Alexander Melentyevich Volkov - Russian Soviet writer, playwright, translator.
Born on July 14, 1891 in the city of Ust-Kamenogorsk in the family of a military sergeant major and a dressmaker. IN old fortress little Sasha Volkov knew all the nooks and crannies. In his memoirs, he wrote: “I remember standing at the gates of the fortress, and the long barracks building was decorated with garlands of colored paper lanterns, rockets were flying high into the sky and scattering multi-colored balls there, fiery wheels were spinning with a hiss...” - this is how A.M. remembered. Volkov celebrating the coronation of Nikolai Romanov in Ust-Kamenogorsk in October 1894. He learned to read at the age of three, but there were few books in his father’s house, and from the age of 8, Sasha began to masterfully bind neighbors’ books, while still having the opportunity to read them. Already at this age I read Mine Reed, Jules Verne and Dickens; Of the Russian writers I loved A. S. Pushkin, M. Yu. Lermontov, N. A. Nekrasov, I. S. Nikitin. In elementary school I studied only with excellent marks, moving from class to class only with awards. At the age of 6, Volkov was immediately accepted into the second grade of the city school, and at the age of 12 he graduated from it best student. In 1910, after preparatory course, entered the Tomsk Teachers' Institute, from which he graduated in 1910 with the right to teach in city and higher primary schools. Alexander Volkov began working as a teacher in the ancient Altai city of Kolyvan, and then in hometown Ust-Kamenogorsk, at the school where he began his education. There he independently mastered the German and French languages.
On the eve of the revolution, Volkov tries out his pen. His first poems “Nothing makes me happy” and “Dreams” were published in 1917 in the newspaper “Siberian Light”. In 1917 - early 1918, he was a member of the Ust-Kamenogorsk Soviet of Deputies and participated in the publication of the newspaper “Friend of the People.” Volkov, like many “old regime” intellectuals, did not immediately accept October Revolution. But an inexhaustible faith in a bright future captures him, and together with everyone else he participates in building a new life, teaches people and learns himself. He teaches at the openings in Ust-Kamenogorsk pedagogical courses, at the pedagogical college. At this time he wrote a number of plays for children's theater. His funny comedies and plays “Eagle Beak”, “In a Deaf Corner”, “Village School”, “Tolya the Pioneer”, “Fern Flower”, “Home Teacher”, “Comrade from the Center” (“Modern Inspector”) and “ Trading House Schneersohn and Co. was performed with great success on the stages of Ust-Kamenogorsk and Yaroslavl.
In the 20s, Volkov moved to Yaroslavl to become a school director. In parallel with this, he is taking exams for the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics as an external student. pedagogical institute. In 1929, Alexander Volkov moved to Moscow, where he worked as a manager educational part workers' faculty By the time he entered the Moscow State University, he was already forty years old married man, father of two children. There, in seven months, he completed the entire five-year course of the Faculty of Mathematics, after which for twenty years he was a teacher of higher mathematics at the Moscow Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals and Gold. There he taught an elective course in literature for students, continued to expand his knowledge of literature, history, geography, astronomy, and was actively involved in translations.
This is where the most unexpected turn in the life of Alexander Melentyevich took place. It all started with the fact that he, a great expert foreign languages, I decided to learn English as well. As material for exercises, he was given L. Frank Baum's book " The Amazing Wizard from Oz." He read it, told it to his two sons, and decided to translate it. But in the end, the result was not a translation, but an arrangement of a book by an American author. The writer changed some things and added some things. For example, he came up with a meeting with a cannibal, a flood and other adventures. His dog Toto started talking, the girl began to be called Ellie, and the Sage from the Land of Oz acquired a name and title - the Great and Terrible Wizard Goodwin... Many other cute, funny, sometimes almost imperceptible changes appeared. And when the translation, or, more precisely, the retelling, was completed, it suddenly became clear that this was no longer quite Baum’s “The Sage.” The American fairy tale has become just a fairy tale. And her heroes spoke Russian as naturally and cheerfully as they had spoken English half a century before. Alexander Volkov worked on the manuscript for a year and entitled it “The Wizard Emerald City"with the subtitle "Reworkings of a fairy tale American writer Frank Baum." The manuscript was sent to the famous children's writer S. Ya. Marshak, who approved it and handed it over to the publishing house, strongly advising Volkov to take up literature professionally.
Black and white illustrations for the text were made by artist Nikolai Radlov. The book was published in a circulation of twenty-five thousand copies in 1939 and immediately won the sympathy of readers. At the end of the same year, its re-edition appeared, and soon it became part of the so-called “school series”, the circulation of which was 170 thousand copies. Since 1941, Volkov became a member of the Union of Writers of the USSR.
During the war, Alexander Volkov wrote the books “Invisible Fighters” (1942, about mathematics in artillery and aviation) and “Planes at War” (1946). The creation of these works is closely connected with Kazakhstan: from November 1941 to October 1943, the writer lived and worked in Alma-Ata. Here he wrote a series of radio plays on a military-patriotic theme: “Counselor Goes to the Front”, “Timurovites”, “Patriots”, “Dead of Night”, “Sweatshirt” and others, historical essays: “Mathematics in military affairs”, “Glorious pages in the history of Russian artillery”, poems: “Red Army”, “Ballad of the Soviet pilot”, “Scouts”, “Young partisans”, “Motherland”, songs: “Marching Komsomol” , "Song of Timur's men". He wrote a lot for newspapers and radio, some of the songs he wrote were set to music by composers D. Gershfeld and O. Sandler.
In 1959, Alexander Melentyevich Volkov met the aspiring artist Leonid Vladimirsky, and “The Wizard of the Emerald City” was published with new illustrations, which were later recognized as classics. The book fell into the hands of the post-war generation in the early 60s, already in a revised form, and since then it has been constantly republished using continued success. And young readers again set off on a journey along the road paved with yellow brick...
The creative collaboration between Volkov and Vladimirsky turned out to be long-lasting and very fruitful. Working side by side for twenty years, they practically became co-authors of books - sequels to The Wizard. L. Vladimirsky became the “court artist” of the Emerald City, created by Volkov. He illustrated all five Wizard sequels.
The incredible success of Volkov's cycle, which made the author modern classic children's literature, largely delayed the “penetration” of F. Baum’s original works into the domestic market, despite the fact that subsequent books were no longer directly connected with F. Baum, only sometimes they contained partial borrowings and alterations.
