Dorothy Must Die

The next morning, Amy is promoted to Dorothy’s new lady-in-waiting because the Wizard put in a good word for her. The previous lady-in-waiting is in the infirmary after the Lion’s appetite got overzealous; once the Scarecrow fixes her, she’ll join the Tin Woodman’s soldiers. Jellia leads Amy to Dorothy’s chamber, where she gives her a hairbrush and warns her, “Don’t touch the shoes” (313).

Dorothy’s room is colored in every shade of pink imaginable, and Toto runs in a circle, chasing his tail. They find Dorothy in her closet, which is bigger than the bedroom and full of clothes that all have a blue checkered pattern. Dorothy is at the very back, wearing a blue checkered nightgown and her red shoes. The shoes call to Amy with promises of power. She nearly touches them before Jellia pulls her back. Amy is frightened by the shoe’s effect.

As Amy brushes Dorothy’s hair, Jellia applies polish to the nails of Dorothy’s surprisingly gnarled hands. Jellia spills a drop of the nail polish, sending Dorothy into a quiet rage that’s part anger and part joy at getting to punish someone. She sends Jellia after a mouse that scurried under some clothes.