No Place Like Home

by Erik Schubach

  I laughed in a sweet and loving manner. “I can hear your thoughts, feel your emotion. Ella is fine.

  She still sleeps. She had used so much power in ze fight she needs to sleep. Toni says that Dorothy can fix this once her power is replenished.”

  I was feeling claustrophobic and powerless, not even being able to move my eyes to look back at Toto. Marie looked at her for us, sensing my need. I wondered why she couldn't just get Dorothy down here to fix this now. How had Marie lived like this for centuries?

  I was looking at Toni now, unable to move my eyes on my own, so I tried to take the cell in the peripheral of my vision. Cell was a misnomer, as I could just make out to one side of the small table with three chairs we sat at, a beautiful canopy bed. What I could see of the place looked like opulent bedchambers.

  To the other side of my peripheral vision, I could just make out a huge timber framed door with bars in the window. “I apologize, Toni, eet is very rude of me to be speaking to the others in front of you like that. My Parker is awake now, and she is afraid.”

  Toto's sculpted features took on a worried and somewhat embarrassed cast as she rushed out, “Of course. I'm so sorry about this whole situation. Dot can be... well she can be positively wicked at times. I think she thought this would be funny. But at her core, she is a dear sweet person. The wickedness is not her true nature, just her curse, and burden.”

  I couldn't breathe, no I was breathing, Marie was breathing. We were breathing. Ok calm down Parker, you know what is happening, and they said Dorothy was going to fix it. She thought this would be funny? Just what kind of psycho was... wait, why the hell am I thinking in French? I don't speak French!

  “A moment please.” Then I was speaking to myself again. “You are in my head, my dear sweet Parker. French eez my native tongue. I was disoriented when I found myself thinking in English when Ella and I first found ourselves cursed.”

  I nodded, well I thought about nodding, but my head didn't move. Get a grip. I felt warmth radiating in on me, and I felt safe like Marie was wrapping me in her love. I calmed and thought of how I was thinking only of my own fear. I stopped and thought about how much I loved Marie and tryed to alleviate the anxiety and fear I knew somehow she herself was feeling in the situation. But I could also feel a profound joy inside. Was it finally having freedom after all this time? Having control of herself without someone having to give her control?

  I found myself nodding and wiping a tear from my cheek. Oh, Marie. I gave her a mental hug.

  I'm here for you Marie.

  I, we, whispered into the air, “I know, my sweet Parker.”

  God, I knew why Ella had such a problem with pronouns now. But then a part of me smiled inwardly now that I understood this prison I was in, and suddenly I wasn't afraid anymore. I basked in the warm feelings she wrapped me in as I realized I had nothing to fear, I was part of Marie now.

  I let out an emotional sound as I nodded then turned my eyes back to Toto who was covering her mouth, her face tight with empathy and... shame? I reached out and placed a hand on hers. “Eet is ok, mon chere. This isn't your fault, eet will all work out.”

  We heard a growl outside the door when we touched her, and we turned to look as Toto snapped out, “It's fine Fenriss, stop spying!” She gave us a sheepish grin.

  'What the bloody hell is going on here?' Ella's disembodied voice boomed through my thoughts. I thought back 'Language!' at the same time Marie chastised in French, “Ella, la langue!

  Ella said, 'Why can't I...' She hesitated, and I could feel a realization come over... us. 'Oh... so it's like that? Good.' I could feel centuries of guilt I didn't understand slide off of me, of us. My voice was full of heartbreak as I, we said, “Ella...” Then I understood.

  She told me a thousand times how she felt she had stolen Marie's life, having her body and all. But I could feel that profound guilt as it slipped away. I understood now after feeling it like it were my own, it almost broke Ella every day. And she just relaxed into ourself with a serenity her soul hadn't ever known. She just accepted our current situation as justice, and we wept inside from the joy of her

  love finally being free.

  But then I panicked, though it wasn't my panic, 'Parker?' I could feel the concern and love cocooning the question, and I would have blushed if I were... well, you know.

  I thought to her, 'I'm here.' as we said, “She is with you, mon amour.” I felt relief and Marie smiled. We chuckled and said to Toni, “Ella is awake now, eet is getting crowded inside our head.”