"The Wizard of the Emerald City" caused a large flow of letters to the author from his young readers. The children persistently demanded that the writer continue the fairy tale about the adventures of the kind little girl Ellie and her faithful friends - the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion and the funny dog Totoshka. Volkov responded to letters of similar content with the books “Oorfene Deuce and His Wooden Soldiers” and “Seven Underground Kings.” But reader letters continued to come with requests to continue the story. Alexander Melentyevich was forced to answer his “pushy” readers: “Many guys ask me to write more fairy tales about Ellie and her friends. I will answer this: there will be no more fairy tales about Ellie...” And the flow of letters with persistent requests to continue the fairy tales did not decrease. And the good wizard heeded the requests of his young fans. He wrote three more tales - “The Fire God of the Marrans”, “ Yellow fog" and "The Mystery of the Abandoned Castle." All six fairy tales about the Emerald City were translated into many languages of the world with a total circulation of several tens of millions of copies.
Based on The Wizard of Oz, the writer wrote in 1940 play of the same name, which was staged in puppet theaters in Moscow, Leningrad, and other cities. In the sixties, A.M. Volkov created a version of the play for theaters for young spectators. In 1968 and subsequent years, according to a new script, “The Wizard of the Emerald City” was staged by numerous theaters across the country. The play “Oorfene Deuce and His Wooden Soldiers” was performed in puppet theaters under the titles “Oorfene Deuce”, “The Defeated Oorfene Deuce” and “Heart, Mind and Courage”. In 1973, the Ekran association filmed puppet film of ten episodes based on the fairy tales of A. M. Volkov “The Wizard of the Emerald City”, “Oorfene Deuce and His Wooden Soldiers” and “Seven Underground Kings”, which was shown several times on All-Union Television. Even earlier, the Moscow Filmstrip Studio created filmstrips based on the fairy tales “The Wizard of the Emerald City” and “Oorfene Deuce and His Wooden Soldiers.”
In the edition of the second book by A. M. Volkov “Wonderful Ball”, which the author original versions called “The First Aeronaut”, Anton Semenovich Makarenko, who had just moved to live in Moscow, where he completely devoted himself to scientific and literary work, took a great part. "Wonderful ball" - historical novel about the first Russian aeronaut. The impetus for its writing was a short story with a tragic ending, found by the author in an ancient chronicle. Others were no less popular in the country. historical works Alexander Melentyevich Volkov - “Two Brothers”, “Architects”, “Wanderings”, “The Tsargrad Captive”, the collection “The Wake of the Stern” (1960), dedicated to the history of navigation, primitive times, the death of Atlantis and the discovery of America by the Vikings.
In addition, Alexander Volkov published several popular science books about nature, fishing, and the history of science. The most popular of them, “Earth and Sky” (1957), introducing children to the world of geography and astronomy, has gone through multiple reprints.
Volkov translated Jules Verne (“The Extraordinary Adventures of the Barsak Expedition” and “The Danube Pilot”), he wrote the fantastic stories “The Adventure of Two Friends in the Land of the Past” (1963, pamphlet), “Travelers in the Third Millennium” (1960), short stories and essays “Petya Ivanov’s Journey to an Extraterrestrial Station”, “In the Altai Mountains”, “Lopatinsky Bay”, “On the Buzhe River”, “Birthmark”, “Lucky Day”, “By the Fire”, story “And Lena Was Stained with Blood” ( 1975, unpublished?), and many other works.
But his books are about Fairyland tirelessly reprinted in large editions, delighting new generations of young readers... In our country, this cycle became so popular that in the 90s its sequels began to be created. This was started by Yuri Kuznetsov, who decided to continue the epic and wrote a new story - “Emerald Rain” (1992). Children's writer Sergei Sukhinov, since 1997, has published more than 20 books in the “Emerald City” series. In 1996, Leonid Vladimirsky, an illustrator of books by A. Volkov and A. Tolstoy, connected his two favorite characters in the book “Pinocchio in the Emerald City.”
Books about Volkov's Magic Land.
Our page will introduce you to all Russian books about the Magic Land. The first books were written by A.M. Volkov. Then a large series of books was written by S.S. Sukhinov. Also here you will find other authors who wrote about the same Magic Land.
Click on author's surname to see his series of books: the book cover and a brief description of it. And in the "Links" section you can find links to Internet resources where you can read some of these books.
series A.M. Volkova
The Wizard of Oz
(1939)
The girl Ellie and her faithful dog Totoshka from Kansas find themselves in a magical land. To return home, Ellie must go on a journey through the Magic Land. She must help three beings fulfill their deepest desires. Having met the revived scarecrow Scarecrow, Tin Woodman and Cowardly Lion, they all go together to the Emerald City to the great wizard Great and Terrible Goodwin to ask him to fulfill their cherished desires. But, having experienced a lot of adventures, they expose Goodwin, who turned out to be a simple balloonist from Kansas, brought here by a hurricane. But still he manages to fulfill the wishes of all three friends, and Ellie is helped to return home by silver slippers.
Oorfene Deuce and his wooden soldiers
(1963)
The evil and cunning carpenter Oorfene Deuce, who lived in the Blue Country, gets life-giving powder. An envious carpenter made wooden soldiers and led them to conquer the Emerald City. Goodwin's successor Scarecrow the Wise, Longbeard Soldier Din Gior, Guardian of the Faramant Gate and the armed citizens bravely defended their beautiful city. But still there was a traitor Ruf Bilan, who opened the gates to the enemies. Finding themselves captured, the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman send their familiar crow Kaggi-Karr to Ellie for help. Ellie, her uncle the one-legged sailor Charlie Black and Toto go to the Magic Land to help their friends. Having adventures, having reached the Magic Land, freeing the captives of Ufin Djus, the friends defeat the wooden army, and Oorfene is made an exile and left alone with himself to think about his actions. Ellie and her uncle return home.
(1964)
The traitor Ruf Bilan, having escaped from justice, underground passage ends up in the Underground Country, where he accidentally breaks the Sacred Spring with soporific water, thereby breaking the centuries-old structure of the country, where seven kings rule, six of whom sleep, and the seventh rules for one month. At this time, Ellie and her second cousin Alfred, traveling through the caves, end up in the Underground Country and Ellie's adventures in the Magic Land begin again. The kings hoped that Ellie was a fairy and would return the sleeping water to them. Toto makes his way upstairs with a letter and friends from the Emerald City rush to the rescue of the guys. Using a water pump, the team of Winks, under the leadership of the mechanic Lestar, pumps out the Sleeping Water from the depths and puts all the kings to sleep at once. After this, friends invite the underground inhabitants to move upstairs. After everything, Ellie, Fred and Toto go home on the huge dragon Oikhho. Before returning, Ellie called the fairy and queen of the field mice, Ramina, and she predicted to her that she would never see her friends again.
