Munchkin 'Cisco (Sequel to The Unwonderful Wizard)

[noazmale]

THIRTEEN

“Wait a minute,” said Piper. “You’re the Mystic Warlock. You’re the one who’s supposed to be able to control fantasy magic. What do you mean you can’t do anything?”

“Too much of reality still exists for me to get any control over the magic,” said Jerrod. “Remember I told you I have very little power in the real world. The reality that still exists is sort of grounding me out; keeping me from creating a stable connection.”

“What if we helped?” Paige asked. “You could use your power to reverse your spell and we could use a Power of Three spell to try the same thing. You would affect the fantasy while we would work on reality. That’s an awful lot of power. Maybe it would overwhelm the change and reset everything.”

“No, it wouldn’t,” said Jerrod. “First, we can’t combine our power like that. Yours is good while mine is evil. They are diametrically opposed to each other. More than likely they would simply cancel each other out.”

“He’s right,” said Leo. “The only reason the three of you can cast a Power of Three spell is because you’re blood sisters. That’s what allows you to combine your powers into one single extremely potent spell.”

“It might exert unusual force on the magic,” said Jerrod. “But at most it might delay the change by only a few minutes. It wouldn’t be enough to stop it completely.”

“That would be a few more minutes than we have right now,” said Piper. “It will give us more time to come up with a permanent solution.”

“Us maybe, not you,” Jerrod said.

“What does that mean?” Phoebe asked.

“It means,” said Jerrod, “that I cast the spell. So I’ll be one of the last to be affected by it. Your precognitive ability is what protected you in the first place. Presumably it’s also what’s protecting you this time. Plus you’re the main character. That means you’ll be protected a little bit longer than I will.

“But a Power of Three spell would require you to call on the magic that’s protecting your sisters. They would no longer have that protection and that means they would convert to their characters as soon as the spell was cast.”

“Isn’t there anything we can do?” Leo asked.

“Not under the circumstances,” said Jerrod. “If I were the last one to be converted I might be able to stop it then. But Phoebe’s the main character. That means she’ll be the last one to be affected. I’ll be converted a few minutes before she is. Long after the four of you have taken your places. But I won’t be able to establish control before I’m converted. And there’s nothing I can do to stop it.”

“Stop saying that,” said Piper, almost totally frustrated.

“So that’s it?” Cole asked. “All we can do is stand here and wait to become fictitious characters in a make believe world?”

“Oh, it will be quite real, I assure you,” said Jerrod. “It’s no longer a fantasy. This is going to be reality from now on, such as it is.”

“I can’t believe it,’ said Phoebe. “Isn’t there any magic we can use?”

“In the movie,” said Jerrod, “there are the ruby slippers, the wizard, and the two witches. In that order. There are no Elders, nor any underworld, nor any other magical beings. That’s what our reality has been transformed into. Once the conversion is complete there won’t be anyone left who remembers the way it’s supposed to be.”

“I won’t accept that,” said Phoebe. “There’s always something we can do.”

“I guess not this time, Dorothy,” said Leo. “If the wizard says there’s nothing we can do then I guess he’s right.”

Phoebe looked at Leo. He was no longer her White Lighter or Piper’s husband. He had converted completely to the cowardly lion from the movie. The character he had become when the warlock had attacked the first time.

She looked at the others. Cole was now the scarecrow, Piper had changed into Glinda, the good witch, and Paige had converted to the Wicked Witch of the West. Phoebe knew it was probably only a matter of minutes before the magic changed her and Jerrod forever.

“For what it’s worth,” said Jerrod, “I am sorry. You may not believe me and I can’t blame you if you don’t, but I am. This is way more than I ever figured on.”

“Me, too,” said Phoebe. “In a few minutes you’ll be gone and I’ll be by myself. At least I won’t last long. And my whole family is with me. I guess Dorothy was right. There’s no place like home.”

“What did you just say?” Jerrod asked.

“There’s no place like home,” said Phoebe. “You know. Probably the best known line in the movie.”

“Of course,” said Jerrod, putting both hands to his forehead as if suddenly remembering something. “I’m such an idiot.”

“What?” Phoebe asked. “What is it?”

“The ruby slippers,” said Jerrod. “We can still beat this but only if we have the slippers.”

Phoebe began to look around for the slippers but they were nowhere to be seen. She could only think of one reason for that. They were no longer there. The fantasy magic was now nearly complete.

[noazmale]

FOURTEEN

“They’re not here,” said Phoebe frantically looking around. “It’s too late. The magic must have all ready affected them.”

“That’s not possible,” said Jerrod. “They belong in this reality. No matter what happens they should still be here. When I tried to use them before I dropped them from the backlash of the magic. So they have to be around here somewhere. We have to find them. There are only a few moments left.”

“Hurry,” Phoebe said to everyone else, “help us find the slippers. There isn’t a moment to loose.”