  The woman across from us gave a nervous chuckle. So she was from our realm? That's how she spoke to Dorothy. I was replaying the fight between Ella and Dorothy and what Toto had said to calm the sorceress. And... I mentally blinked when I realized I had been explaining Ella-Marie's curse with Toto while I was thinking.

  It was so odd being just a passenger as I apparently had an entire conversation with someone. I wondered if Marie's mind wandered, being in a prison of flesh. Her own body...

  I, we said, “Oui,” out loud to me offhandedly, while still in a deep discussion with the blonde woman.

  Uhhh... I panicked again, whose body were we in now? There were three of us. I got a silly reprimanding feeling from two directions and would have blushed if I were capable of it. I was thinking in French, Ella was responding in French, Marie had already answered the question, and it hadn't fully registered until then.

  I was inside Ella-Marie's body, inside her mind. I warmed in embarrassment as I thought of my blonde's gorgeous body, and I was inside of it more intimately than I could ever have imagined. I breathlessly said, “Stop that, my Parker.” We were flush, aroused.

  Oh god, I was going to hell.

  I slid back into our collective consciousness and zipped my etherial mouth. It didn't stop me from thinking interesting thoughts, and I realized they weren't mine, Ella was teasing me for being so lecherous, and I could feel a mischievous approval from Marie. I grumped, 'two against one.' I laughed in Marie's lilting voice.

  Toto was smiling in curiosity, cocking an eyebrow as we blushed. “What's going on?”

  We responded maybe too quickly. “Nothing. My Parker eez being bad.”

  I was smiling as I tried to hide in imaginary shadows then paled. Wait. If I was in here, what happened to my body? Was it... was I... Ella hushed and comforted me, 'It's alright, Parker, if this is it, then know we love you. It is what Marie and I had, and the love is enough.'

  I realized we were finishing up a conversation, I really should be paying attention. Toto stood, and we followed suit. She gave us a hug and took the tray with the remnants of breakfast. Wait, breakfast?

  How long have we been... Marie mentally chastised, I got the impression of her telling me to be

  patient. Ella was chuckling at me, and I quipped, 'Shut up.' I could feel her amusement like it was my own. I'm glad one of us was having a good time of it.

  Toni was saying, “Really, I'm so sorry about everything. She should be able to see you soon.” She tapped at the door, and it swung open. I was surprised to see that flying monkey in the metallic blue armor holding it open.

  Toto handed him the tray and looked back at us. “I have to change back if I am to be human when Dot arrives. Please don't try to escape, I don't know what she'd do. God, I make her sound like she's unhinged. She really isn't as bad as it sounds. You just need to get to know her, and you'll understand how caring she really is.”

  Then she said, “If you need anything, just ask Fenriss here, and he'll get it for you.” She spoke to him expectantly, “Won't you Fenriss?” Then she cocked an expectant eyebrow at him as he growled at her. She melted into that huge hellish dog, the kimono slipping off of her onto the stone floor and she growled back at the monkey, her fangs bared to show their deadly length.

  Then I was floored as we said, “Sacre bleu!” And covered our stomach with a hand when the monkey spoke! His head bowed in grudging respect, “Yess, missstress.” His voice had a fer
al sound like it was forced from a mouth not used to vocalizing.

  The dog looked back at us and gave a doggy smile that made us shudder at the row of deadly looking teeth. I saw what those teeth could do as she shredded demons with wild abandon in the battle.

  Then she bounded off.

  Fenriss glared at us as his tail scooped up the kimono and he started pulling the door shut. “Do not listen to missstress Toni. Pleasse try to esscape. You took my glasss maiden from me, and I'd enjoy eating your entrailss for that.”

  The door shut with a boom as I tried to get the picture of his anticipatory smile out of our mind.

  We heard a lock click and then a bar slide in place. Glass maiden? Ella chuckled out, 'You Parker.

  The fuckin' plonker was bringing ya gifts the whole battle.' Oh god, was that what he was doing?

  Marie chuckled at us both. 'Hey, stop teaming up on me.'

  Then Ella said, 'Let's get on with it then. Demolish the fuckin' door, and let's get out of here.'