Fire God of the Marranos
(1968)
After the unsuccessful capture of the Magic Land and expelled by its inhabitants, Oorfene Deuce lived in solitude with the bear Toputon and the wooden clown Eoth Ling for ten years in his old hut, cultivating a vegetable garden, but did not give up his dream of becoming the ruler of the Magic Land. One day, the giant eagle Carfax, wounded in battle, fell near his home. Oorfene cured the noble bird. Then, with the help of Carfax and a lighter (accidentally dropped by Charlie Black), he appears before the backward people of the Marrans (Jumpers) in the form of the Fire God. He led them to fight with their neighbors. The Marranos first conquered the Violet Country, and then the Emerald Island (as the Emerald City became known after a canal was dug around it). But Ellie’s younger sister Annie and her friend Tim came to the aid of the residents of the Magic Land. They rode on mechanical mules powered by solar energy. With the help of a magic all-seeing box, a magic hoop and volleyball, they defeated the self-proclaimed god, and he fled in disgrace.
(1970)
Five thousands of years ago, when the creator of the Magic Land, Gurricap, was still alive, the evil sorceress-giant Arachne appeared there. She harmed the residents in every possible way Magic land(except for her gnome subjects): hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, which she knew how to cause. Gurricup decided to rid the country of such a pest and put her to sleep for a long time. And now five centuries have passed, Gurricap is gone, and Arachne woke up just as angry and envious. Having learned from the chronicles of the gnomes everything that happened during her sleep, she decided to seize power in the Magic Land. But it turned out that the peoples of the Magic Land do not want to part with freedom. Then Arachne released a poisonous yellow fog. People from beyond the mountains came to the rescue again. Annie, Tim, sailor Charlie and dog Artoshka. They built a huge iron giant, Tilly-Willie, who defeated the sorceress. The yellow fog disappeared and the inhabitants of the Magic Land saw again blue sky and bright sun.
The Mystery of the Abandoned Castle
(1975)
Approaching Earth spaceship from the distant planet Rameria with the aim of capturing and enslaving. The aliens, having examined the planet, find a safe place, in their opinion. It turns out to be a Magic Land, but the aliens don’t even know that it’s magical. They are divided into Menvits (masters) and Arzaks (slaves). The Menwiths have a hypnotic gaze that they use to enslave people. So, the Menvits seek to take over our planet, and decide to start with the Magic Land. People from Big world: Annie, Tim and Alfred. And new adventures begin. In the end, with the help of mice, a pipeline with soporific water is drawn to the Gurricap castle (where the aliens have settled) and the Menwiths are euthanized. The Arzaks are supplied with emeralds, which, as it turns out, free hypnotic gaze Menvitov, and were escorted home.
The world-famous book “The Wizard of the Emerald City” and all the parts in order following the main one were read by everyone: young and old, rereading and reading the books several times, because the stories were really exciting and interesting, unusual for those times the plot of Volkov's books.
Summary of “The Wizard of the Emerald City”
This is the story of a girl Ellie and her dog Toto, who, by a strange coincidence or indeed thanks to witchcraft, ended up in the Magic Land.
In the process of trying to return home, she meets three creatures: one is made of straw, the other is made of iron, and the third is an ordinary-looking lion, but speaks a human language, however, like all the other inhabitants fabulous place. The author of “The Wizard of the Emerald City” described the experiences of his friends so colorfully and in detail that children all over the world sincerely worried about them and wrote heartfelt letters to Alexander Volkov.
Book two: “Oorfene Deuce and his wooden soldiers”
Apprentice of the evil witch and part-time carpenter randomly became the owner of a powerful powder that turns into Living being any item. Thanks to his ability to work with wood, he creates an entire army and usurps power in the world of fairy-tale men.
Resourceful friends find a way to warn Ellie, who goes to the rescue with her uncle and frees the country from the oppression of Oorfene Deuce, who was expelled in disgrace.
"Seven Underground Kings" - a prequel to "The Wizard of Oz"
Contents Volkov brought to the moment of foundation fairyland, how it was divided into sectors and due to what circumstances the country of miners arose. The life of seven kings in one kingdom is described, and the reader also learns the history of the emergence of the sacred Sleeping Spring. Ellie couldn’t do it here either: again, quite by accident, she ends up in the world of miners along with her cousin and again helps local residents achieve justice.
“The Fire God of the Marrans” - the fourth part of the story
In the fourth part, Oorfene Deuce again comes to the fore, having accumulated within himself for years hatred and a desire for revenge, as well as to once again enslave the inhabitants of the fairy-tale country. He manages to subjugate the Marrano tribe, who were one of the most primitive tribes in the Magic Land. He begins to gradually seize territories and again becomes a usurper. In parallel with these events in Kansas, Ellie’s grown-up sister and her friend, having heard enough stories about a wonderful world, go to visit and arrive on time. After a series of adventures, they save the inhabitants from oppression and happily return home.
Book Five: “Yellow Fog”
In this part, Oorfene Deuce appears in a completely new guise: he seems to have been reborn anew and stood on the bright side in the fight against the ancient sorceress, who wants to turn the inhabitants of the Magic Land into her slaves and sends attacks on them.
The whole country rebels against the witch, and Annie and Uncle Charlie are also summoned, who again must help their friends. New adventures and a lot of interesting twists delight the reader.
“The Mystery of the Abandoned Castle”: the final part
Here the author departed from the idea of all parts of “The Wizard of the Emerald City”: all sorceresses and witches, peoples, were mentioned in order. Now Volkov decided to fit into the plot alien race, because the year of writing (1975) just corresponded to various fantasies on the theme of space.
Taught by bitter experience, the residents immediately send messengers to Annie, who asks Freddie and Tim for help. Into battle with alien creatures All residents of the Magic Land are connected and goodness, as usual, triumphs.
Significant Characters
Of course, it is unlikely that it will be possible to list and mention the interesting inhabitants of all parts of “The Wizard of Oz” in order, but the most important are:
- Ellie - main character the first part, a girl from the human world, originally from Kansas.
