Witch of the North says so, then it must be so,” and Piper just hoped he was right. She also hoped that task wouldn't include killing the Wicked Witch of the West--at least killing the wicked witch who looked so much like the good version of Wyatt had been an accident! No way could she purposely melt someone who looked so much like her younger son!
They finally reached the throne, which continuously exploded with fire, just like the movie. Piper immediately looked to both sides. Like Phoebe, she didn’t know the movie as well as Paige did, but she certainly knew about that man behind the curtain, pretending to be a wizard. If that Witch of the North was wrong and there really was such a man…
Unfortunately there wasn’t, and when the huge head of the new Wizard appeared, all three sisters screamed. The huge head looked exactly like the ugly scarred head of the Source of All Evil!
“But we vanquished you!” Phoebe insisted, unable to believe her eyes.
He gave them a sinister grin. “And guess where you vanquished me to. My little plan worked perfectly. All three of you fell for it and came here of your own free will, and although you don’t have YOUR powers, I still have mine!”
“Phoebe!” yelled Piper. “The slippers! Now!”
“Piper, no!” begged Paige. “Henry! Leo! Coop! Your boys!”
“Will all be back at the Manor,” Piper insisted as she finally put all the clues together. “Didn’t you hear him? He tricked us! That wasn’t Prue and it wasn’t Glinda the Good Witch of the North and those wicked witches were not my sons. They were all just illusions meant to draw us here. Just like our husbands not answering our calls. But the shoes are what brought us here, so they must be real. Now, Phoebe, click those heels right now!
But even after Phoebe clicked her heels three times and chanted, “Get us outta here! Get us outta here! Get us outta here!” they were still all there.
The Wizard/Source smirked, asking, “You didn’t really think those shoes would work, now did you? When she clicked them before, you thought you were going to Oz, to me, the so-called Wizard of Oz, so here you are!"
Waving his arms, there was a huge blast of fire, momentarily blinding the sisters. When they could see again, the room was no longer green, but bright orangish-red, filled with the odor of eau de brimstone. The Scarecrow, the Tinman and the Lion were all gone. So was Kit.
The Wizard/Source laughed. “You came here of your own free will and here you will stay forever! Charmed Ones, welcome to Hell, your new and eternal home!”
The End!
It was a quiet day at the Manor.
All was peaceful in the Halliwell household. It had been several months since Leo had been returned by the Angel of Destiny and normality had resumed for the Halliwell sisters. Piper worked in her restaurant /club and Leo was retraining in current medical practices. Phoebe was continuing with her fabulous career and enjoying life with her very own Cupid. Paige and Henry lived close by, their own lives filled with the daily routine of social work and probation work.
Today, the sisters sat around having brunch while their husbands took Chris and Wyatt out for a ball game.
“I miss this,” said Paige looking at her sisters over a large mug of coffee.
“What, having good home-cooked food?” asked Piper, teasing her about her lack of domesticity.
Paige stuck her tongue out. “No, I mean this! Us! Together! Talking and you know, planning stuff!”
Phoebe sighed. “I know what you mean,” she said mournfully. “Sometimes…” She paused and sighed again.
Piper frowned and pursed her lips.
“You'll get wrinkles, Phoebe warned.
“I'll get Botox,” Piper snapped. She stared at her sisters. “Do you mean to tell me that you actually miss demon hunting? That you want to go back to the old days? That you want to risk your lives again?”
“No, no!” both Paige and Phoebe exclaimed, warily eyeing Piper's hands . “It’s just that…” began Paige.
“Sometimes…” Phoebe made clear.
“…there are times…” Paige continued.
...when quite frankly, it’s a bit boring!” Phoebe finished.
Piper sighed. “I do know what you mean,” she said quietly. “I mean, did they have to bind all our powers to enable the truce? It'd be so handy for Leo if he could still heal! And if I could still blast and freeze, well, looking after kids AND work would be so much easier...”
Paige looked wistfully at her sisters. “I miss orbing.”
Phoebe looked at them. “I miss knowing what's gonna happen. I miss the intuition - when I write advice now, it feels like half my heart has gone - that I'm only working on half power!”
Paige sniffed. “I miss orbing things. I miss fixing things.”
They both looked at Piper. “Well…” she began. “I miss having powers too! But we can't do anything about it. There's a truce!” She folded her arms and looked sternly at her sisters. “You just have to live with it!”
Paige rolled her eyes. “Who died and made her the boss?” she hissed at Phoebe.
“Well...Prue, obviously,” Phoebe whispered back.
“What's that?” Piper sniped.
“Nothing,” Phoebe smiled sweetly at Piper. She knew the power that used to be contained in a single hand gesture of Piper's, and that knowledge hadn't worn off yet.
“Well, the Angel of Destiny said that we had to lose our powers for the truce to work properly! There is no alternative! I'm not having my family put in danger just because you're both bored!” Piper declared.