  “Non, mon amour. Not until we meet with Dorothy. Toto says she can fix this.” Then she said with a hot hope that I could feel shoot through us, “What if she can... fix eet all? Break our curse.”

  I felt Ella pause at that then slide back into the background as she contemplated. It was all so confusing with the three of us in there, I was having a problem sorting out which thoughts were mine.

  Then Marie stepped up to a dressing table and started combing out our hair as she looked at herself, ourself? In wonder. It has only been six hours since the battle, my Parker.” I looked on, well I had no

  choice, Ella-Marie was beautiful. “Toto just thought eet would be fun to have breakfast for supper.”

  Then we looked around the room, I saw magic tracing the walls, floor, and ceiling, pulsing through it like blood through a crisscrossing network of veins. I could see the world beyond in a wash of color, like the entire land of Oz was constructed of different flavors of magic. I could taste the foul magics mixing with the bright and life filled magics of the people moving through the city outside our cell. I could taste the conflicted magic in Fenriss behind the door.

  I was speaking almost in wonder, “Eez this how you perceive the world, my Parker?” I could feel wonder from Ella who was nestled up against me mentally looking out our eyes. It wasn't until that moment I realized I wasn't consciously extending my, our, senses to taste the magic around us. It was Marie. How long had they been extended like this? I was used to it, so I hadn't noticed until we were looking around. I thought, 'Not normally.'

  We whispered in awe, “When you awoke, so did this new way of feeling, seeing, and tasting the world around us. I thought you were doing eet for me, my Parker.”

  I tried to shake my head before I remembered I had no physicality anymore, it was frustrating. I thought softly, 'Non, mon amour. I mean, love... I mean... God, I don't know what I mean... Why doesn't it freak me out more that I'm thinking in French? Concentrate, Marie. Try to pull the world inside you and place it in a glass globe in our mind. Hold it there. It can slowly drive you mad if you see the magic in the world all the time.'

  I felt us strain and Oz around us turned back into that world that was a little too bright, a little too colorful. The echoes of magic just on the periphery of our awareness. I smiled internally and praised her, 'Good.'

  She turned and smiled into the mirror for me, the one she reserved for me. Ella got a different smile from her. It was so weird that it was me doing the smiling... in her body.

  Then she said, “I will relax now, see if you cannot take control, non?” I felt nauseous a moment like I had motion sickness and I nodded, willing to try. Wait, I nodded! I blurted, “I can move!”

  I looked at the foreign hands I possessed, twisting them in front of me. The skin softer than mine, the fingers slimmer and well manicured. I was amazed Ella could bring so much violence to bear with such feminine hands. Then I looked up at the mirror before I knew I was doing it, then stuck my tongue out. I had lost control!

  Marie was in control snapping at the mirror like she was chastising a misbehaving child, “Ella!”

  I heard a giggling inside. 'Oh, but Marie, the look on her, your... our face was priceless.'

  I growled out, 'I hate you.'

  She was quick to shoot back with a warmth that was swoon-worthy, 'No you don't.'

  Marie sighed for me, or perhaps she let me do it for us, it was hard to tell where I ended and they began now as I admitted, 'No, I don't.'

  We took a few minutes to sit on the bed and had Marie fill us in on what had transpired while we were asleep.

  She had filled us in on the trip from the battlefield and how Dorothy had turned the ocean of dead demon corpses into flowing fields of multi-colored poppies with just a sweep of her arms when they left. Of seeing the wonder and majesty and mind-boggling scale of the impossible city of Emerald.

  Down to Dorothy confining us to our pretty cell.

  Since then she had been speaking with Toto when she brought food before we awoke.

  I was in a dreamlike state as I both spoke and listened to me tell the tale in a language I only knew snippets of from living with Ella-Marie for so long. But one which I apparently felt more comfortable with now than English. It was like a fugue state that was shattered when we heard a strong alto voice snapping out, “Open the door.”

  We stood up. We recognized the voice as Dorothy. Someone cleared their throat as we heard Fenriss scrabbling to obey. Then Dorothy added in an almost embarrassed tone, “Please. If you would Fenny.”