Everyone spread out and began to search for the slippers. But the slippers were nowhere to be found. It was as if they had vanished into thin air. Suddenly Phoebe noticed Paige. Paige seemed to be only glancing around, not really looking that hard. And she kept her right arm crossed over her stomach as if holding something in her arm.

“I think I found them,” said Phoebe, grabbing Paige by the arm. “Come on. Hand them over.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Paige trying to pull away.

“We don’t have time for this,” said Phoebe as she struggled with Paige. “We’ve only got a minute or two left. Give me the slippers before it’s too late.”

As Phoebe and Paige struggled one of the slippers suddenly fell out of Paige’s dress and clattered to the street. Jerrod picked up the slipper.

“They’re mine,” cried Paige. “They belonged to my sister. You killed her for them. They belong to me.”

“Give her the slipper,” said Jerrod forcefully.

Paige suddenly relented handing the second slipper to Paige.

“She sees me as the wizard,” said Jerrod smiling. He handed the slipper he had picked up off the ground to Phoebe. “Here. You have to use these to reset everything.”

“I thought the slippers had to be given freely,” said Phoebe. “How was she able to pick the slippers up?”

“Because I dropped them,” said Jerrod. “Once that happens they don’t belong to anyone. So that allowed her to pick them up.”

“But once she picked them up didn’t they belong to her?” Phoebe asked. “How could you pick that one up once she dropped it?”

“You want me to explain everything or you want to get back to the real world?” Jerrod asked.

“Point taken,” said Phoebe. “So how are you going to use them to reverse everything?”

“Not me, you,” said Jerrod. “I can’t do it, you have to.”

“Me?” cried Phoebe. “I can’t. I don’t have any special control over fantasy magic. You’re supposed to be the Mystic Warlock.”

“But I can’t do it,” said Jerrod. “Don’t you see? There’s only one way to correct everything. You have to bring the magic full circle. In the movie you used a Power of Three spell to get out. You never used the slippers as Dorothy did plus you took the slippers out of the movie.”

“Yeah, so?” Phoebe asked.

“So,” said Jerrod, “the movie can’t end until that happens. It’s how Dorothy returns to Kansas. Until she does the movie is still playing in the fantasy world. You have to use the slippers to get out of Oz and back to Kansas. That brings Dorothy back to where it all started.”

“But how will that help?” Phoebe asked. “Even if I do that I’ll just return to Kansas in the movie. And that’s still in the fantasy world.”

“Yes,” said Jerrod, “but a fantasy without the magic of Oz. Even though it’s a fantasy it’s a non-magical fantasy. The ‘real world’ within the fantasy. The magic of Oz will no longer exist and this reality will reset itself to the ‘reality’ of the fantasy Kansas.”

“But how does that help?” Phoebe asked.

“Once the magic of Oz is gone,” said Jerrod, “the real world will begin to reassert itself. In fact, the fantasy magic should help facilitate the change. Even the fantasy magic will be trying to reset everything to the ‘real’ world.”

“What about them?” Phoebe asked, looking at the others. “How do I get them out of this?”

“You don’t have to,” said Jerrod. “Once reality is reset they’ll return to normal. But you have to hurry while you still remember what to do.”

“But what can I do?” Phoebe asked. “How do I use the magic of the ruby slippers?”

“The same way Dorothy did,” said Jerrod. “You use them to return to Kansas. Just like she did in the movie. You click your heels together three times and say ‘there’s no place like home’. That’s all there is to it.”

Phoebe looked at Jerrod in surprise. He had suddenly changed. He was now wearing the same outlandish clothes the wizard had worn in the movie.

“Hurry,” pleased Jerrod. “There’s no time left.”

Phoebe knew it could be a trick. For all she knew this would protect the warlock without affecting anyone else. It could be one last effort on his part to get their powers. But she also knew she was out of time. And out of options. As quickly as she could she put the slippers on her feet. Then she clicked the heels together three times.

“There’s no place like home,’ Phoebe said. “There’s no place like home.”

As Phoebe repeated the phrase over and over again she felt herself begin to slip away and Dorothy become stronger.

[noazmale]

FIFTEEN

Phoebe opened her eyes and looked around. She was lying on the sofa in the living room of the manor. Piper and Paige sat on the edge of the sofa next to her. Leo, Cole, and Darryl stood behind the sofa. Jerrod was no place to be seen.

“What’s going on?” Darryl asked looking around. “The last thing I remember was filling out a report at my desk. The next thing I know I’m standing here. What the hell just happened?”

“It must have worked,” said Phoebe. “Everything seems to be back to normal.”

“What worked?” Paige asked. “The last thing I remember is fighting with you over the slippers. It was like watching myself in a movie. I could see everything that was going on but I couldn’t do anything about it.”

Phoebe filled them all in on what had happened after the magic had altered them.