At this, the air in the kitchen began to twinkle, and a shower of bright lights appeared. The sisters gaped in amazement. “Ohhhhh” they gasped.
“Shiny,” Phoebe whispered to herself.
“A whitelighter,” Paige whispered.
“A problem,” Piper muttered.
CHAPTER TWO
A shapely woman stood before them, long black hair cascading to her shoulders. She smiled brightly at the sisters. “Thank you,” she flashed bright white teeth at them. “It’s so nice to see you all.”
“PRUE!” cried Piper. “What are YOU doing here?”
“And,” cried Phoebe. “What are you doing dressed in PINK?”
“But that orange lipstick matches perfectly!’ added Paige, smiling with her own orange-painted lips.
Indeed their visitor looked just like the oldest Halliwell sister, but no one had ever seen her dressed in florescent baby-pink with different-colored sparkles sprinkled all over the gown. Sparkles that were now littering Piper’s freshly-waxed kitchen floor, making Piper glare. On the visitor's head was a sparkly crown and in her hand was a glittery silver wand, the glitters also littering Piper's floor.
She shook her head. “No, I am not Prue. My name is Glinda.”
“Glinda?” cried Paige. “As in the Good Witch of the North?”
“Ah,” their visitor smiled. “Someone still remembers me!”
“Wait!” cried Piper. “You are NOT a fictional character from some movie! You are my big sister.”
“No, I am not. I am indeed the Witch of the North from the Land of Oz.
Piper rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. And I’m the Wizard of Oz!”
“No, you are not. The original Wizard of Oz left many years ago, but now there is a new one, and he's not the same as the other one."
"I know!" cried Paige. "He's a very good man, but a very bad wizard!"
Their visitor shook her head. "No, not this one. This one is a very good wizard, but a very bad man. You three must come with me back to Oz and stop him.”
“But we can’t,” Piper pointed out. “We no longer have our powers.
“And you thought that Dorothy Gale from Kansas had powers?” Glinda/Prue demanded with a roll of her beautiful blue eyes. “Anyone who was not born in Oz and has powers cannot enter the Land of Oz.”
“Adventure!” cried Phoebe.
“Getting to fix things!” cried Paige. “In the Land of Oz!”
“With lots of shiny things!” added Phoebe who had also watched the movie.
“And lots of bad things,” Piper reminded them. “Including a wicked wizard who DOES have powers!” She turned to their visitor. “Look. We're all married now and I have two boys. We cannot just go running off to some land that doesn’t even exist just because my sisters are bored.”
Glinda smiled a strange un-Prue-like smile that piqued Piper’s suspicions. “Well, what if I told you that the Wicked Wizard of Oz has kidnapped your husbands and kidnapped your sons?”
“I would say you’re full of it,” Piper retorted. “They all went to the ballgame.”
“Did they?” Glinda asked.
Just to prove this Prue-look-alike wrong (something Piper had never been able to do to her big sister), Piper whipped out her cell phone and called Leo’s number.
There was no answer.
She looked at her sisters. Paige pulled out HER cell phone and tried calling Henry.
There was no answer.
“I can find Coop,” Phoebe insisted. “We're one. Where I am, he is,” and she called out her husband’s name.
But this time, no Coop appeared.
“Believe me now?” asked Glinda/Prue, smiling sweetly.
“Very well,” Piper grudgingly agreed. "But how do we get rid of this Wizard?"
"I know!" cried Paige. "We just have to get to the Emerald City, get past the guard and then perform some task for him."
Again Glinda/Prue smiled that strange smile. "Yes, all you have to do is reach the Wizard."
"Well, at least we don't have to worry about the Wicked Witch of the West and the Wicked Witch of the East," Paige pointed out. "Dorothy killed them. I'm guessing that she vanquished them."
"Yes she did," agreed Glinda/Prue. "Many, many years ago. But they've been replaced by two brothers and they're worse than the sisters!"
“Well, there is no way we are going to kill anyone by dropping our house on them," Piper insisted, still not happy with this whole situation.
"I am not going to go anywhere via tornado!" Phoebe agreed. "Do you know what tornadoes do to your hair?? The Manor must stay right here!
“No, I have a port-key here for you,” replied the Witch of the North. She waved her silver wand and immediately ruby slippers appeared on Phoebe’s feet.
“Shiny!” cried Phoebe. “But slippers?”
“Sure,” insisted Paige. “Dorothy Gale wore slippers.”
“But Dorothy Gale was a teenager!” wailed Phoebe. “Do you know how short I feel without my heels?”
Again the Witch of the North smiled that same smile that had bugged Piper earlier. “Very well”, and she waved her wand again. Rather than wearing ruby slippers, Phoebe was now wearing ruby stilettos.