- Toto, aka Totoshka, is Ellie's dog.
- The Scarecrow is a fairy-tale man made of straw, later the ruler of the Emerald City.
- The Cowardly Lion, later called Brave.
- Tin Woodman - a man made of iron tends to rust when exposed to water.
- Oorfene Deuce is a carpenter, a student of the sorceress Gingema, who twice tried to usurp the Magic Land.
- Gingema is an evil witch living in the Blue Country. She was accidentally killed by Ellie's house.
- Bastinda is an evil sorceress who was afraid of water on pain of death, the ruler of the Violet Country.
- Dean Gior is a soldier with a very long beard who guarded the entrance to the Emerald Palace.
- Kaggi-Kar - a crow that can talk human language, a close friend of the Scarecrow.
- The Great Goodwin is the ruler of the Emerald City before the Scarecrow, a man who accidentally became a "powerful wizard."
- Faramant - close friend Dina Giora, keeper of green glasses.
“The Wizard of the Emerald City” and all subsequent books in this wonderful series were written by Alexander Melentyevich Volkov, Russian writer, who at the same time worked as a teacher, a school director in Yaroslavl and studied at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, which he graduated at the age of forty. He had a great passion for learning languages, which served as the basis for writing his first book, “The Wizard of the Emerald City.” Volkov was attracted by the story “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”: he took it in his native English language as exercises in translation, the notes of which he eventually corrected and published as a separate novel.
The book was so popular that it was necessary to write the subsequent parts of “The Wizard of the Emerald City”, telling in order about all the inhabitants of this fabulous area: the munchkins and their battle with the wooden soldiers, the gloomy carpenter Juce and his repeated attempts to enslave the entire Magical Land, about the girl Ellie, her relatives and friends who, by the will of fate, ended up in this country.
The main idea, which runs as the main thread through all the parts in the order of “The Wizard of Oz” and subsequent books, touches on the most important spiritual values, which are held in high esteem not only in the human world, but also among fairy tale characters and even animals: loyalty in friendship, a sense of compassion for one’s neighbor, justice and honor.
Very briefly, an ordinary girl finds herself in a Magic Land, where good and evil sorceresses live, where animals and even a stuffed animal made of straw and a woodcutter made of iron speak human language.
Hurricane
In the middle of the Kansas steppe, in a small van removed from its wheels, poor farmer John lives with his wife and daughter Ellie. There are often hurricanes in the steppes, and the family hides from them in the cellar.
In a distant land high mountains the evil sorceress Gingema casts a spell. With the help of a magic potion of frogs, snakes and mice, she causes a terrible hurricane to destroy the entire human race. A hurricane hits Kansas, and Ellie's parents hide in the cellar. Ellie's favorite dog, Totoshka, runs into the van, and the girl rushes after him. Suddenly, a whirlwind lifts the van into the air and carries it away.
Part one. yellow brick road
Stepping out of the van, Ellie sees that she is in an unusually beautiful country. She is greeted by several men dressed in blue and Villina, an old woman in a white robe. The woman explains that Ellie found herself in a magical land, which is divided into four parts: Blue, Yellow, Purple and Pink. Each of them is ruled by sorceresses. The ruler of the Pink country, Stella and Yellow, Villina are good, and Gingema and Bastinda, the rulers of the Blue and Violet countries, are evil sorceresses.
Upon learning that Gingema had sent a destructive hurricane, Villina deprived him of his powers. She read in her magic book that the wagon is always empty during a storm, and she allowed the hurricane to throw it onto Gingema's head. The inhabitants of the Blue Country Munchkins, dressed in blue clothes and named for their habit of moving their jaws, call Ellie the Killing House Fairy and their liberator.
The magical land is separated from the rest of the world by the World Mountains and the Great Desert. In Villina's magic book it is written that the wizard Goodwin, the powerful ruler of the Emerald City, will send Ellie home if the girl helps three creatures fulfill their deepest desires. You need to go to Goodwin along the road paved with yellow bricks, but Ellie’s shoes will not withstand such a difficult and long haul, and Toto, who in Fairyland can speak human language, brings Ellie silver slippers from Gingema's cave. Shoes have magical power, but which one, the Munchkins don’t know.
Ellie goes to the Emerald City. On the way, she comes across a wheat field, in the center of which stands a stuffed straw man, dressed in an old dress. The scarecrow calls out to Ellie and they introduce themselves. The girl takes him off the stake, and the Scarecrow, that’s the name of the scarecrow, goes with her to the Emerald City to ask Goodwin for his brains. His friend the crow said that if the Scarecrow had brains, he would be like other people.
Night finds the travelers in the forest, and Ellie and Toto spend the night in a forest hut. The Scarecrow, who needs neither sleep nor food, protects them. In the morning, continuing their journey through the forest, they hear someone moaning and find a woodcutter made of iron. It's been a year since he rusted, and no one comes to his aid. Ellie finds an oil can in the hut and lubricates his joints. Hearing that travelers are going to the Emerald City, the Tin Woodman asks to take him with him to ask Goodwin for his heart. Once he was a man and wanted to marry a pretty girl, but her aunt did not want this marriage and turned to Gingema for help. An evil sorceress bewitched his ax and the ax cut off his leg. The blacksmith made him an iron one, but the girl still loved him. Then Gingema again enchanted the ax and it cut off the woodcutter’s second leg, then his arms, head and torso. The blacksmith made iron parts of his body, the girl still loved him, but now he had no heart, and without a heart he cannot love. He returned the bride’s word, but the girl said that she loved him and would wait until he came to his senses. Caught in the rain, the Tin Woodman became rusty, stood in the forest for a year and now knows nothing about his beloved.
The Tin Woodman turns out to be a wonderful comrade, a strong friendship develops between him and the Scarecrow and an ongoing dispute arises: which is better - brains or heart. Carried away, they do not notice that Ellie is in trouble: the girl was carried away by a cannibal. Thanks to the Scarecrow's resourcefulness, the Tin Woodman kills the cannibal.
Soon the travelers meet a huge Leo, who asks to take him with them to Goodwin to ask for courage, since he is a coward. With the help of Leo, the travelers overcome a huge ravine, cope with terrible saber-toothed tigers and cross to the other side of a stormy river.