  I had an idea who had corrected her and I would have smiled fondly if I was capable. It reminded me of Marie chastising Ella. We were not surprised when Toto stepped in on the arm of Dorothy when the door opened.

  Dorothy had a wicked mischief gleaming in her eyes as she asked almost too sweetly like she was taking too much enjoyment of our current predicament. “Hello ladies, and how are we feeling?” Her smile faded, replaced with a sheepish look when Toto slapped her arm with her free hand.

  Even though she seemed amused by our current predicament, we chuckled at the display. It was all too familiar. Ella was just as bad as she was.

  Chapter 4 – Emerald City

  This was my first good look at Dorothy of Oz. Well as best as I could as we were meeting her eyes, Marie having us stand with almost royal bearing.

  The brunette stood almost head and shoulders over us, her face a flawless mask of a dangerous sort of beauty. One that promised pain to her enemies and fire to protect those she saw as hers. Just this first impression of the woman was fraught with contradictions.

  Though she appeared to have strength and grace that projected a certainty about herself, it was as if she had a thousand insecurities that were weighing her down.

  Those brilliant green eyes of hers told that story and more. I wondered if she knew that they offered an attentive observer a glimpse into her inner psyche. Ella seemed to be wrapped around my consciousness like she was protecting me, like when we had physical form, as she offered, 'She's lost, Parker. Being what everyone expects of her, when there is only one person whose favor she craves.'

  I would have nodded if I could. I saw it too, the way she touched Toto's hand on her arm almost reverently. For the way my girl presented herself as a brawling brute, she was more observant and insightful than she liked to let on. Another reason I loved her.

  'Hey, who you calling a brute?' I could taste the humor in her tone. Good God, I forgot they can hear everything I think. She shared, 'You'll learn to wall off parts of your mind for little bits of privacy.

  You have to, or you'll go insane.'

  I tried to smile as I prompted, 'You're implying we aren't already there.' She giggled and so did Marie as we were in the middle of speaking with Dorothy. Crap, what had we been saying while I was bantering with Ella?

  I turned my attention back to the women in front of us. Dorothy wore a red lined, ankle length pullover robe that just screamed ancient Japan to m
e. I could see those fabled ruby slippers on her feet, they seemed to be made of actual blood red translucent ruby, yet they flexed and moved with her motions like they were made of light silk. She made no sound when she walked. You'd expect them to clink on the stone floor like my feet did when they were covered in crystal.

  Her nails were long ovals, almost claw-like and painted a flawless iridescent blood red that matched her lips. Marie, we, blinked when we all realized that her ruby red lips and the dark eyeshadow that called your attention to her eyes wasn't makeup. It was too perfect too smooth. Dorothy was a walking poster girl for the feminine mystique.

  We could see the satisfaction in her eyes at our impression of her, though her face was held in a passive disinterest she no doubt had perfected over the centuries she has been here in Oz. I thought,

  'Marie, be very cautious. There is more to her than...' Ella shushed me as we closed our eyes. I could almost feel the reprimand.

  Dorothy's face bloomed into a smile that could only be described as wickedly delicious. “Oh, please go on. Than what?”

  Shit, I forgot that she had demonstrated that she could hear Marie inside Ella back on the hill.

  Dorothy chuckled, and her companion furrowed her brow.

  I offered meekly, feeling sheepish that my two loves had sussed it out already and I was trailing behind, '...than meets the eye?'

  She rolled her eyes. “Too cliché. Bored now.” She turned around and started toward the door.

  Toto held her arm tight and pulled, swinging her back toward us. “Dot! Be civil! They're from home. Maybe... maybe they know the way back.”

  Dorothy's eyes widened at that thought spoken aloud. I could hear the heartache of longing for something forever lost to you in Toni's voice. The sorceress considered her blonde companion, a different longing in her eyes, then turned to us. “Can you? Show us the way home?”

  I sighed internally as Marie had us sigh physically. Our eyes dropped a bit as she shook our head.

  “Alas, we do not know the way, mon chere. We got lost on the path to Perchta's Gardens and wound up on the hill above the battle instead. We do not know how to travel the paths between realms alone.”