Soon Dorothy and her friends received a message from the Wizard of Oz. It said, I will see you tomorrow. Do not call the Winged Monkeys.
They all went to sleep and dreamed of the gifts that Oz had promised to give them.
The next morning a soldier came to get them. He brought them into the Wizard's throne room, and they were shocked to find it empty. Dorothy and her friends were each expecting to see Oz as he had first appeared to them.
"I am Oz, the Great and Terrible. Why do you seek me?" said a deep voice.
Dorothy and her friends looked for the speaker, but they couldn't see anyone.
"Wh—where are you?" asked a frightened Dorothy.
"I am everywhere," answered the voice.
"We have come to claim what was promised to us," continued Dorothy.
"What was promised?" asked Oz.
"You promised to help me get back to Kansas," said Dorothy.
"And you promised me a brain," said the Scarecrow.
"You promised me a heart," said the Tin Man.
"And you promised me courage," said the Lion.
"Is the Witch dead?" asked the voice.
"Yes," said Dorothy. "I melted her with water."
"Oh dear," said the voice. "Well, come to me tomorrow. I need some time to think."
"Time? You've had plenty of time to think!" said the Tin Man angrily.
"We won't wait," agreed the Scarecrow.
"Yes, you must keep your promises," said Dorothy firmly.
The Lion roared quite suddenly because he thought that this might be a good time to frighten the Wizard. Toto was so startled by the roar that he jumped out of Dorothy's arms and darted behind a curtain.
The curtain fell open, revealing an old man with a bald head and a wrinkled face.
"Who are you?" asked the Tin Man with his ax raised.
"I . . . I am Oz," said the man, trembling. "Don't strike me."
"You are not the Wizard I saw," said Dorothy.
"I . . . I was just pretending," he said.
Oz showed Dorothy and the others how he had fooled them. Oz had used ropes to make images appear and disappear and mirrors to make things appear bigger and smaller. Speakers made his voice sound as if it was coming from all around the room.
Oz also told them how he had come to the Emerald City. "Many years ago I was a balloonist," he said. "For two days and two nights I could not land my balloon. On the morning of the third day, the balloon floated over a strange and beautiful country. The people below saw me come out of the clouds, and they thought I was a wizard. So when I landed, I just let them go on thinking that's what I was—a wizard."
"I think you are a very bad man!" Dorothy scolded him.
"I am not a bad man, just a bad wizard," said Oz sadly. "It's true I tricked the people into believing I was a wizard, but I have ruled them well."
"What about my brain?" asked the Scarecrow.
"I can't give you something you already have," said Oz. "Experience will bring you knowledge."
"That may be true, but I still want you to keep your promise," said the Scarecrow.
"Yes, I want my courage," demanded the Lion.
"You have it already," answered Oz.
"But I still feel scared," replied the Lion.
"And I want my heart," interrupted the Tin Man.
"A heart will only make you unhappy," said Oz.
"I want to go home," said Dorothy.
Oz looked at each of them and said, "I have pretended to be a wizard for this long. I guess I can pretend to be a wizard for a little bit longer. Come back tomorrow. I will give the Scarecrow a brain; I will give the Lion courage; and I will give the Tin Man a heart."
"What about Dorothy?" asked Dorothy's friends.
"I shall have to think about that," answered Oz. "I must think of a way to travel over the Great Desert. I will think of something, but each of you must promise to keep my secret."
They all agreed.