On the way, travelers encounter a poppy field. Ellie and Toto, the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, who had fallen asleep, are carried across it in their arms, but the Lion does not have time to cross it and falls asleep at the very edge of the field. The Tin Woodman saves the queen of mice from the cat. Having gathered her subjects, the queen takes Leo out of the field. She gives Ellie a silver whistle so that the girl can always call her.
Part two. Emerald City
Travelers come to the Emerald City, where all the inhabitants wear green clothes. The farmer with whom they stop for the night says that no one has ever seen Goodwin's face, since he takes on different forms.
The Emerald City is surrounded by a high stone wall. The gatekeeper dresses everyone green glasses so that they are not blinded by the splendor of the city. Even its inhabitants wear glasses day and night.
Having crossed the moat, travelers find themselves in the palace. Great Wizard Goodwin taking various images, talks with travelers one by one. Having learned about the death of Gingema, Goodwin sets a condition: he will help fulfill what is asked of him, but for this he must destroy the evil sorceress Bastinda, the mistress of the Violet Country.
Since there is no other way out, the friends go to the Violet Country, which is inhabited by the Miguns, reputed to be skilled craftsmen who love to wear purple clothes and blinking all the time. When they enter the territory of the Violet Country, Bastinda calls for help from huge evil wolves, crows with iron beaks, and poisonous bees, but her friends defeat everyone. Then Bastinda decides to use a last resort: with the help of the Golden Cap, she summons a flock of Flying Monkeys. Having gutted the Scarecrow, thrown the Tin Woodman into the gorge and put the Lion in a cage, the Flying Monkeys are afraid to touch Ellie because of her silver shoes. Deciding that she is a fairy, the leader carefully delivers the girl to Bastinda's palace.
Bastinda sends the girl to work in the kitchen. Thanks to this, Ellie can feed Lev and Toto. Ellie notices that Bastinda is afraid of water. The evil sorceress dreams of taking possession of the silver slippers, and one day she manages to get one. Out of anger, Ellie pours a bucket of water on Bastinda, and the evil sorceress melts like sugar in tea.
The freed Winks restore the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow. They invite the Tin Woodman to become their ruler. The flattered Tin Woodman promises to get the heart from Goodwin and return. Happy Winks call Ellie the Fairy of Saving Water and promise to wash their faces three times a day from now on.
Leaving the Violet Country, Ellie takes the Golden Cap with her. As the owner of the Golden Cap, Ellie summons the Flying Monkeys and they transport her friends to the Emerald City. On the way, the leader tells the girl their story. Once upon a time, the tribe of the Flying Monkeys angered a powerful fairy, and she created the Golden Cap as punishment. Now the Flying Monkeys must fulfill three wishes of the owner of the Golden Cap. The hat passed from hand to hand until it came to Bastinda, and now to Ellie.
Goodwin does not accept travelers for a long time, and then the Scarecrow threatens to call the Flying Monkeys. The threat works, and the next day Goodwin calls his friends into the hall, where there is no one, but the wizard is invisibly present. For a long time he demands proof of the destruction of Bastinda, when suddenly Totoshka runs behind a small screen in the farthest corner of the hall, and a man runs out screaming. Goodwin turns out to be a great deceiver. He himself is from Kansas. In his youth, Goodwin worked as an actor, then climbed on a gas cylinder. One day, his balloon was blown away by the wind, and Goodwin ended up in a magical land, where residents mistook him for a wizard. Having built the Emerald City, he locked himself in the palace, ordering all residents to wear green glasses so that no one would guess that there was no more green in the Emerald City than in any other. Goodwin's fame as a great wizard strengthened, and he launched a campaign against Bastinda, in which he was defeated by the Flying Monkeys. Having learned that Ellie's van crushed Gingema, Goodwin decided to send the girl to destroy Bastinda, counting on the power of the magic shoes.
Part three. Fulfillment of desires
Although Goodwin turns out to be a deceiver, he gives the Scarecrow brains - a bag of bran with needles, the Tin Woodman a silk heart, and the Lion some kind of drink. True, he believes that they already possess all these qualities.
To bring Ellie home, Goodwin takes out his balloon and decides to fly to Kansas with the girl. On the appointed day, Goodwin gathers the people and announces that he is flying away, and leaving the Scarecrow the Wise as ruler in his place. While Ellie tenderly says goodbye to her friends, a whirlwind hits and the container with Goodwin flies away without the girl.
Friends decide to turn to the good sorceress Stella. She will help the girl return to Kansas.
On the way, travelers find themselves in a forest where many animals have gathered in a wide clearing. Seeing Leo, they bow to him and ask him to free them from a huge spider that has come to the forest and is sucking the blood from its inhabitants. The brave Lion destroys the spider, and the animals ask him to become their king. Lev agrees, but only after helping Ellie.
The sorceress Stella warmly welcomes travelers. She takes the Golden Cap from Ellie and gives it to the Flying Monkeys so that they can be free. Stella reveals to the girl the secret of the silver shoes: they transport the owner wherever he wants, all he has to do is hit his heel and name the place where he wants to find himself.
Ellie returns to Kansas to her parents, who thought she was dead. The silver slippers get lost along the way.
Epilogue
John built a new house on the site of the old wagon. For several days, Ellie tells her happy parents about her adventures in the Magic Land, and Toto confirms her story by wagging his tail. Soon, Ellie’s father takes Ellie to a neighboring town for a fair, the girl meets Goodwin there, and there is no end to mutual joy.
yellow brick road
Ellie and Totoshka
In the middle of the huge steppe, flat as a tablecloth, stood a van taken off its wheels. A girl named Ellie lived in this van with her parents. The house was small and so light that when it blew during a hurricane strong wind, he turned over.
Ellie's best friend was the dog Totoshka - cheerful, with black fur, pointy ears and sparkling eyes. Toto was never bored and could play with the girl all day long.
One day Ellie was sitting on the porch and reading aloud a fairy tale about wizards.
“Mommy,” she asked, “are there any wizards now?”
“No,” said mom. - Yes, and why are they?
“It’s boring without wizards,” Ellie objected. – After all, they perform all sorts of miracles for children!
While they were talking, the sky darkened, clouds thickened and the weather began to deteriorate.
And at this time, in a distant country behind the high mountains, in a dark, scary cave, the evil sorceress Gingema was brewing a magic potion from mice and snake heads in a large cauldron and grumbling angrily:
- I hate people! I will pour my potion on the earth and destroy them all!