“Perfect!” exclaimed Phoebe, admiring her new high-heeled shoes.
Piper rolled her eyes. “Please don’t tell me that we have to chant, ‘There’s no place like home’.”
“But that’s what Dorothy chanted!” Paige protested.
Piper glared at her youngest sister. “How many times do I have to tell you? We are NOT Dorothy Gale!”
The Witch smiled. “No, you are not, and no, you will not have to chant the same words. If Phoebe simply clicks her heels three times and says, ‘Take us back home,’ the shoes will return here.”
Phoebe gave her a look. “Can’t I just say, ‘Get us outta here’?”
Again the Witch smiled that strange smile. “If you wish, but there’s no guarantee where they will take you.”
Piper sighed unhappily. “Very well. I don’t like this one bit, but if it means getting our husbands and my sons back, I guess we have to. But if we stop this Wicked Wizard of Oz of yours and we come back here to the Manor, our men and my sons will be here waiting for us, right?”
Glinda/Prue nodded. “Yes, that is exactly right.”
Piper sighed again. “Very well. Start clicking your heels, Phoebe. It sounds like were going to Oz.”
CHAPTER THREE
Well, it took them quite a while, but the three sisters finally made it to the Palace of the Wizard of Oz in the Emerald City. Piper still couldn’t believe that they actually had a Scarecrow, a Tinman and a Lion as companions or the fact that each companion bore a strange resemblance to someone she knew, the same way the Wicked Witch of the East and the Wicked Witch of the West they met in Munchkinland looked too much like the grown-up versions of her sons.
No! She wouldn’t think about that! All three of their companions kept insisting that they had never met them before and that they both always lived in Oz, and Piper had to believe that they were right.
Those two could NOT be her sons, no matter HOW much the new Wicked Witch of the West looked and sounded like the grownup version of her younger son!
Despite what had happened back in Munchkinland, Paige thought the whole thing was cool. Even though Piper kept grumbling over the fact that if they still had their powers, Paige could’ve just orbed them to the Emerald City, Paige was thoroughly enjoying watching her favorite childhood movie come to life. And after all, Dorothy got back to Kansas, didn’t she? So that certainly meant that they would get back to San Francisco, right? Or better, just like Dorothy in the movie, this was just a dream, right? So why not enjoy it while she was dreaming it, right?
Paige kept trying to convince the Scarecrow that he was actually quite wise, the Tinman that he was truly quite sentimental and the Lion that he was as brave as any of them, but they refused to believe her. When she told them about the degree in Thinkology the original Wizard gave the original Scarecrow, the testimonial given to the Tinman and the medal given to the Lion, they just rolled their eyes and wanted to know how anyone could’ve been fooled by crap like that.
What Paige found the most cool, though, was the fact that Kit appeared before them as soon as they landed in Oz. Rather than accompanied by a little dog, like the one who had followed Dorothy, they were being led by their Siamese cat, who somehow seemed to know exactly where to go. Kit's appearance made it easier to forget the results of their landing in Oz--Paige was SO sure that 'little incident' wouldn’t happen since they didn’t take the Manor with them!
During the entire journey, Phoebe promptly forgot who each companion reminded her of and instead flirted shamelessly with each one, even when all three would glare at her, even the Tinman, as would her sisters. But she figured that flirting with her companions was better than remembering what happened when they landed in Oz. Those tall, stiletto heels of her ruby shoes were still covered with gook from landing on the chest of the new Wicked Witch of the East after Paige had landed on top of him, knocking him to the ground.
And Phoebe still shuddered when she remembered the Wicked Witch of the West demanding, “Who killed my brother?”
She was SO glad that Paige knew the movie well enough to be able to remind him that his magic didn’t work in Munchkinland and to get out before someone’s stiletto heels landed on him!
But he still wanted her shoes! Naturally he didn't want them so he could wear them--well, at least she didn't THINK he would want to wear them. Certainly her younger nephew wouldn’t want to wear them...well, at least she didn’t THINK he would. So if her nephew wouldn't wear them, certainly that Wicked Witch of the West wouldn't want to wear them, even if he still wanted their magic.
Well, no way was she going to let him have them! Maybe she didn't know the movie as well as Paige did, but she certainly knew that she and her sisters needed those high-heeled shoes to get back to the San Francisco!
Prue, she meant Glinda, HAD to be right! Once they took care of the Wizard and she used the shoes to bring them home, certainly both of her nephews would be their cute little, sweet little, adorable, GOOD little charming selves! They HAD to! If not, when the truce was over and Piper had her explosion powers back... well, Phoebe didn’t want to think about it!
And certainly Coop, Henry and Leo would be back, too, and Coop would never know about her flirting with three imaginary characters, right?
