The Cyclone Arrives

On the gray Kansas prairie, Uncle Henry sees the sky turn threatening and warns Aunt Em of an approaching cyclone. He runs to tend the livestock while Aunt Em, terrified, urges Dorothy to hurry into the cyclone cellar. Toto, Dorothy's little black dog, hides under the bed, and Dorothy stops to catch him. Before she can reach the trap door, the house is lifted by the tremendous force of the north and south winds meeting, and it begins to whirl through the air. Dorothy feels herself rising as if in a balloon, and the house is carried miles away, rocking gently at the top of the cyclone. This event establishes the central premise of the story: Dorothy's involuntary departure from her drab home and her entry into the magical Land of Oz.