She splashed the brew with a large broom and shouted the words of the spell:
- Break out, hurricane! Break it, smash it! Susaka, masaka, lema, rema, gema!.. Burido, furido, sema, pema, fema!
The witch spun in place, and the wind became stronger, lightning flashed, thunder rumbled - a terrible storm began.
The hurricane reached the steppe and approached Ellie’s house. Toto ran restlessly back and forth and barked at the clouds. He was very afraid of thunderstorms. When lightning flashed very close, he ran into the house and hid in the farthest corner. Ellie rushed after him, and then... The house turned two or three times, like a carousel, a whirlwind spun it, lifted it up and carried it through the air. Ellie grabbed Toto in her arms and ran to the door, but the house was flying very high above the ground. The girl climbed onto the bed, hugged the frightened dog to her and closed her eyes. It seemed to her that they were about to fall. And the wind carried the house, smoothly swaying from side to side, and Ellie fell fast asleep.
Munchkin Country
Ellie woke up because Toto was licking her face with his wet tongue.
“Well, I had a dream!” - she thought, but when she opened the van door, she realized that it was not a dream. The sun was shining brightly, colorful birds, small like butterflies, were flying, and wonderful flowers were blooming. Little men suddenly came out from behind the trees - as tall as Ellie, in velvet jackets and pointed hats with crystal balls and bells. The funny little men kept moving their jaws, as if they were chewing something all the time.
They headed towards Ellie's house, and ahead was an old woman with stars sparkling on her hat and all over her clothes.
“I am the sorceress of the Yellow Country, Villina,” said the old woman. – The sorceress of the Pink Country, Stella, and I are kind.
You destroyed the terrible Gingema, and now there is only one evil sorceress left in our country - Bastinda.
Ellie was scared:
– I didn’t do anything like that!
Villina smiled affectionately:
- By using magic book I lifted your little house into the air and dropped it on Gingema’s head! But why were you inside?
– It’s all my fault! - Toto suddenly barked, and kind old lady explained to the surprised girl:
- In our wonderful country Not only people talk, but also animals and birds! You'll love it here!
Ellie cried:
“It’s very beautiful here, madam, but I want to go home!”
The good munchkins also began to cry, and the sorceress said sadly:
– This is hardly possible, because we are very far from the whole world. However, I’ll look in my magic book.
She took out a book the size of a thimble, blew on it, and the book became huge. The sheets themselves turned over under Villina’s gaze. Suddenly she exclaimed:
- Found it! Wizard Goodwin will return you home if you help three creatures fulfill their deepest desires!
-Who is Goodwin? – Ellie asked.
- This is the greatest wizard. He lives very far away - in the Emerald City, and no one has seen him for many years.
- How will I find him? – Ellie sadly lowered her head and was ready to cry again.
“You must follow the yellow brick road,” Villina answered and... disappeared.
“Well, I’ll go look for those who have desires,” Ellie sighed. “Only my torn shoes won’t withstand the long journey.”
“Then take these,” Toto said, wagging his tail, and brought the girl beautiful silver shoes. These were the magic shoes of the evil Gingema, which the dog found in the witch's cave.
Ellie went up to her house, wrote on the door with chalk: “I’m not at home,” and she and Toto set off on the road to the Great Goodwin, who was supposed to bring her home.
Scarecrow
Ellie and Totoshka had been walking along the yellow brick road for several hours and were very tired. The girl sat down to rest near the blue hedge, where a funny scarecrow stood. He had painted blue, slightly different eyes, a large mouth and ears. The nose was made from a patch. The straw fat man was dressed in a blue jacket, an old hat without bells and big boots. Ellie looked at the scarecrow, and it suddenly winked at her.
- Good night! That is, good afternoon! - said the scarecrow in a hoarse voice. – Sorry, I’m confusing the words, because I was only made yesterday.
“Here is an unfamiliar creature!” – Ellie thought and asked hopefully:
– Do you have a cherished desire?
- Eat. I really want to get off this pole!
Ellie tilted the stake and pulled the scarecrow to the ground. The funny straw man shuffled his foot and said:
- My name is Scarecrow! Only I got it wrong again. My most cherished desire is to get brains!
Ellie was so surprised that she wasn’t even upset by the Scarecrow’s mistake.
- How do you know about brains? – she asked.
– One crow pecked me on the cheek this morning, and when I tried to drive it away, she said that brains are the only thing worthwhile thing both in birds and in people. Tell me, Ellie, can you get my brains?
- I can not. But the Great Goodwin, who is supposed to bring me home to my dad and mom, can probably do it. Come with us!
- Hello! Oh no, I wanted to say thank you! - The Scarecrow bowed and took the basket of food from Ellie. He may not have had any brains, but he was very polite and kind.
And now the three of them went to the Emerald City.
Tin Woodman
The road became uneven, houses with gardens became less and less common, and by evening the travelers entered a large forest. The sun had set, but a small hut could be seen among the dense trees. Ellie and Toto went inside and fell asleep on a bed of moss and dry grass, while the Scarecrow remained on the threshold. The good-natured straw man never wanted to eat or sleep.
Early in the morning, the girl and the dog got up, washed themselves in the stream and were about to move on, when suddenly they heard a groan. They made their way through the dense thickets and saw a strange man - he was all made of iron, with an ax in his hand and a copper funnel on his head.
Toto wanted to bite the stranger on the leg and almost broke his teeth. And he didn’t even move.
- This is a forest scarecrow! - the Scarecrow guessed.
“No,” the man groaned. - I am the Tin Woodman and I’m standing like this already. whole year. Please take the oil can from the hut and lubricate me!
Ellie brought an oil can and lubricated the Woodcutter's neck and hands. And then he himself poured oil on his feet and began to move and thank the girl.
“You saved me,” said the Woodcutter. - But who are you and where are you going?
- I'm Ellie, and these are my friends. We are going to the Emerald City. The great Goodwin will bring me home and give the Scarecrow some brains.
– Can’t he give me a heart, because this is my most cherished desire!
- Let's swim, I wanted to say, come with us! – the Scarecrow was delighted. – But why do you want the heart and not the brains?
And then the Woodcutter told sad story about how, through the fault of the evil Gingema, he, an ordinary living person, became iron. And all this happened because he loved one girl very much, and the girl loved him.
– If Goodwin gives me her heart, I will return to her and we will get married! - said the Woodcutter, trying not to cry. Tears, like any other water, were very harmful to him, so Ellie took an oil can with her.
