Inferno in Oz - Prologue, Pt. 2

PROLOGUE: THE WITCH-KILLER, PART TWO

Deep beneath the desert sand,

Within the Gnome King's halls of stone --

He threw her in a prison cell,

And left her there alone.

Uncounted years went slowly by

As she wept with lonely tears,

Trapped in jail all by herself

For more than 80 years. 

Bear in mind, for but a tic

That Dorothy, through Oz's power

Would never age, and never die --

A blessing long gone sour.

That much time in solitude

Wreaked havoc on her troubled mind;

Eventually, poor Dorothy

Left sanity behind.

The Gnome King, on his rocky throne,

The Magic Belt around his waist --

Kept Dorothy as his favourite prize,

And savoured victory's taste. 

He'd visit her near twice a day

To gloat about the girl's defeat;

Dorothy said not a word,

And stared down at her feet. 

One day, she'd taken enough.

She called the Gnome King to her cell,

Told him she was feeling sick

And to the floor she fell. 

When they came to Dorothy's aid,

She leapt to action, knocked them down,

Ran for King Gnome's royal hall, 

And hit him with his crown. 

Furious and most surprised,

The King of Gnomes, out for himself,

Fought hard 'gainst her fury, but

He lost the Magic Belt. 

She stood above him, put it on,

Felt its magic power surge,

And ordered all of gnomish kin

To serve him in her scourge.

And to the King, she whispered soft:

'You will lead the armies east, 

And once I've taken my revenge, 

On riches you shall feast."

Greedily, the King agreed

(The Belt would not allow his 'nay');

With twisted grin, her eyes on fire,

She sent the gnomes away. 

Once the sun had finally set,

And with the prison at her back,

She made her way on foot by night,

Her rage so cold and black. 

- © Jackson Cambridge, 2015.