The Forest Monster of Oz | Page 3

though the spider was so much larger than any other
spider he had ever seen, its neck was as slender as a wasp's waist. Given this obvious
oversight on the part of the Wicked Witches who had designed him, the Forest Monster
suddenly seemed less Monstrous to the Cowardly Lion. With a leap and a single blow of
his mighty paw, he knocked the Forest Monster's head clean off! He then watched the
writhing body until its legs stopped wiggling and he knew that it was quite dead.
[Illustration: "_With a leap and a single blow of his mighty paw, he knocked the Forest
Monster's head clean off!"_]


CHAPTER 2
ELEPHANT'S DAY
"Elephant?" asked Tweaty, a yellow canary who was looking up at the large gray beast.
"Yes?" asked the elephant, who was drinking a tall glass of chocolate milk with his trunk.
"I was just thinking about the new Queen of Oz," said the bird solemnly. "Do you think
she'll last? I mean, I really thought that the Wonderful Wizard of Oz himself would rule

over the Land forever. Then I placed my confidence in His Majesty the Scarecrow. Now,
out of the blue, we've got this little girl who is probably younger than most eggs, and we
are supposed to give her our neverending support?"
"Why in the world not?" the pachyderm drawled as he indolently stretched himself.
"Nibbles and I agree that, though she is very young, Princess Ozma shows a lot of
promise as Oz's new leader. Give the child a chance. She's only been a Queen for a week
or so!"
"Absolutely, Tweaty!" Nibbles agreed. "And so many rulers have been youthful.
Remember the old story about King Tut? He was just a little boy."
Few persons guessed that Nibbles, Elephant and Tweaty were old friends, so unlike were
they in appearance and disposition. Tweaty was delicate, clean and could sing for hours
on end without repeating a tune. He took pride in his appearance and always made sure
that his refulgent feathers were clean. Nibbles, on the other hand, was a mouse. He was
often found digging in the trash that was sometimes left by careless campers or
burrowing in other animals' nests. His fur was not what most would deem tidy, but he
was amiable and companionable. Elephant, by far the largest of the three, was less
colorful. He liked the other animals, and he ofttimes wanted to help the smaller creatures
as best he could, but his immense size and bulk generally made him feel more like a
nuisance than a help. In spite of legends that would have us all believe that elephants are
afraid of mice, he found that most of his favorite playmates were among the smaller
creatures of Oz. He enjoyed fellowship with mice, as well as with rabbits and hedgehogs.
He had befriended Nibbles at a young age, and it had been Nibbles who had introduced
him to Tweaty.
The three friends were enjoying a relaxing afternoon in a remote region of the Munchkin
Country known as the Lunechien Forest. It was a time of transition in the Land of Oz.
The child Queen, Ozma of Oz, had just been named Ruler over the land. This news had
met with mixed reactions. Many Ozites maintained that only the Wonderful Wizard could
rule the land. Others favored the amiable Scarecrow. But all admitted that, even though a
tiny little girl, Ozma was a unique leader. She had already proven that. She had not only
created and brought to life a pumpkin-headed man named Jack, a wooden Sawhorse, and
a wobbly monstrosity with the head of a Gump, but had also gone forth with these
unlikely companions and saved the Land of Oz from a terrible fate.
[Illustration: Elephant, drinking chocolate milk.]
"But she's a little girl!" said the bird. "She's a child! Children should be allowed to enjoy
their childhoods. This kid should learn to play jacks or skip a rope. She should have some
nice paper dolls to dress up. She should have nice toys. She is too young to be a Queen.
Let her live a happy life for a while before you go throwing all that responsibility on her.
She's only a baby, for crying out loud!"
"She is a cute little thing, though," Elephant remarked, half to himself.
"Cute?" Tweaty demanded in surprise. "That is hardly a reason to elect someone leader.

Especially over such a vast country as Oz. Maybe if Oz were a little dinky insignificant
country like America or Kansas, it would be okay. But Oz is so much bigger than those
places. Elephant, don't you think that adorable infant deserves a childhood to enjoy
before getting schlepped into Queenhood unprepared?"
Before Elephant could reply, an unexpected occurrence drove all idle