The friends - there were now four of them - spent the night in the forest and moved on in the morning.
Cowardly Lion
The forest darkened, and the roars of animals could be heard from behind the trees. The travelers were talking quietly, and Toto was clinging to the Tin Woodman's feet. And suddenly a huge Lion jumped out onto the road with a loud growl. Tiny Totoshka boldly rushed at the enemy. The huge beast opened its mouth to swallow the dog, but Ellie blocked it with herself.
- What a shame it is to offend little ones! You're just a coward! - she screamed.
Suddenly Lev backed away.
- Yes, I'm a coward. But how do you know this? – he asked quietly.
“Only a coward attacks the weak!” - Ellie answered. - But why do you, so big and scary, consider yourself a coward?
- Because I'm afraid of everyone. If a tiger attacked me, I would run away. And I always hide from other lions.
- Do you have any brains? – the Scarecrow asked randomly.
- Do you have a heart? – asked the Woodcutter.
– We are going to Great Goodwin. It doesn’t cost him anything to fulfill any desire,” Ellie explained to Lev.
“Then take me with you.” I really want to get some courage!
“This is the third wish, and if all three come true, Goodwin will return me home,” the girl rejoiced.
Adventures and dangers
Late in the evening, the friends stopped in the forest to spend the night. The Tin Woodman chopped wood and lit a fire. Ellie and Toto warmed themselves by the fire, and the straw Scarecrow walked away from the fire. And the Cowardly Lion lay down to the side.
– I’m so hungry! – Ellie sighed.
- Let me catch you someone! - suggested the Cowardly Lion.
“Oh, no,” begged the Tin Woodman. “I’ll feel sorry for the poor animal and I’ll start crying.” But I can’t...
The Scarecrow went into the thicket and in complete darkness - he could see clearly both day and night - he picked up a whole basket of hazelnuts for Ellie.
In the morning, the travelers again moved towards the Emerald City. The forest suddenly ended and they found themselves in front of a ravine. It was very wide and deep. What to do?
– I’ll try to jump over this pit! - said the Cowardly Lion.
- But you can move us too! - the Scarecrow guessed. - And I will be the first. Because I won't hurt myself even if I fall!
The Lion jumped first with the Scarecrow on his back, then returned for Ellie and Toto, and finally for the Tin Woodman.
The forest behind the ravine was completely dense. From time to time, snorting and roaring could be heard from the darkness. Friends became very scared.
– Huge tigers with fangs like sabers live here. That’s why they are called saber-toothed... - whispered the Cowardly Lion and suddenly froze, and with him all the travelers: they approached an even wider and deeper ravine.
– I see a tree on the edge! - exclaimed the Scarecrow. - The woodcutter will cut it down, and we will have a bridge!
- You're so smart! – everyone exclaimed in admiration.
The Tin Woodman cut down the tree, and the friends walked along the trunk. Before they had time to reach the middle, a terrible howl was heard and two fierce tigers with fangs like white sabers ran up to the ravine.
The Cowardly Lion turned around and roared so loudly that the monsters stopped.
During these few minutes, everyone managed to run across the ravine, but the tigers were already walking along the tree, intending to catch up with the travelers.
- Chop, chop the tree! - the Scarecrow suddenly shouted.
The Tin Woodman cut the trunk with two blows, and the huge animals flew down.
Then the Cowardly Lion put Ellie and Toto on his back, and they quickly walked away from the terrible forest. Soon the travelers found themselves on the banks of a wide river.
- How will we get across? – Ellie asked and looked at the Scarecrow. The Scarecrow thought a little and suggested:
- We need to make a raft!
Fast river and poppy field
In the morning, friends made a raft. The Tin Woodman cut down the poles for himself and the Scarecrow, and they floated away. Everything was going great, but in the middle of the river there was a very strong current.
– The river carries us to the Violet Country, to the evil Bastinda! - cried the Woodcutter.
- No, we will get to the Emerald City! - the Scarecrow exclaimed and leaned on the pole. But the stick hit the bottom, and a minute later the straw man hung on it, as he had once done in the garden. The raft was carried faster and faster, and then Lev jumped into the water. The Tin Woodman grabbed the tip of his tail tightly, and soon they reached the shore - far, far from the place where they began to cross.
“We have to save the Scarecrow,” Ellie said, and they walked along the shore, making their way with difficulty through the thick grass.
They did not see the scarecrow soon. The fat man was hanging on a pole in the middle of a wide and fast river. They began to think about how to return him to shore. And then the old Stork approached them.
“I’ll carry your comrade,” said the Stork. - But if it is very heavy, I will throw it into the water!
But the Scarecrow was very light - he was stuffed with straw! And soon he was hugging his friends, and then began to dance and sing a song: “Hey-hey-hey! I'm with you again!"
It was fun not only for the Scarecrow, but for all the travelers. It seemed to them that all the dangers were behind them, and now they were walking through a beautiful field of huge red poppies. Friends did not know that the sweet smell of these flowers lulls them to sleep. Before they had time to walk even a few steps, the girl sank to the ground and fell fast asleep. Toto fell nearby.
The Cowardly Lion yawned, opening his mouth wide, and said:
“We need to take Ellie away, otherwise she’ll never wake up.” It's all because of poppies. I'm falling asleep myself!
- Run! - shouted the quick-witted Scarecrow. “We won’t be able to drag you!”
They picked up the girl and the sleeping dog and ran out of the field as quickly as they could. And the Cowardly Lion made two huge leaps, staggered and fell, falling into a dead sleep.
The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman put Ellie and Toto on the grass, away from the poppy field. The Tin Woodman almost cried: he felt sorry for the poor Lion, who never gained courage. And then he saw a wild cat chasing a small mouse. The woodcutter always helped the weak. He jumped up and gave the tailed hunter a kick with his iron leg. The mouse was saved.
– I am Ramina, queen of the field mice! - she said. - How can I thank you?
The Tin Woodman was just about to open his mouth when the resourceful Scarecrow quickly said:
– Save our friend Leo! He sleeps in a poppy field! I know what to do! The Tin Woodman will build a cart from trees. You, Ramina, call all your subjects - there are a thousand of them! We tie a thread to the tail of each mouse. We will attach the other end of the thread to the cart!
That's what they did. The Scarecrow and the Woodcutter put the Lion on a cart and, together with the mice, dragged him into the clearing. Ellie and Totoshka had already woken up and thanked the queen for saving their faithful friend. And soon the Cowardly Lion opened his eyes. How happy he was!