Piper was just glad that they had finally reached the Emerald City, which Phoebe thought was the shiniest bunch of buildings she’d ever seen. They were able to talk their way into the city when Paige told the guard that Phoebe was wearing the high-heeled stilettos that the Good Witch of The North gave her. Both Phoebe and Paige were disappointed that unlike the movie, they were NOT led to a place where they could freshen up, the Wash and Brush Up Company. Phoebe was looking forward to her permanent and Paige wanted them to dye her lips to match her bright green dress. Piper very simply wanted to get this done and over with so she could go back home and be sure that her sons were all right.
Now they stood in front of the Palace of the Wizard of Oz, where another guard stood. Once more Paige tried to use her movie knowledge. “Please, sir,” she said. “We’re here to see the Wizard. Look, she’s the Good Witch’s Phoebe. She’s even wearing the ruby stilettos that the Good Witch gave her.”
“Tough,” the guard replied. “New orders from the New Wizard. No people coming from the Good Witch of the North allowed in to see the Wizard. And not the Good Witch of the South either! The Wizard has watched the movie, too!”
“Look,” Piper threatened, raising her hands. “Either get us in to see this Wizard or I’ll, I'll…”
“You will what?” the guard asked, but of course, there wasn’t anything that Piper could do, and again she grumbled about not having her powers.
Phoebe tried a different approach. She slinked up to the guard, putting her new high-heeled shoes to their absolutely best use--showing off her legs, and whispered into the guard’s ear. What she whispered, we’ll never know for sure, but whatever it was, it worked. Even as the Tinman glared at Phoebe, the guard opened the door and the little band of adventurers walked on in.
CHAPTER FOUR
The Charmed Ones and their three companions made their way down the long dark, deep-green hall, even creepier than it was in the movie, because it was they who were walking down it! The poor Lion looked absolutely terrified, but when Kit began walking down the hall, well, he couldn’t let a HOUSECAT of all things show him up, so picking up Kit with one arm and holding onto Paige’s arm with the other, he was the one who led them down the hall.
Maybe the Tinman didn’t think he had a heart, but Phoebe could swear she could hear it thunking against his tin chest as loudly as her own.
The Scarecrow kept patting Pipers arm reassuringly, while she kept insisting that he knocked it off. If ONLY she still had her powers! Then she could just threaten to blow the Wizard to kingdom come if he didn’t give them back their men and her sons, and this whole thing would be over! Darn that Angel of Destiny and darn Prue, she meant that Witch of the North!
As they drew close to the throne, the Scarecrow reminded her, “All we have to do is perform whatever task the Wizard asks and you can go home and your husband and sons will be safely there waiting for you. If the Good Witch of the North says so, then it must be so,” and Piper just hoped he was right. She also hoped that task wouldn't include killing the Wicked Witch of the West--at least killing the wicked witch who looked so much like the good version of Wyatt had been an accident! No way could she purposely melt someone who looked so much like her younger son!
They finally reached the throne, which continuously exploded with fire, just like the movie. Piper immediately looked to both sides. Like Phoebe, she didn’t know the movie as well as Paige did, but she certainly knew about that man behind the curtain, pretending to be a wizard. If that Witch of the North was wrong and there really was such a man…
Unfortunately there wasn’t, and when the huge head of the new Wizard appeared, all three sisters screamed. The huge head looked exactly like the ugly scarred head of the Source of All Evil!
“But we vanquished you!” Phoebe insisted, unable to believe her eyes.
He gave them a sinister grin. “And guess where you vanquished me to. My little plan worked perfectly. All three of you fell for it and came here of your own free will, and although you don’t have YOUR powers, I still have mine!”
“Phoebe!” yelled Piper. “The slippers! Now!”
“Piper, no!” begged Paige. “Henry! Leo! Coop! Your boys!”
“Will all be back at the Manor,” Piper insisted as she finally put all the clues together. “Didn’t you hear him? He tricked us! That wasn’t Prue and it wasn’t Glinda the Good Witch of the North and those wicked witches were not my sons. They were all just illusions meant to draw us here. Just like our husbands not answering our calls. But the shoes are what brought us here, so they must be real. Now, Phoebe, click those heels right now!
But even after Phoebe clicked her heels three times and chanted, “Get us outta here! Get us outta here! Get us outta here!” they were still all there.
The Wizard/Source smirked, asking, “You didn’t really think those shoes would work, now did you? When she clicked them before, you thought you were going to Oz, to me, the so-called Wizard of Oz, so here you are!"
Waving his arms, there was a huge blast of fire, momentarily blinding the sisters. When they could see again, the room was no longer green, but bright orangish-red, filled with the odor of eau de brimstone. The Scarecrow, the Tinman and the Lion were all gone. So was Kit.
The Wizard/Source laughed. “You came here of your own free will and here you will stay forever! Charmed Ones, welcome to Hell, your new and eternal home!”
The End!