“Well,” said Cole, looking out the window, “it seems like everything is back to normal. I guess Jerrod was right about using those slippers.”

“The slippers,” said Phoebe, looking at her feet. She found herself wearing the same shoes she had been wearing before the whole ordeal had started. “They’re gone.”

“Of course they are,” said Cole. “They would have stayed in the Land of Oz where they belong. Dorothy didn’t bring them out when she returned to Kansas. So there’s no reason they shouldn’t have done the same thing this time.”

“You mean it was all real?” Darryl asked. “That story Phoebe told us a few months ago about being sucked into the movie?”

“Apparently so,” said Piper.

“I guess that explains the metallic taste in my mouth,” said Darryl.

“I thought we were goners,” said Phoebe. “I wasn’t sure using the slippers would actually work.”

“Obviously they did,” said Piper. “And with them gone for good we shouldn’t have to worry about it happening again.”

“Good,” said Paige. “That witches dress was not flattering on me at all.”

“I wonder what happened to Jerrod,” said Phoebe. “I wonder if he got out this time or if he got stuck in the fantasy world.”

“It would serve him right if he got stuck in there,” said Piper. “He started this whole thing to begin with. Good riddance I say.”

“Well, he did help us get out,” said Phoebe. “You gotta give him credit for that.”

“I’m being summoned,” Leo said. “They probably want to know what happened.”

“I need to get going, too,” said Darryl. “I have no idea how I’m going to explain this.”

“I’ll drop you off,” said Leo. “With a little luck maybe no one noticed anything unusual.”

As Leo and Darryl orbed out of the manor, Piper and Paige headed for the kitchen. Phoebe sat on the sofa with Cole thinking. She wondered if she would ever learn Jerrod’s fate. Or if he would ever come back to finish what he had started.

* * *

Phoebe sat up with a start. She was in her bed. Cole lay sleeping next to her. Across the room Jerrod sat in a chair.

“Hello, Phoebe,” Jerrod said.

“How?” Phoebe questioned looking at Cole.

“I’m in your dream,” said Jerrod. “That’s why Cole isn’t waking up. Don’t worry. I’m not here to harm you.”

“What do you want?” Phoebe asked.

“I just wanted to thank you,” said Jerrod. “For trusting me. No one’s ever done that before. It felt strangely good.”

“I didn’t have much choice,” said Phoebe. “We were out of time and options.”

“Be that as it may,” said Jerrod, “you chose to trust me. I felt I should thank you for that.”

“So what now?” Phoebe asked. “Another plan to kill us and steal our powers?”

“I don’t think so,” said Jerrod. “I’ve tried twice and failed. But I’m still alive. No small feat considering whom I was up against. Most of my contemporaries don’t survive even one encounter with you. I consider myself extremely fortunate. I don’t think I want to press my luck a third time. I’ll just have to find some other way to accomplish my goals.”

“That’s good,” said Phoebe. “Next time we’d have to vanquish you.”

“No next time,” said Jerrod. “But you helped give me some new insight into fantasy magic. Who knows? I may be able to learn to control it completely yet.”

“Probably not a good idea,” said Phoebe.

“Hey, I gotta give it a shot,” said Jerrod. “I’m glad things worked out the way they did. I’m glad I got the chance to know you.”

“All the same,” said Phoebe, “let’s make it a good long time before your next visit, shall we?”

“No problem there,” said Jerrod. “I doubt your sisters would be too thrilled to see me again.”

“You got that right,” said Phoebe.

“You know,” said Jerrod. “I could have left you all in that fantasy world. If I had used the slippers instead of you I would have been returned to reality but you would have been left behind.”

“So why didn’t you?” Phoebe asked.

“I honestly don’t know,” said Jerrod. “It just didn’t feel right to do that. I can’t really explain it to myself so it’s not easy to explain to someone else.”

“Maybe you’re developing a conscience,” said Phoebe.

“Heavens I hope not,” said Jerrod smiling. “That’s one luxury I can’t afford.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” said Phoebe.

“Goodbye, Phoebe Halliwell,” said Jerrod. “It has been a rare pleasure. Under other circumstances we might even have been friends.”

“Maybe,” said Phoebe. “We’ll probably never know.”

“Probably not,” said Jerrod. “Well, I should be going. Once I’m gone your dream will return to what it was supposed to be. But you’ll remember I was here. A little memento from me.”

“Thanks,” said Phoebe.

She found herself talking to no one. Jarred had suddenly vanished from the chair. Phoebe settled back into the bed waiting for the real dream to kick in. As she did she thought about Jerrod. For a warlock, he wasn’t such a bad guy. As she seemed to drift off she began to wonder when she started thinking of a mortal enemy as a potential friend.

The End

If you’ve enjoyed this story, you can find more “Charmed” stories at my website, www.geocities.com/killeenmale/. You can also post your own “Charmed” stories if you like to write fan fiction.