---

he Kansas sky was clear and full of stars -- it was a perfect night for sleeping.   But Dorothy couldn't even close her eyes.   Ever since the tornado six months ago, all she could think about was Oz.

Suddenly, a meteor streaked across the sky!   Dorothy shot upright in bed.   "A shooting star!   It must be a sign from Oz!"

 

The next morning, Dorothy's pet chicken, Billina, found a key in the barnyard. Dorothy rushed to her Aunt Em. "Look, a key to Oz! It must have come from that star! My friends are in trouble -- I just know it!"

Aunt Em shook her head unhappily. "We've got to stop this talk of Oz once and for all, Dorothy. I'm going to take you to a doctor who will help you forget about those bad dreams."

 

storm was brewing as Aunt Em took Dorothy to the hospital. A stern-faced nurse met them at the door. "Hello, Dorothy. We're going to take all those dreams about tin men and scarecrows away for good." Sadly, Aunt Em waved goodbye to Dorothy. Nurse Wilson hustled Dorothy down the hall. "It's time for your treatment now."

Nurse Wilson strapped Dorothy to a table in a cold, dimly lit room. She attached her to a huge electric machine. Suddenly there was a flash of lightening, and the room went dark. A blonde girl appeared and quickly unstrapped Dorothy. "I'll get you out of here!"

 

The girls fled from the hospital, out into the pouring rain. They ran until they came to a raging river. "Dorothy, jump!" Dorothy leaped into the water and grabbed onto a chicken coop floating nearby. She held on tight all through the storm.

n the morning, Dorothy looked around. The other girl was gone, and she was in the middle of a pond that was disappearing even as she watched. A tiny voice piped up. "Some place for a chicken coop!"

Startled, Dorothy turned to see Billina standing next to her. "Billina! You can talk!" "Yes not bad, either, for a beginner." Dorothy smiled. "then if you can talk, we must be in Oz!"

Dorothy carried the talking hen toward a forest clearing. "Oh Billina, I'm so happy! Now you can meet all my friends and see the Emerald City. Look! This is where our house landed after the tornado! And there's the Yellow Brick road!"

But the golden path was all torn up. There were broken bricks everywhere. "Oh, no! It's ruined! Hurry, Billina! We've got to see if the Emerald City is all right!"

ut it was just as Dorothy feared. The Emerald City was in ruins. "Everyone's been turned into stone! Even ... the Lion!"

Suddenly a gang of creatures - with weels instead of hands and feet - rolled toward her, trapping her in an alley. She hugged Billina.