The Return to the Emerald City via Winged Monkeys

After the Wicked Witch of the West had been melted and the Tin Woodman and Scarecrow rescued, Dorothy and her companions set out from the Yellow Castle to return to the Emerald City and claim the promises Oz had made them. There was no road or pathway between the Witch's castle and the Emerald City, and the travelers, knowing they must go straight east toward the rising sun, started off in the right direction. But at noon, when the sun was directly overhead, they lost all sense of east and west and became hopelessly lost in the great fields of buttercups and yellow daisies. Day after day passed with nothing before them but the scarlet fields, and the Scarecrow began to grumble, the Tin Woodman declared he could scarcely wait to get his heart, and the Cowardly Lion whimpered that he lacked the courage to tramp forever without getting anywhere. Dorothy herself lost heart, and even Toto was too tired to chase a butterfly. It was Dorothy who remembered the field mice and blew the little whistle the Queen of the Field Mice had given her. The Queen appeared at once and, noticing the Golden Cap on Dorothy's head, asked why she did not use its charm to call the Winged Monkeys, who could carry them to the City of Oz in less than an hour. Dorothy had not known the Cap contained a charm, but the Queen explained that the words were written inside and then hurried away, warning that the Monkeys were full of mischief and would plague the mice. Dorothy looked inside the Golden Cap, read the directions carefully, and put it on her head. Standing on her left foot, she said, "Ep-pe, pep-pe, kak-ke!"; then on her right foot, "Hil-lo, hol-lo, hel-lo!"; and finally on both feet, "Ziz-zy, zuz-zy, zik!" The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman were puzzled by her strange words, but immediately a great chattering and flapping of wings filled the air as the band of Winged Monkeys flew up to them. The King bowed low before Dorothy and asked for her command. She told him they wished to go to the Emerald City, having lost their way. The King replied, "We will carry you," and no sooner had he spoken than two of the Monkeys caught Dorothy in their arms and flew away with her. Others took the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Lion, and one little Monkey seized Toto and flew after them, though the dog tried hard to bite him. The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman were frightened at first, remembering how badly the Monkeys had treated them before, but they soon saw that no harm was intended and rode through the air cheerfully, enjoying the view of the pretty gardens and woods far below. Dorothy found herself riding easily between two of the biggest Monkeys, one of them the King himself, who had made a chair of their hands and were careful not to hurt her. As they flew, Dorothy asked the King why the Monkeys had to obey the charm of the Golden Cap, and the King told her the long story of Gayelette and Quelala, explaining how the Monkeys had been bound to serve the owner of the Cap three times. When the King finished his story, Dorothy looked down and saw the green, shining walls of the Emerald City before them. She wondered at the rapid flight of the Monkeys but was glad the journey was over. The strange creatures set the travelers down carefully before the gate of the City, the King bowed low to Dorothy, and then flew swiftly away, followed by all his band. Dorothy declared it had been a good ride, and the Lion remarked how lucky it was that she had brought away that wonderful Cap. The return to the Emerald City via the Winged Monkeys not only solved the immediate problem of being lost but also demonstrated the power of the Golden Cap, which Dorothy had unknowingly carried with her from the Witch's castle. It marked the second use of the Cap's three allotted commands, leaving one more for future need. The journey also deepened the bond between Dorothy and the Monkeys, who had once been her enemies but now served her willingly. The flight itself was a moment of liberation and wonder, lifting the weary travelers above the confusing fields and delivering them directly to their goal, restoring their hope and setting the stage for the final confrontation with Oz.