“Let’s go, friends,” said Ellie. - To Goodwin! Three cherished desires must be fulfilled.
Along the yellow brick road, the company reached a village in which everything was painted bright green, and people wore green, emerald-colored clothes. Yes, travelers have reached the Emerald Country! Its inhabitants were as tall as munchkins, wearing the same hats, but without bells.
At one of the houses, also bright green, friends stopped and asked to spend the night. The hostess let them in and asked about everything, and then the owner told them about the Great Goodwin:
– This Wizard and Sage does not leave his palace. Nobody saw him. In addition, he can transform into a fish, a bird, and even a leopard.
He is Great and Mighty! He has bags of brains, different hearts are dried on a string, and his courage is kept in a pot with a gold lid. In general, he can do everything. The main thing is to see him and ask!
The friends felt a little scared, but they really wanted their wishes to come true. And in the morning they went to the Emerald City.
The Great and the Terrible
Wizard Goodwin
The Emerald City appeared before the travelers, sparkling with huge green stones on the high gates. Putnikov met small man wearing green clothes and a green bag on her side.
- What you need? - he asked.
– We want to see the Great Goodwin and ask him to fulfill our wishes!
- Well, since you have come, I must take you to the Wizard. Just put on your glasses so as not to be blinded by the beauty of our city. This is the order!
The Gate Guardian took glasses from his bag, put them on for everyone and fastened them on the back of their heads with small clasps. And now they were walking along a beautiful street, straight to the palace of the Great Sage. Tall Soldier with a curly beard reaching to the ground, he let them in and sat them in green chairs.
“I’ll go to the throne room and report to Great Goodwin that you have arrived!” - he said.
A few minutes later the Soldier returned:
“The wizard was angry at first, but I told him who you were and what kind of silver shoes the girl was wearing, and he ordered to accept you!”
With these words, the Soldier blew a green whistle, and a beautiful girl in a green dress appeared. She took all the travelers to their rooms - very cozy, with beautiful expensive furniture. The lion immediately began to snore on the bed, and little Toto snored quietly next to his friend.
In the morning, the Soldier came for Ellie. He led the girl to the throne room and opened the door for her. Ellie looked ahead. In the center of the room stood a throne made of green marble, and on it lay a huge Living Head, without a body. The face was completely motionless, only the eyes turned in different directions with a strange creak.
– I am Goodwin, the Great and the Terrible! Who are you and why are you bothering me? – said the Head without opening his mouth.
– I am Ellie, small and weak. I ask you for help!
-Where did you get your silver shoes? - asked the Head.
And Ellie told about everything that happened to her and her friends.
– Please fulfill the three cherished wishes of my friends, and then I will return home! - she asked.
– Liberate the Violet Country from the evil sorceress Bastinda, deliver the Miguns, the inhabitants of this country, from her, and you will return to your father and mother!
The girl began to cry, and the Head said angrily:
– My word is law! Go!
The next morning the Scarecrow was brought into the throne room. Instead of the Living Head, in front of him was a beautiful Sea Maiden with a fish tail. Her face was as motionless as a mask, and she fanned herself like a wind-up doll. Having learned what the Scarecrow needed, the Sea Maiden demanded:
– Destroy Bastinda and you will earn brains!
Then Goodwin ordered the Tin Woodman to do the same, only he saw him in the form of a terrible beast with a horn on his face and ten legs. And the Cowardly Lion heard from Fireball- yes, yes, this is what the Wizard looked like - an order to deal with Bastinda.
- What do we do? – Ellie cried. – I’ll have to try!
- We will not leave you! – the friends shouted in unison.
The next day they got ready to set off. The Gate Guardian took off their glasses and said quietly:
– Go where the sun rises, and you will come to the Violet Country. Be careful! Even the Great Goodwin could not defeat Bastinda!
Battles and victory
Friends wandered sadly to the east. By evening, exhausted, we settled down for the night right in the desert. And the evil Bastinda, with her only magic eye, had already seen the travelers approaching the border of her domain. She summoned huge wolves with evil yellow eyes and told the leader:
“Run to the west and tear the girl and her friends to shreds!”
The wolves rushed, but the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman did not sleep.
– I’ll give them a good meeting! - the Woodcutter cried when he saw the flock.
He swung his ax forty times, and forty wolves remained lying at his feet.
In the morning the sorceress saw that the travelers continued to move forward. She whistled twice and called crows with iron beaks. Cawing angrily, the crows flew towards Ellie and her friends. And what? The brave Scarecrow destroyed forty birds of prey! The evil Bastinda became incredibly angry and sent poisonous bees to the travelers, but they broke their sting on the Tin Woodman and died.
Then Bastinda realized that soon the travelers would approach her palace, and decided to use the last magical remedy. She took out from the chest the Golden Cap, which commanded the Flying Monkeys. The sorceress had already summoned monkeys twice: they helped her become the ruler of the Miguns and defeat Goodwin. The scary one-eyed old woman put on her hat and shouted:
– Appear before me, Flying Monkeys!
The leader of the monkeys, Warra, flew up to her and said:
– You called us third and last time! What do you order?
– Destroy the strangers, everyone except Leo. I will harness it to my stroller! - Bastinda cried.
With a squeal, the monkeys attacked their courageous friends. They threw the Tin Woodman into the gorge, gutted the straw from the poor Scarecrow, took it to the Violet Palace and put the Lion in a cage. Finally, Warra himself flew up to Ellie to deal with her, but suddenly froze in horror and shouted:
- Don't touch this girl! She is wearing silver shoes. She's a fairy!
The monkeys carefully picked up Ellie and Totoshka and brought them to Bastinda.
Seeing the silver shoes, the evil old woman realized that her sister Gingema was no longer alive. She was not upset because of this, on the contrary, she was happy: now you can take the magic shoes for yourself, and they had the most powerful power! Bastinda grabbed Ellie by the hand and dragged her into the dark, dirty kitchen.
– You will clean the pots and wash the floor! And if you do a bad job, I’ll beat you with a big stick and put you in a basement with huge rats!
- Oh, madam! – the frightened girl begged. - No need! I will obey.
The old woman was very pleased that she had frightened Ellie so much, and went to the Cowardly Lion. But before she had time to enter his cage, he opened his mouth, bristled his mane and jumped on her.